Skip to main content

3rd and 4th Graders Create Marble Tracks!





For their first major project of the year, 3rd and 4th grade students tackled creating marble run components using recycled materials and assorted craft supplies. Their creations needed to meet three success criteria:



This project generated a great deal of excitement and sparked a lot of creativity, both in terms of elements that could be included in the marble track and in considering unique ways to use materials. Check out some of the final products below.













Comments

Post a Comment

Use the form below to provide a response to a post. Feel free to ask questions and offer suggestions, but please maintain a respectful tone of discussion.

Popular posts from this blog

7th & 8th Graders Code In Python

In their first computer science project of the year, our 7th and 8th graders took a big step in their journeys as programmers -- moving from block-based to text-based coding. In previous STEM projects, students have used tools that allow them to snap together code "blocks" to make things happen. In this unit, they were responsible for typing commands to tell the computer how to execute actions. The image below shows the difference between text-based coding and block-based coding. While there are many different text-based coding languages, our 7th & 8th graders learned skills in Python, due to its beginner-friendly nature. Still, making this transition is not easy, so students were provided with resources and modules to work through that allowed them to have some starting directions and then challenged them to stretch their thinking by generating their own additions and modifications. Here's a look at a project, called "Turtle Race," in action:  https:
Post a Comment
Read more

7th & 8th Graders Showcase Automata!

  Several times each year, our school specialist team works together to create integrated units of study, where students explore a common theme through each of our content areas -- art, music, library/multimedia, PE, and STEM. Our 7th and 8th graders recently completed a Winter Carnival themed unit, where they worked on creating products or performances to showcase during a special carnival event for students in grades PK-2. In STEM class, students designed, built, and improved automata, which are mechanical devices that generate motion through a series of spinning cams, axles, and cam followers. Image Source: Adafruit The following success criteria guided the work for our 7th & 8th grade students: The automata must have a winter theme. The automata must feature at least one element that spins, goes up or down, or moves side to side. The automata design must include at least 10 different materials. Additionally, students were challenged to create autom
Post a Comment
Read more

6th Grade Stop-Motion Animations: Part 1

During their second and third rotations through STEM class, 6th graders worked on creating stop-motion animation videos. Their videos included props that they designed and then printed using our 3D printer. Stop-motion animation videos are created by taking many, many pictures and moving the props and characters subtly between each shot. It is not an easy technique, but with perseverance, the student groups produced animations that each tell a unique story. Check out part one of their projects below. Click here to view part two.
Post a Comment
Read more