Archives: March 2014

Mouse Traps

Third Graders in Mrs. Weikle’s class created Mouse Traps during a STEM project that targeted Simple Machines and 3D shapes.

Mrs. Weikle showed a Rube Goldberg inspired video before the students started their project.

Then students broke up in groups and created their mouse traps. The traps had to contain at least one simple machine (screw, pulley, lever, wedge, inclined plane, wheel and axel). Students were prepared to explain how their mouse trap worked, and what the simple machine did to help it. They also needed to identify the 3D shapes they used when building. Most of the groups even had time to create a Pic Collage labeling the parts of their machines.

Take a look at their creations below!

Cross Posted in the Oak Grove Digital Archive.

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iBooks with Ms. McGee

After reading Wednesday is Spaghetti Day by Maryann Cocca-Leffler Mrs. McGe,e’s third graders wrote, illustrated, and recorded digital books. They used the app Book Creator. This app allowed them to add text, pictures, and audio to their books. They really did a very nice job!

We have found that using “offices” when recording helps minimize background noise.  It’s like a mini sound booth.

There are two versions of each book: epub and pdf. The epub can be downloaded and read in iBooks (on an iPad or iPhone/iPod Touch) or any other ebook reader. The pdf can be downloaded on a computer and printed. Check them out below!

View All Mrs. McGee’s Digital Books Here

 

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Free Little Libaries

Students in Mrs. Corbett’s, Mrs. Cupp’s, and Mrs. Downey’s reading class are working with students from Burton Center for Arts and Technology to build Free Little Libraries to be placed in the Oak Grove District. Wondering what Free Little Libraries are? Check out the video below:

Free Little Libraries

Students have finished constructing models and blueprints for their free little libraries. Check it out:

After the building is complete, we will need books to stock the libraries. If you have any children’s books or books for grown-ups, we would love to have them. You’ll find boxes (that the students have covered in paper) around the school for any book donations.

Free Little Library

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Niche Bots

Students in Mrs. Mulvaney’s Science class created creatures using circuits and their knowledge of living systems.  They created new creatures based on a habitat and an animal type card they drew at the beginning of the activity.  The animal had to move, had to have a complete circuit, and had to have adaptations for the food it ate and the habitat it lived in.   Take a look at their creatures in action.

As a culmination to the project, students created Trading Cards (using an iPad app) about their animals.

Cross posted on the Oak Grove Digital Archive.

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Following the Iditarod

Dallas Seavey

Students in Mrs. Schirmer’s Fourth Grade reading class have been learning about the Iditarod.  While the event started on Saturday, they’ve spent the past few weeks reading books and researching information about it.  As part of their research, they created Musher Trading Cards using the Trading Cards iPad app by Read, Write, Think (you could use the website too). They gave each of their classmates a copy of the trading cards they made, and will watch these musher’s closely as the race progresses.  Check out their cards below!

Students will be following the Iditarod at the official site: http://iditarod.com/ and plotting progress on the classroom map.  Finally, they will skype with resident of Alaska to get first hand information about what it’s like to live there.  More on that in another post!

 

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Presenting at Virginia Children’s Engineering Conference

I had the opportunity to give two different presentation at the Virginia Children’s Engineering Conference. I was lucky enough to team with three other fabulous individuals, Alisa Downey, Julie Mulvaney, and Meg Swecker. You can check out our presentations below.

Handout: STEMming Off Stories

 

The design briefs and examples that go with this presentation are located here: VCEC Conference Presentation Links

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