Mrs. Corbett’s class created stop motion videos to demonstrate their understanding of food chains and webs in various habitats/biomes. Check them out below!
Students also reflected on their creations and on the Breakout Edu game they played in class. Check it out here:
FlipGrid Reflections
I just posted a lesson I’ve used with various 5th grade classes as they were studying fractions and decimals. We used the Lego EV3 robots, and were able to complete the activity in an hour.
Here’s how the activity works. Using a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 robot and a touch sensor, each group of students inputs a fraction. Then they convert the fraction into a decimal and a percentage using hand calculations, and double check their work using the EV3 robot. They observe the robot moving forward and record the distance it moves. Students learn that the distance moved is a fraction of the full distance, based on the fraction that they input. For instance, if they input ½, the robot moves half of the original distance. Using this information, students work backwards to compute the full distance. Groups then are challenged to move the robot as close as possible to a target distance by inputting a fraction into the EV3 bot. Four different challenges of increasing difficulty are available in this lesson. Most students complete 2 within an hour, but the extra are included for students who master the concepts quickly.
The kids had a blast with this lesson and were fully engaged. I love how it really makes them think about fractions in a real sense, and that they have to draw on their understanding to figure out the challenges.
If you have access to EV3 robots and want to try the lesson, you can get it here:
Students in first grade at both Glenvar and Oak Grove used the Makerspace to build hands-on knowledge of force and motion. They rotated through six centers to investigate and understand Science SOL 1.2: The student will investigate and understand that moving objects exhibit different kinds of motion. Key concepts include a) objects may have straight, circular, and back-and-forth motions; b) objects may vibrate and produce sound; and c) pushes or pulls can change the movement of an object that moving objects exhibit different kinds of motion.
Maker Center Planning Sheet and Student Reflection
Center 1: Spinning Tops — Circular motion and elapsed time
Prompt: Make a spinning top. How long does it spin?
Center 2: Air Tube
Make something that will fly.
Center 3: Zipline – pushes and pulls/ straight and circular motion
Design a car that can carry a toy dragon across the room on a zipline. Explore ways to make the car move smoother and faster.
Center 4: Musical Instrument – Vibration
Create a musical instrument with rubber bands. Find ways to include higher and lower pitched notes on your instrument.
Center 5: Racetracks
Build a racetrack. Experiment with different types of cars, marbles, and balls. Which ones go faster? Slower? Why?
Center 6: Robots On the Move
Make Dash the Robot Move!
Cross Posted at the Learning Collaboratory.
Teaching with Technology 