PreK Students Explore Parachutes & Wind Power

Over the past several weeks, PreK students have been exploring parachutes. In our first investigation session, students experimented with different ways to attach their Lego figure to their coffee filter parachute. Our first investigation then prompted a follow-up study, to see whether the length of the strings influenced how quickly or slowly the parachute descended. Our data trend was that parachutes with shorter strings yielded smoother, slower flights to the ground for our Lego figures.

In another exploration, students built pathways out of our Keva planks. Then, using a straw, students had to try to blow a lightweight Keva ball and a marble through their pathway. Through this experience, students were able to identify properties of both the ball and the marble that made them easier or more difficult to steer through the maze. While the lightweight ball took less air force to move, it tended to bounce and roll all over the place. The marble, while more difficult to get going, tended to stay more inside the track.

Over the course of both investigations, our PreK students demonstrated improvement in their ability to cite evidence to support their emerging scientific theories.

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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:

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

BeeBot Challenges in 1st and 2nd Grade!

Students in first and second grade spent their week in the STEM lab working on a series of challenges that required them to combine engineering and programming skills. We also practiced two of our STEM mindsets -- Imagine Possibilities and Embrace Challenges. Check out some photos and two videos from their work!

DCS STEM Class

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