This last week was a busy one for all of us and it was our half way point! Specials classes only run for quarter before switching, about every 9 weeks so we have a snapshot of time to get to know your student and allow them to explore a different side of learning!
This week my 5th graders took on an engineering challenge. The Zombies were approaching and we needed to create escape structures! Working in teams students created one of four options- a bridge, a collapsible ramp, a zip line, or a raft. Using their collaboration skills students unknowingly worked through the engineering design cycle imagining, planning, and creating their structures. Part of the lesson included testing out their structure and see how well it worked before the final test. Students did a test run with their structure and the whole class took "Grow and Glow" notes to offer suggestions and appreciation of each other's work. The following day students got to make adjustments to improve their structures, they got to experience that if things were not working too well, that they could get back up brush themselves off and keep on going! Friday we had our final test and It was amazing to see what your 5th graders engineered! We used REAL eggs as a model of a human, because humans are just an fragile as eggs, to see how well we might fare in their structures! I brought in 30 eggs assuming that we would have a quite a few casualties, however we only lost 4!! This upcoming week we will be reflecting on our building and putting our experiences into our creative writing pieces that we are close to finishing!
The 7th graders were continuing in their unit of Sketching, finishing up by learning their final type of sketch. Thursday students could create any "something" they wanted to sketch and some of your students were going above and beyond with their creations. Once done we started on our final sketching project- creating an attraction for a fictitious apple orchard. Students are not only sketching, but practicing their documentation skills and working through the Engineering design cycle again! Next week we will do a very small build to create a model that represents their drawings. From there we will be working on our measurement skills and learning how to work with a new tool, a dial caliper!
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!
Mrs. Cullotta
This week my 5th graders took on an engineering challenge. The Zombies were approaching and we needed to create escape structures! Working in teams students created one of four options- a bridge, a collapsible ramp, a zip line, or a raft. Using their collaboration skills students unknowingly worked through the engineering design cycle imagining, planning, and creating their structures. Part of the lesson included testing out their structure and see how well it worked before the final test. Students did a test run with their structure and the whole class took "Grow and Glow" notes to offer suggestions and appreciation of each other's work. The following day students got to make adjustments to improve their structures, they got to experience that if things were not working too well, that they could get back up brush themselves off and keep on going! Friday we had our final test and It was amazing to see what your 5th graders engineered! We used REAL eggs as a model of a human, because humans are just an fragile as eggs, to see how well we might fare in their structures! I brought in 30 eggs assuming that we would have a quite a few casualties, however we only lost 4!! This upcoming week we will be reflecting on our building and putting our experiences into our creative writing pieces that we are close to finishing!
The 7th graders were continuing in their unit of Sketching, finishing up by learning their final type of sketch. Thursday students could create any "something" they wanted to sketch and some of your students were going above and beyond with their creations. Once done we started on our final sketching project- creating an attraction for a fictitious apple orchard. Students are not only sketching, but practicing their documentation skills and working through the Engineering design cycle again! Next week we will do a very small build to create a model that represents their drawings. From there we will be working on our measurement skills and learning how to work with a new tool, a dial caliper!
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!
Mrs. Cullotta