Week of February 27-March 3

This week, my third graders really impressed me with their knowledge of issues like the Keystone Pipeline, fossil fuels v. renewable resources, the damage that cruise ships cause to the environment, famous oil spills from the past, and how land oil spills are dealt with. Check out this ABC news report on a famous oil spill!
Harshini's Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill News Report

A debate about fossil fuels v. renewable energy

The 4th graders finished up their last programming challenges with their Lego Robots and said their goodbyes to their robot friends! We began the unit by talking about how robots can sense their environments and make decisions based on what they are sensing. By the end of the unit, the students' understanding of this concept was so much stronger because they got to see it in action. Our robots could sense colors, light, objects, and angles and could react to what they were sensing. I am very impressed with the students' understanding of how to program the robots to complete given tasks! There is a middle school Lego Robotics elective, so maybe some students will continue their learning in the future!
These students successfully made their robot go up an incline!

The 5th graders made their pitch presentations on the inventions they have been working on for the past few weeks. We had things like smelly nail polish to put an end to nail biting, a shopping cart attachment to lift heavy objects into your trunk, a portable desk organizer, a device that helps you pour heavy cartons of milk/juice, and many more! Check out some of our models below!

A football with velcro gloves to prevent injuries, a football made of material that doesn't soak through it, and a bicycle helmet with more comfortable straps, sunglasses, and a light!

A shopping cart attachment to lift heavy objects into the trunk and an easy-to-make bed!