| The students of 8th grade science classes got to learn and practice programming concepts when they created their own True/False science quizzes in the coding program Scratch. After learning about variables and conditional statements, students spent three days programming, debugging, and testing their quizzes, before they unveiled them to their classmates. |
This project served not only as an introduction to programming for the students but also as a study review guide for their science final exam. For technology class, the students’ programs were evaluated according to several criteria, including the user interface design and functionality of the gameplay. Students were engaged in this project as a way to study for their exam and have fun with coding. See Carlie's, Olivia's, or Angel's finished programs.
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Working in pairs, students scouted suitable locations in the virtual world, selected materials, and got to work. In addition to creating the bridge, the teams were required to document the process by taking screen shots of their creations, providing directional coordinates, and measuring the distance of the bridge span in meters. The students were also asked to reflect on challenges they faced and explain how they worked together to solve problems. Perhaps we will see a version of one of these bridges in the real world someday!
7th grade students in the 20/20 science class have been working to help solve some of the toughest global issues this year. Challenge 20/20 asks students to find local solutions to twenty different global problems, and our 7th grade students rose to the challenge. Students addressed issues like biodiversity loss, poverty, and water scarcity. They planned and executed a local solution throughout this school year, and they engaged the community to make their project sustainable. One group of students designed and tested a low-cost water filtration system; the girls presented it to the elementary students and donated their prototype to the science lab so younger students are aware of the problem and a possible solution. This project inspires students to learn more about global challenges and use critical and creative thinking to help in a local context. Students are motivated because they can see the change and speak with people who are impacted by their efforts.
With the availability of our 5th grade Android tablets, students have more responsibility and flexibility in math class. Students decide when they are able to forego the lesson of the day and work in small groups on problem solving skills. Often, this involves students needing to utilize the internet to look up formulas or unfamiliar terms. Students can do this on their own as others receive direct instruction from the teacher. This opportunity for self-directed learning engages students in math and provides incentives for students to think about their learning and progress. In order to reduce our impact on the environment, students are also able to view problems on the Android tablets instead of using paper.
between the motion of an object and the graphs representing the speed and location of the object. They learned how to describe acceleration, deceleration, stationary and constant motion in words and visually through graphs. Students used Google Sheets Tips and Creating Motion Graphs tutorial videos to help them create the graphs of their character's motion. Read student work about a turtle named Bolt or a dog named Doug to learn more about the motion graphs pictured above.
Students in 7th grade math used technology throughout the unit on scale and proportion. The unit began with a discussion about how people use scale in every day life. We discussed how movie makers use scale models, engineers and architects use scale to create construction drawings, and toymakers use scale to make adult sized objects just right for children. For the first activity, students measured simple geometric objects and created them in Sketchup at their original size and then smaller or larger based on a random scale factor. Students shared their Sketchup drawing in a shared Google folder, and then downloaded one of their peer's drawings to determine their scale factor.
For the final project for the scale and proportion unit, students chose to create a scaled version of famous landmarks, everyday objects or areas of school. Working in teams, students could choose to create a scale model, diorama or 3-D drawing of their object. Some of the students who chose to create their object in Sketchup or Tinkercad will have their object printed on the high school 3-D printer. Scale and proportion are a big part of our everyday lives in many ways. This unit provided hands-on and tech-on opportunities for students make connections and apply proportional thinking. "Programming as a Second Language" In honor of the Hour of Code taking place this week and next across the world, 5th graders in Ms. Laya's English Language Arts class spent an hour last Friday learning another language: the basics of JavaScript, in the computer lab with Mr. Nelson. Students were first directed to learn about JavaScript from Code Academy, where they learned how to write simple commands, such as finding the number of characters in their name: "Name".length as well as creating a prompt window in Google Chrome: prompt("Enter Answer"); Once students had mastered some of these basics of JavaScript, they then practiced typing code in Code Monster. This Friday students will return to the computer lab for a second session of programming with JavaScript, and we'll see if they can get to learning how to program booleans. Below are a few pictures taken during Friday's class, and if you're interested in learning more about the Hour of Code, contact Mr. Nelson. Students in 7th grade math are beginning bimester two with a unit about scale and proportion. In order to introduce students to scale and engage them in the concept, we began with a scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Throughout the filming of the Harry Potter movies, the producers used a scale model of Hogwarts to create amazing scenes like this. Movies are just one example of how scale is used every day. After the introduction, students measured a geometric object and drew it on their paper. Next, they were assigned a scale factor. Students redrew the object with the new dimensions, and then they were ready to model both the original and the scaled object in Sketchup. Students submitted their models to a shared folder in Google Drive. Last, each student downloaded a peer's drawing and determined the scale factor. Students were engaged in designing their models in Sketchup and learning the basics of using a scale factor to enlarge or shrink an object.
Students created prototypes of their solutions to the problems. They presented in class by giving a speech explaining what sucks, how their solution solves the problem, what went well during the design process and what did not go as well. After all of the presentations, students reflected on the assignment to think about their successes and help Miss Natalie improve the project for next year. Students were very engaged in this project. Their problems and interests guided the process and made it relevant and meaningful. They chose how to present their results using Google Slides, Keynote, and iMovie. Above, you can see Lore and Marifer present and discuss the Perfect Locker solution. Below, you can watch HyunYoung's video about designing an app to help you choose what to wear in the morning. |
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