STEM Implementation Update

We are more than half way through our first year as a STEM school. As we build our STEM identity, we have been busy as STEM learners. Both teachers and students are being risk takers. Our 5th graders and their teachers have expanded their STEM learning by programming robots. Their challenge was to build and program autonomous robots that could model a robot moving supplies in a hospital. This was a new learning experience for both the teachers and the students.

STEM learning is really taking off in 3rd grade with gliders. Students designed gliders using an iPad app. They used their math skills to measure and analyzed the data as they tested their glider models.

Leprechauns had to dodge the engineers in kindergarten. Students used their engineering design process to try and trap the tricksters. Although their final iteration was unsuccessful at capturing any leprechauns, lots of great thinking was accomplished.

As a school we took a big step in establishing our STEM identity. Students in grades 4th - 6th had an opportunity to design STEM logos. Staff members chose the finalists. Kindergarten through 3rd grade students voted to chose the winning design. With the help of a graphic artist the design was turned into digital art. The logo is being printed on t-shirts that will arrive in time for our STEM night.

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Ollies and Math

Thanks to generosity of Chevron through Donors Choose , my math class experienced a new mobile technology, Ollies! Ollies are programmable robots made by Sphero . We used the app, Macrolab to program the Ollies. I modified a lesson from the Sphero website to teach the concepts of measurement and data. The first day, we explored how to program the Ollies and how changing the variables in the program affected what Ollie did. The students recorded data to capture what they were seeing. On day 2 it was time to be more methodical with our data collection. Students only changed one variable at a time. This allowed students to discover the relationship between time and the distance that the Ollie traveled. The students changed the variable of the delay between the roll and stop commands to develop this understanding. There was definitely a lot of excitement and motivation to learn measurement. On Day 3, we analyzed the data recorded from each group. There were some noticeable differences

Roller Coasters

The students chose words to describe roller coasters. We recorded them using Answer Garden . I think it also describes what building roller coasters is like. There was a buzz of excitement as groups of students designed and constructed marble roller coasters. One of the student remarked, "This doesn't look like regular library time." He had just asked me if he could tape the roller coaster ramp to the wall and was shocked when I said, "Of course." The students were so engaged with their projects that they did not notice a visitor from the Hillsboro Tribune . Kathy Fuller came to learn about what was happening in our building this summer. We are proud that we will be featured in the newspaper. I will make sure to include the link in a future post. We will be continuing our roller coaster construction tomorrow. I am very thankful that our custodial staff is supportive of these messy projects. This video captures the feelings expressed in the wordl

Halfway

I am taking it as a positive sign that we are halfway through our summer program and there is still tons of positive energy. Mrs. Gonzalez and Ms. Ayala's phone calls resulted in 5 new students today! We are expecting even more new students on Monday. My hope is that we can bring the average daily attendance to 40 students. This article affirmed our purpose for the summer program and pushing the students to work on their math skills in addition to reading. http://www.vox.com/2014/7/13/5891583/summer-slide-achievement-gap-vacation I am looking forward to comparing their end of the year MobyMax math placement with their beginning of the year placement test score. Plans for next week... Model canoes, gardening, writing a Scratch character description and an art project

On the move

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