Week of February 16-19

This week, some 3rd grade classes improved their oil spill cleanup processes by using different materials, changing the order of their steps, or by combining some materials. One group actually did the unthinkable- they removed all of the oil from their model river! However, we also discussed how sometimes our improvements do not actually make the final result better. That's okay as long as we learn from our mistakes!

The 4th graders are still busy tackling their design challenges.
One group struggled to get their robot to move without wheels, but they showed true grit, stayed committed to the challenge, and achieved success by the end of the period!!! Watch their robot go!

Here is a video of a robot going up an incline. The students added gears for extra power. It can make it up the incline- now they just have to get it to go straight!

Check out this petition written by a fifth grader for his passion project. If you agree, sign it!

Week of February 9-12

This week, the 3rd graders implemented their first design to clean an oil spill. They were surprised by how quickly the oil spreads throughout the model river! We discussed what went well and what improvements should be made, and next time, we will create and implement a new plan based on these observations.

Oil, oil everywhere!!!

In 4th grade, some groups finally accomplished the goal of their design challenges! Check out the video below of a robot moving with legs instead of wheels!

The 5th graders are making great progress on their passion projects- conducting interviews, complining research, designing websites, and much more!

Week of February 1-5

This week, the 3rd graders continued to imagine and plan processes to clean an oil spill. Here is a link to some kid-friendly info on the BP oil spill: http://www.nwf.org/kids/ranger-rick/ranger-rick-on-the-big-oil-spill.aspx

The 4th graders were busy with their design engineering challenges- building legs to make the robot walk, adding gears to go up an incline, programming it to draw various shapes, etc.  Stay tuned for videos once we the challenges are completed!

The 5th graders have been busy working on their passion projects designing websites, doing taste tests, conducting surveys and analyzing data, creating presentations, putting together a book drive, and much more. I can't wait to see what they accomplish over the last few weeks of the project!

Week of January 27-29

This was a short week due to the snowstorm. Some of the 3rd graders were still in the "ask" phase of the engineering design process, experimenting with various materials to clean an oil spill. Other groups started the "imagine" and "plan" phases, where they brainstormed a few processes and met with their groups to decide on their first plan. I'm excited to see what happens when we test these plans!

In 4th grade, we continued to work on our design engineering challenges. Some groups were busy dismantling and rebuilding their robots with legs, arms, gears, etc. Others were starting to program the robots to draw shapes or go up an incline. The difficulty of these challenges has been teaching us the importance of learning from our mistakes and persevering in the face of obstacles!

In 5th grade, we continued to make action plans for our passion projects and have started putting these plans into action!

Week of January 19-22

This week, our 3rd grade environmental engineers were working on the "Ask" phase of the Engineering Design Process. They were asking questions about what materials and tools work well (and not so well) to clean up an oil spill by testing them in a model oil spill. We learned that the materials had certain properties that made them effective or ineffective in containing and cleaning up the oil. This will help us with our next steps of imagining and planning our clean-up process.

Engineers busy taking notes on how well materials work to clean an oil spill.

In 4th grade, we formed new teams and were introduced to our design challenge options. While many groups are still in the planning phase, one group already created an arm for their robot that can hold a pencil or marker and draw on paper! I can't wait to see all of the amazing things that my students will be able to program their robots to do!

In 5th grade, we created action plans to organize what we have to do to accomplish our goals and in what order these steps should be taken. Then we were busy working on things like creating surveys, doing research, designing websites, composing emails, conducting taste tests, and much more!

Taste testing beet/carrot/orange juice!

Week of January 11-15

This week, my 3rd grade environmental engineers used the data they found last week about pH levels in Greentown to make a presentation for the mayor about what was causing pollution in the garden and pond. They also came up with some practical steps the mayor could take to reduce the pollution (fine the factories that were illegally dumping, fix a leak in a waste tank, properly clean road salt, look into a new type of fertilizer or use less acidic fertilizer). We learned how important it is to stick to the data we find when drawing conclusions.

Environmental engineers busy at work making a presentation for the mayor of Greentown and its citizens about how to solve their pollution problems.

In 4th grade, some students have been creating their own challenges for their robots. In the video below, the robot is programmed to go forward and jump back at a green line using a switch and loop.

The 5th graders continued to give their pitch presentations about the passion projects they will be pursuing. They received very valuable feedback from their peers!

Week of January 4-8

It was so nice to see everyone again after a long break! This week, the 3rd graders were environmental engineers who were hired by the mayor of Greentown to investigate while plants and frogs were dying in the garden and pond. We used pH strips to test the pH levels in the soil and water in various locations around town. Then we shared and recorded our results and visited each site to investigate further. We learned that pollution in one area can spread to other areas, we were also surprised by some of the causes of the pollution. Next week, we will make recommendations to the mayor about what should be done to remedy the problems in the environment.

basic, neutral, and acidic pH results from our testing

In 4th grade, we've been flying through the tutorials and have been able to get our robots to do amazing things. The video below uses the switch block to make the robot follow a path. 

In 5th grade, we've been working on our pitch presentations. The purpose of these presentations is to inform our classmates of the essential question we are trying to answer, share our possible solutions, and get feedback about our passion project ideas before we begin the planning and research phase. My Monday class did an excellent job of making sure to rely on images (instead of a lot of text) to make their presentations interesting and engaging! I look forward to seeing the rest of the presentations next week!