Challenge Team Interim Report

Team Number: 005 School Name: Springer High School Area of Science: Zoology: Animal Husbandry Project Title: The GREAT ROADRUNNER

I am Keith Tabor from Springer, New Mexico. I am fifteen years old, a ninth-grader at Springer High School. Learning is difficult for me because I can't read really good. I can't recognize most words. I take special education classes to help me to read and write. I'm really good at computers, but I can't type the words easily, so it takes me a while to do my work.

I enjoy doing HTML on the computer to create web pages, like I've been doing for my roadrunner project. I'm in my school's Super Computer group, which I really enjoy. There are only two people in my class, and I'm the only one on my Super Computer team. My teacher, Mrs. Smith, taught me HTML and helps me set goals. She's a really great teacher. My reading teacher, Mr. Keller, helps me on my reading and writing and spelling for my roadrunner project.

In doing my project, I'm learning HTML with C++ and C++ Lab. I'm developing my typing skills along with my skills in reading, writing, and spelling.

My project started when I received in the mail a pamphlet about the roadrunner. I found out on the Internet, at the Super Computers web site, that I could do a project about birds, and that this was part of studying zoology. Since it was New Mexico Super Computer Challenge, I chose the state bird, the roadrunner.

My mom gave me some information from pamphlets and books about the roadrunner. She wrote the information on flashcards and helped me organize them. Next, I typed the information from the cards in Mr. Keller's reading class. Mr. Keller helped me edit it and helped me check my spelling. This first typing was in sentence outline form.

For my report, I put everything together on the computer. I took my outline and used it to copy the sentences into paragraph form for an essay. I rearranged the sentences to make it sound better. This took me quite a while. It helped me with my reading and typing skills. My mom and Mr. Keller both helped me make an acknowledgements page.

At this point, Mrs. Smith taught me HTML and we went to the Super Computer Kickoff in Glorieta. I learned a lot of things to help me with my project. I learned C++ and more about HTML. I also participated in Matlab. By the time I got home, I was very tired, but I was also looking forward to using "SIMCITY" to make an animation for my presentation at the Super Computer Challenge.

I started using HTML to make a web site for my roadrunner project. I typed "tags" to put my words into my web site. I took pictures off the Internet and posted them into my web pages. I can do that by myself. The only thing is, it's really hard to find pictures of an actual roadrunner because there are clubs, cars, and cartoons named for the roadrunner, too.

My project will develop a C++ program code to simulate the habitat of the roadrunner. Valuables in the program will include:

1. Life span
2. Habit
3. Dry, open territory
4. Food
5. Natural enemies

I hypothesize that the simulation will show that the roadrunner will not go outside its regional boundaries.

Team Members

Team Mail

• Keith Tabor

Sponsoring Teachers

• Mrs. Brenda Smith

Project Advisor(s)

• Terri Tabor