Take a look at the Create-a-Bird studios for each third grade class:
Mrs. Pederson's Class Studio
Mrs. Peterson's Class Studio
Mrs. O'Connell's Class Studio
Mrs. Burke's Class Studio
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Third graders at Weaver Lake are ornithologists. They study birds all year, focusing especially on birds' adaptations that help them to survive in their habitats. As a culmination of their year-long study of ornithology, third graders design their own bird, including specific adaptation to help it survive in a chosen environment. Students draw the bird as a sprite in Scratch, and program it to move around and share facts about itself. The students' Create-a-Bird projects are shared on Scratch and are a special feature during our third grade celebration of World Migratory Bird Day.
Take a look at the Create-a-Bird studios for each third grade class: Mrs. Pederson's Class Studio Mrs. Peterson's Class Studio Mrs. O'Connell's Class Studio Mrs. Burke's Class Studio
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As a part of Project Lead the Way, our fourth graders studied the human brain this year and the way that it acts similar to a computer in information processing and communicating signals throughout the body. Then, they compared the human brain system to actual computer systems to better understand the similarities an differences. As a part of this research, students participated in hands-on discovery of computer systems within a variety of technology devices. We called this our "take-apart days", and the students really enjoyed seeing what was inside of devices such as old cassette players and laptops. They categorized the computer parts they found within their devices as pieces that are necessary for input or pieces necessary for output. We later turned the pieces from our take-apart projects into art and had help to spray paint them all silver - we drew inspiration from Louise Nevelson and her monochromatic sculptures.
Students also got to use their knowledge of input/output and coding to develop and program a game that tests the user's reaction time. We used the app Tynker to create those games, and really enjoyed being one another's beta-testers and providing feedback about how the games worked! First graders at Weaver Lake Elementary begin the year studying the characteristics of insects, including body parts and adaptations, such as camouflage. They net live insects for observation, study specimens in the lab, and eventually also have the opportunity to use their expertise to engineer their own insect! Students use a variety of materials to design and create their insects. They then write about their invented insect species and record themselves reading it.
Fourth graders at Weaver Lake Elementary conduct a year-long investigation of Weaver Lake, and study a variety of different factors to determine the health and pollution level of the lake. One of those factors is the presence of certain macroinvertebrates. Students learn about different species of macroinvertebrates and spend time observing and identifying macros from samples of water from Weaver Lake, an activity which we call "Scoop and Snoop".
Then, students are given the challenge to engineer their own macro with adaptations that would help it to survive in a given habitat. Students engineered their macro out of clay and then described their creation using Adobe Voice.
2nd and 3rd graders at Weaver Lake followed the Engineering Design Process and created maps for BeeBots. We focused on creating and following algorithms, and used a variety of computational thinking approaches, such as creating, debugging, persevering, and collaboration. We also incorporated opportunities for students to provide one another with feedback about the maps, and then to make changes or adjustments based on that feedback.
Here is a 3rd grade BeeBot in action... 4th graders at Weaver Lake learn all about circuits!
They build parallel and simple circuits with D-Cell batteries, draw and explain the components of a circuit, and now, they also use breadboards to explore circuitry with Arduino kits! They had a blast connecting the wires, resistors, and LEDs...and did lots of problem solving in collaborative teams. Next up with the Arduinos: programming the LEDs to blink in different ways! After learning about the Trojan Horse while studying ancient civilizations, Mrs. Peterson's 3rd graders had the opportunity to engineer their own version of a Trojan Horse! They used many different materials and shapes, but all of the creations had to have a hollow compartment, be able to stand by itself, and it had to look like a friendly object.
During Computer Science Education Week, December 8-14th, 2014, every student at Weaver Lake participated in one hour (or more) of coding. It was exciting to have our entire school participate, and students and staff had great things to say about the experience! We are excited about continuing to incorporate coding into our curriculum!
3rd graders customized their own burlap bookmarks by hand-sewing patterns and shapes into them. There was a lot of critical thinking and problem solving involved in this maker project, as this was many students' first time doing any hand-sewing. The bookmarks are colorful and personalized, and have been fun for students to use and share!
Ms. Fischer's 4th grade students do a lot of collaborating and working on the floor. But the floor is not always the most comfortable to sit on! So, the problem solvers in Ms. Fischer's class decided to design and sew cushions to make it possible to comfortably collaborate anywhere! They also used the Popplet Lite app to document and describe their maker process.
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June 2016
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