Welcome to 2019/2020 school year!

I am very excited to be teaching your child for another year during Science Enrichment. All students, from Young 5’s through 5th grades, will spend 45 minutes every week in the eScience Enrichment. During this time students will experience Makerspace, STEAM Lessons and Research development.

Makerspace is designed to be an opportunity for students to learn, collaborate, imagine, create and problem-solve in an entirely hands-on environment. Students are encouraged to pursue their individual interests and passions while receiving the opportunity to be exposed to different types of technology and phsyical materials that will allow them to be creative and innovative as they explore the answers to different meaningful questions and projects.

STEAM lessons are mostly taught in a whole-group setting where all students are learning about the same topic in conjunction with a hands-on activity. Makerspace time is when students can gravitate toward the topics and/or skills that interest them individually. It is also a place where students can invent, explore, and find information and solutions through their own process. Makerspace time is mainly self-guided, with student-generated goals and purposes in mind.

Research (and common sense!) shows that students learn at a deeper level and retain more information when they are engaged in the topic. These hands-on opportunities allow for greater understanding while cultivating enthusiasm and curiosity. Self-guided projects that are generated by the students’ own interests keep them invested and lead to their own processes of problem-solving, thinking critically, and how to learn and revise after making mistakes. At the end of projects, students should have a complex understanding of the topic, be able to fully explain it and take ownership of the end result.

“All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind.”

-Martin H. Fischer

Since I couldn’t send all this information on REMIND… I am posting on the blog and I will share the link with you…

Sciencepalooza was a huge success last night!  

Students and their families enjoyed an interactive, hands-on program that allowed them to explore fundamental concepts relevant to our societies growing needs while rotating through a series of 14 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) stations!

Most importantly, this event was fully student-led from beginning to end.  Thanks to our fifth graders who volunteered at a station.  A BIG thank you to the Fordson ASU and STEM Middle School volunteered from start to finish.  They were an incredible volunteer, and because of their dedication and hard work, our Sciencepalooza was a great success. Thank you so much for your commitment of time and energy to this important project.

Thank you Fordson ASU students for coming and volunteering at each of our stations…

Thank you for the STEM Middle School Student for comping and volunteering!!

THANK YOU!!!  FORDSON ASU, STEM MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS AND WF STUDENTS VOLUNTEERS WITH MRS. HOSSEIN.

During the month of November and December, students engaged in multiple MakerSpace Activities and challenges.

Kindergartners_ started working on part II of their STEAM Park.    Each group got a building inspiration card to build the model shown.

Students had to answer the following question when done building…

• What do you call the model you have built?
• What do people do when they visit the place you have built?
• What could you do to make it more fun for visitors?

During the “Thanksgiving STEM Week”  students engaged in multiple November Challenges such as …

Planning and building a boat that will hold the most pilgrims.  Students used pennies to resemble the pilgrims and aluminum foil to make build the boat.

Mayflower Ship: Students used tin foil or Styrofoam (or combination of both) to create the base of their boat. They were also given the option to create sails, which will affect the overall balance of the boat. Students were provided with 1-2 small tubs of water on hand to test their creations. After their design is finished, students began adding their Pilgrims (pennies) to the boat.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: How does the shape of your boat affect it’s buoyancy, or ability to float? Which designs hold the most weight and why? If you were to build a full-sized ship, what supplies/design would you use and why?

Turkey Hideout

Construct a shelter that will keep the turkey completely hidden and safe during Thanksgiving.  Students used the following plastic cups with paper turkey and other building materials of their choice, such as Legos, Base Ten Blocks, wooden blocks, or unifix cubes.

Popsicle Stick Catapult

Third and Fourth Graders are working on constructing a SpaceLander  

Design and build a shock-absorbing lander to protect two aliens during impact on Earth. Only the supplies available on the alien spacecraft can be used.  A space lander that can keep the aliens inside the cup by using the engineering design process using the materials provided.

The fifth graders are still working on their Extreme Trampoline STEM Challenge

Creating a Macy’s Parade Float

Disguising a Turkey 

#Kudos

During the month of October, students worked on various STEAM activities

K-2: worked on building and designing activities from the STEM Bins.  Each group got a different invention card and they had to replicate the card using the material provided.

Material:  Pipe cleaners and straws, playdoh and toothpicks and Duplo Lego.

Objective:  I can develop and use models by working with my team and showing synergy.

3rd and 4th Graders planned, designed and created a checker’s Board using the following materials: 

Washi Tape (2 colors), bottle caps (28 total), rectangular cardboard, ducktape (2 colors),  and 1-gallon size Ziploc bag.

Objectives:

C.O.  I can use plan, design and measure a bottle cap checkers board by following the list of criteria and constraints given for the challenge.

L.O.  I can orally present  my planning and designing steps to my classmates…

Criteria:

• Measurements should be atleast 11’x9’
• Use 2 colors of duct tape
• Use 28 bottle caps

Constraints: 

• Board can’t be less than 11’x9’
• Can’t use other material

5th Graders worked on designing, planning and creating a robotic hand in which all fingers can move.

Materials

• Scissors
• Tape
• Cardboard paper or cardstock paper
• Standard drinking straws
• Pearl drink straws or bigger diameter straws
• Yarn or twine

Objective:  I can develop and build a model of a robotic hand by using mathematics and computational thinking.

Second graders are working on The Engineering and Design Process to plan and create a sight words game board that is 9’x12’ and present and read the words and game to a KG class.  Most of the classes are done with the planning steps.  If your child’s class is still not done with the planning steps, I would have explained and sent the planning sheet with them on Friday to catch up with the other classes.  Please click on the link below to see a sample of the planning sheet (send with your child) and the board that your child will finish at school.  

Second Grade Sample 🙂

Below is a sample of how the Checkers Board Blueprint should look like…

Fourth Grade Checkers Board Blueprint

During the month of September, I had the pleasure of meeting all my students and introducing some of the new STEAM material to them…

Students also participated in a STEAM Design Challenge “My Most Magnificent Thing”.  Students listened to the book The Most  Magnificent  Thing by Ashley Spires.. the events in the book related to The Engineering and Design Process and inspirational for students to build their own magnificent thing.   Students  explored the materials that are available to them  such as rolled up newspaper rods, recyclable items (toilet paper rolls, milk  jug caps, parts from broken toys, etc.) They also used some tools such as scissors, tape, glue, staplers, etc.

Students brainstormed as a whole group,  in small groups,  or individually, the kinds of things they might create. They sketched and labeled a plan on the recording sheet, as well as listing or drawing materials needed. Then they created! Students went through trials and errors as they built their magnificent things, but it was all part of the learning process.

Students recorded the final product by drawing/labeling once the  “things” were finished. They reviewed their original plans and decided whether it worked or not. Finally, they shared their “things” with each other.   I’ve displayed the magnificent things with the planning sheets on the bulletin board outside the classroom.

Dear Parents,

We are in need of lots of these material for our upcoming STEM Challenges. The students love and benefit from these challenges, so thank you so much for all your support. Please help us by sending the items you are able to donate.  Thanks again for all your help!

• Bamboo skewers
• Cereal box
• Popsicle sticks (reg)
• Straws
• CD (used)
• Coffee filters
• Cupcake liners
• Deck of cards
• 12” dental floss
• Foam sheet
• Foil sheet
• Hangers
• 12” masking tape
• Newspaper sheets
• Paper towel tubes
• Paperclips
• 12” peel & stick foam tape
• Pipe cleaners
• Plastic cup
• Playdough
• Metal brads
• Playing cards
• 12” pool noodle
• 12” duct tape
• 12” sewing thread
• Tissue papers

Thank you 🙂

Dear William Ford Families,

Welcome back!!! I am looking forward to another fun-filled year in Science Enrichment!  The 2018/19 school year marks my ninth year of teaching.  I will be teaching here at William Ford Elementary all the classes K-5.  Throughout the year students will be actively engaged in various hands-on activities.  This year we will be focusing more on the engineering aspect.  As many of you know, last year William Ford was a recipient of a grant through Ford Motor Company to purchase MakerSpace materials.   To learn more about MakerSpace please check their website:  https://www.makerspaces.com/what-is-a-makerspace/

I am hoping these kits will help in deepening the students’ understanding of engineering.  The first few weeks we are settling into classroom procedures, as well as learning what is a MakerSpace, how to implement the MakerSpace elements and processes. Here’s an example of some of the cool things that students will be working with this year, Sphero!  This will introduce them to coding.

I will be using Remind this year.  Please join your child’s class on Remind by using the following codes.

Text to 81010 the following if your child is in

Kindergarten: @kgscie

First Grade: @hossein1st

Second Grade: @tara2018

Third Grade @tara32018

Fourth Grade @tara42018

Fifth Grade @tara52018

If you have children in multiple grades please join all necessary.

I am anticipating a very fun year!  Looking forward to work with each and every student this year.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Hossein