2016 Toothpaste Commercials

      

Whitey Brighty Toothpaste  

     Well, after many technology issue and tears (from me), most of our toothpaste commercials are complete! Why toothpaste commercials, you may wonder?  Well, besides being interesting and engaging, it was a great opportunity to teach many skills.  First, we experimented with commercial toothpastes.  We used the scientific method to test the PH levels, starch levels, and abrasiveness of various toothpastes.   Students also learned skills such as advertising techniques, writing skills, public speaking skills, and teamwork.  This unit also gave my students the opportunity to learn to use new technology such as video cameras and video editing software. Here are some of our final products!  Enjoy!

 

Howtoons!

I just discovered Howtoons, the world's greatest DIY comic website!  No more boring "how to" books...students can learn to make things by reading comics!  I'm excited to incorporate Howtoons into our MakerSpace.  Maybe students can even create their own Howtoons...the possibilities are endless!

Summer Geocaching

Unfortunately, this has not been the ideal summer for for swimming.  What can you do on a dreary summer day?  We like to go geocaching!  It's a fun alternative on a cloudy day.

Josh and I found two yesterday, and our adventure led us to climbing trees, sliding in the mud, and seeing some new sites.  We have small portable GPS systems we use, but you can also use your smartphone.  You just plug in the latitude and longitude coordinates (Waypoints), and the GPS will guide you to your cache.  Some cache's are micro, however some are large enough to trade trinkets. We like to find the tradition cache's where you can trade trinkets, however sometimes the caches marked "other" are a little more exciting.    

If you want to find out more about geocaching, visit:  https://www.geocaching.com/
You can search for local geocaches or a specific type of geocache.  It's also a fun activity to do when you are camping!

Rube Goldberg Machine

I can't wait to see this Rube Goldberg Machine in action!  Great job with the sketch, Jessi and Morgan!

It IS Rocket Science!

I'm sure you have all heard the expression, "It's not rocket science."  Well, believe it or not, that's exactly what our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students are learning...ROCKET SCIENCE!  Last week, students tested how the length of a straw rocket can affect the distance it travels.  This week, they will be experimenting with angles and nose cones.

Destination Imagination Challenge Previews

The Destination Imagination 2014-2015 Challenge Previews are out!  The previews will give you an idea which challenge your team may want to solve.  Grades 4-5 participate in Destination Imagination.

Creature Feature:  Would you like build a creature that performs a technical task?

Making Waves:  Would you like to design a sound machine?

Lose to Win:  Would you like to build a structure with removable parts?

Feary Tales:  Would you like to create a fairy tale about a phobia?

Brand Aid:  Would you like to address a need in the community?

The Improv. Games:  Would you like to perform improvisational sketches about street performances?  

Squid Dissection

 The sixth grade class dissected squid in class today.  They located the external and internal organs, discussed jet propulsion, and wrote with squid ink!

YUCK-Doorknob Bacteria

"YUCK--Doorknob Bacteria" won first place in the Science Fair!  Congratulations to Alex, Phillip, Cassidy, and Ty!

Science Fair

Challenge students in grades K-3 are excited to begin their science fair projects.  They will be participating in the District Science Fair on March 1, 2014 and the Mastodon Science Fair March 15-24.  I can wait to see their end results.

Madi is writing in her group's science log book.

Chloe and Lucy are preparing their experiment:  

Brain Hats

Fourth and fifth grade students created "Brain Hats" as a culminating project for a mini-brain unit. The hats are labeled with the parts of the brain.

Junk Box Wars

Junk Box wars are creative problem solving team challenges correlated to the National Science Standards. Students are given "junk" in boxes and a problem to solve. Problems require students to: 

• Identify appropriate problems for technical design. 
• Design a solution or product. 
• Implement a proposed design. 
• Evaluate completed technological designs or products. 
• Communicate the process of technological design.

The Weakest Link--Students were challenged to build the longest chain that would hold the most weight.

The Weakest Link--5th Grade

Whirling Wonders--Teams were challenged to create a wheel powered by water that would hold the greatest amount of string.

Whirling Wonders--8th Grade

Whirling Wonders--7th Grade

Whirling Wonders--4th Grade

Spaghetti Towers--Teams were challenged to create towers out of spaghetti.  The towers were scored on height and weight held.

Ultimate Gumball Machine--Students were challenged to create a machine that would sort gum ball!

Ultimate Gumball Machine-6th Grade

Science Fair

Our first, second, and third grade students recently competed in the Mastodon Science Fair. We had no first place projects, but we did have second and third places. I'm so excited to see what these students do with their knowledge of the scientific method in the future.

3, 2, 1 Blast Off:  Cassidy, Tara, and Bella

Electrofiers:  Jack and Jeremiah

Bacteria Busters:  Emma and Heidi

Rainbow Drinks:  Katie, Cecilia, and Maddy

Lights Out:  Kennedy Ta, Kennedy Tr, Madi, Alexus, and Paris

Where's Their Teacher?

I love looking at my pictures after I've let the kids take charge of the camera. The girls in the pictures below have been collecting data for their science fair project. They are comparing brands of batteries. Would you believe that the Energizer batteries died first? I can't wait to see their final results!

Bacteria Busters

We have some Bacteria Busters in our school. Some 2nd grade students would like to find out what locations in our school have the most bacteria. This video will help them learn how to collect samples.
Check out Science Bob's Blog.

Riveting Robots

What spins, floats, and wobbles?  Our robots of course!  Fourth grade students built three robots this week.   Check them out!