Build it!

Our engineering unit is going really well. The students are enjoying building models of bridges, buildings, and simple machines. We have also been continuing our work on computer science and programming.

Kindergarten and first grade have been learning about building materials, and about the design process. They used note cards to design and build towers and bridges. I amazed by the variety of forms they created. We also studied the basic bridge types and learned how they work. We sang "London Bridge is Falling Down" in its entirety and discussed the various materials used to build it up before it fell once more. Then, the students built models of different bridge types and tested them to determine the strongest design. Students used what they learned from their note card building to design a house. They tested the structural soundness of their designs by placing them in front of a fan that played the part of the Big Bad Wolf trying to blow their houses down. Most of the designs needed some work after the first and second tests, but, eventually, everyone solved the problem of making a stable structure. The classes have also spent some time making progress on their Code.org courses.

The second through 5th grade classes have split their time between building and experimenting with simple machines and taking their programming skills to the next level. Using K'Nex building kit provided by 8 generous patrons through Donorschoose.org, students constructed levers, pulley systems, and gear trains. They altered gear arrangements and discovered the effects that gear size and position have on the speed and power of the system. Using a model of a balance, they experienced the advantages conferred by using a longer lever to do work. We also constructed pulley systems and saw that more wheels in the mechanism make it easier to raise a load.

The upper grade students used the programming language Scratch to create games and animations. The main difference between Scratch and the puzzles on Code.org is the amount of creativity the students can bring to their projects. It is block-based like Code.org but far more versatile owing to the large variety of commands available.

This Saturday, 6 members of the chess/UIL team will be competing in their first meet. In addition to participating in the Chess Puzzle event, a few students are in the Number Sense competition and in Spelling. The next UIL meet is at the end of January and I will be looking to expand the number of students participating beyond the chess team. Follow the link to learn more about UIL in HISD and let me know if your child is interested in representing Sinclair in any of the events.

The coding club started using the text-based programming language Python a couple weeks ago. It really made them appreciate the blocks used in Scratch, but it was an excellent experience in careful attention to detail and debugging.

Below is a collection of pictures of what we have been doing. Check back again soon.

Cycle One Ends, Cycle Two Begins

We had a great first rotation in the STEM Lab! Every kindergarten through 5th grade student at Sinclair has started a course in computer programming through Code.org and I had 4 students complete their courses. I am so proud of the progress all of the students have made and their hard work to persevere through some challenging tasks. Students will continue working on enhancing their programming skills as the year progresses.

The second STEM Lab rotation will focus on engineering and mechanics. Kindergarten an first grade will learn about structures and the engineering design process by upcycling various materials to build solutions to a variety of challenges. The second through fifth grade classes will be building simple machines using K"Nex kits which I received thanks to the generosity of 8 awesome supporters via Donorschoose.org. They will experiment with different designs in order to determine the most efficient design for a job. The building unit will culminate with teams designing a compound machine that performs a specific task. In addition, 2nd through 5th grade will employ their new coding skills to challenges using the programming language Scratch. This will allow them apply their knowledge to designing and creating original programs.

The chess team, coding club, and robotics club are moving right along. I am impressed with the enthusiasm and creativity that the students bring each week. The chess team beginners are making great progress, those that knew the basics of the game are learning how to approach the types of puzzles they will see at the UIL contests. The coding clubbers are doing an amazing job of learning to create animations and drawings in Scratch. The robotics club is learning to program the robots to drive along a course, and, more importantly, how to work as a team.

Check back in a few weeks to see how the engineering unit is going. If you have any questions, or you would like your child's login information for their Code Course (I have given it to many students, but I know things get lost), please contact me.

Computer Science is Awesome!

Our computer science unit is going well. The students are doing an amazing job problem solving challenges of increasing difficultly. So far, about half of the classes have started their coding course via Code.org. By the end of the grading period every kindergarten through 5th grade student will have been introduced to the art and science of computer programming. Those students who have started the course are encouraged to take their login information home so that they may work independently even after their rotation in the STEM lab ends.

In the lab, students are working through a series of lessons combining computer-based and unplugged activities. Through these they are leaning about algorithms, programs, loops, and conditional statements. The learning goals were are working towards are increased computational thinking ability and creative problem solving. If you would like to get a look at the kinds of puzzles the students are tackling, go to code.org.

I am excited to begin hosting the Sinclair coding and robotics clubs. A note should go home with students in 3rd through 5th grade on September 22. Students may only participate in one of these clubs as each is limited to 22 students. Students must have the approval of their homeroom teachers in order to be considered. I am hoping to start the first full week of October, so get the forms back as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact me.

STEM Lab Report: Week 1

engineer in training

We had a great first week in the Sinclair STEM Lab! I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces as well as meeting so many new students. I am excited about the year ahead and the enthusiasm of the classes.

Last week, each class began with an overview of the STEM Lab standards as to what is expected in terms of participation and conduct. We also discussed what exactly the term "STEM" means. Many students had heard it before, and a few even knew that it stood for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. One of my central goals for the year to to help the students understand how the skills in each branch of the STEM disciplines support each other in our work, and that none of them can really be practiced in isolation. By way of an example, we talked about all of the STEM involved in making something as simple and commonplace as a ball point pen.

With the introductions and groundwork out of the way, we got down to work. Almost all of the kindergarten through 3rd grade classes engaged in an engineering challenge. (We had an unfortunate marshmallow problem, and one first and one second grade missed the building experience. They did get a head start on our computer programming unit though, and a promise to make the engineering challenge up to them.) The task was to collaboratively build a structure that could stand unsupported using only 20 strands of uncooked spaghetti and 20 mini marshmallows. (Kinder used toothpicks as they are less likely to break.) I was genuinely impressed by the creative constructions and the cooperation the students displayed. Many groups began by trying to make cubes only to discover that the "smooshiness" of the marshmallows made the cube impossible. Rather than giving up, the students tried other ideas. Some discovered that pyramids were very stable. Others stuck to their cubes, but began experimenting with ways to brace the structure with more spaghetti. A few even broke the spaghetti into inch long fragments the made a perfectly nice cube, but with enormous vertices. We always wrapped up with a discussion of what we might have used that would be an improvement over marshmallows, and the students were full of great ideas.

The 4th and 5th grade classes got a taste of archaeology and learned what garbage can tell us about how people lived in the past. (This lesson, and those that will follow it later in the year, are related to my summer course work in York, England with the York Archaeological Trust. Archaeology is a great subject to draw in the various elements of STEM as well as literacy and history.) Given a bag of garbage (set aside and washed, not picked out of a dumpster), students were challenged to determine all that they could about the group of people who had generated their trash. When I put the bags together, I had in mind a story that the objects would tell. Everyday I was surprised at the theories the students created which made just as much sense as what I had originally intended. It was a great opportunity to show that our picture of the past and our understanding of the world is almost never complete which is why we always need to be questing after more evidence.

This week we will be beginning our computer programming unit, so check back next week to see all the great work! You can also follow the STEM Lab on Twitter.

Examining "artifacts"

Welcome to the STEM Lab!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, fun-filled summer. As many of you know, I spent a month in the United Kingdom with my family traveling to many of its historic sites and museums. We had a great time, learned a great deal, and enjoyed some cooler weather as well. Our trip was made possible by the organization Fund for Teachers which makes grants to teachers across the country to participate in self designed professional development. Their generosity allowed us to spend 2 weeks working on an archaeological dig in the city of York. Archaeology is the study of human artifacts. We were digging in the yard of a church that was built in the mid 12th century. The experience gave me several great lesson ideas for the coming year. You can read about our amazing trip on our blog.

Speaking of the coming year, after 4 years in 3rd grade, I have moved out of Sinclair's 100 Acre Woods and into the science lab. This year, the lab will have a STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) focus. I am busily planning for an exciting year of programming, building, and creating. We'll also be getting into some archaeology, which incorporates a great many scientific skills and also draws in the fields of history and the arts.

We will begin, however, with an introduction to computer science through Code.org. Students will learn the basic vocabulary and concepts of computer programming through an online course and a series of "unplugged" activities. Students will also be introduced to Scratch, a programming language developed at MIT that is similar to the system used in the Code.org courses.

Later in the year, we will explore building structures and simple machines. Students will follow a design process to construct, test, and redesign their solutions to various building challenges. Creativity and collaboration will be essential!

Having learned to code and to construct, it will be time to put these skill sets together. We will do this using the amazing Lego WeDo kit. These kits and the associated software guide students through building increasingly complex machines and programming their behavior. The video below is just a teaser that uses a motor and and motion sensor to construct a Venus flytrap.

I am looking forward to a great year. Parents, I hope you will check the blog often to check on the work we are doing in the STEM Lab at Sinclair. Feel free to contact me if you ever have any questions.

Happy summer!

I hope everyone is having a great summer.

I am in Ireland for the moment, but tomorrow we move on to Cardiff in Wales. We have had a great time here and learned so much. You can follow along on our blog: HERE!

Three More Days, Then Summer

I hope that everyone has managed to remain safe and dry above the water that swamped the city overnight. I am looking forward to seeing my students back tomorrow for the final 3 days of the year.

I want to thank everyone for your generous gifts during Teacher Appreciation Week. I am truly touched and extremely grateful. Thank you, parents for your support this year. It has been a genuine pleasure to work with your children this year. Students, thank you for all of your hard work this year. It is my business to challenge you, and you have all risen to the occasion in remarkable fashion.

Class, I wish you all a restful summer, and I encourage you to take some time to visit Houston's museums and parks. Above all, make sure that you keep reading. You, as a group, have earned more AR points than any class I have ever taught, including my 5th grades. If you do nothing else this summer, read some books, and tell me about them in August.

I also invite you to follow along with my summer trip. My wife (also a teacher) and I won a grant to travel to the United Kingdom to study archaeology. The highlight of this trip will be 2 weeks in York working on an excavation in the heart of the city. We will learn about the science of archaeology and use what we learn to plan lessons for our future classes. In addition to York, we are going to Dublin, Cardiff, Bath, Stonehenge, London, Hadrian's Wall, Edinburgh, and the Orkney Islands. You can keep up with us via Twitter https://twitter.com/bquentin3 and on our blog http://luckybearfamily.blogspot.com/ . Our blog has entries from old trips we have taken if you are in the mood for some extended reading. While we are traveling, I welcome your questions, either through my email, bquentin@houstonisd.org or through Twitter. Responses are guaranteed!

Thank you all, again for everything this year. You have been a wonderful group of people to work with. Have a safe and happy summer!

Into the Home Stretch

Coming up:

1. Next week, the students will be taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Please be sure that your child arrives at school on time and is well rested. We will start testing promptly at 8:15.
2. Because of the Iowa testing, there is no math homework next week. However, the reading log and spelling will go ahead as usual.
3. Also, we will begin working on the 3rd GT Expo project next week, so be on the lookout for information about that as well. The Expo will be on May 26, probably in the afternoon, but I have not yet confirmed the time.
4. Our third grade awards ceremony is scheduled for May 21, at 1:45. I hope you will be able to join us.

STAAR Time!

At long last, the STAAR test is nearly upon us. Students will take the math portion on Tuesday the 21st and the reading portion the following day. There will be no math homework for the week. However, students will be expected to keep a reading log as usual and there will be spelling words to study. Please do all you can to have your child at school by 7:45 on Tuesday and Wednesday as we are hoping to start by 8:15.

As for the actual test, students have 4 hours and they have been encouraged ad nauseam to use that time to check and recheck their work. It is also my expectation that they support all of their answers with calculations on paper (not in their heads) or evidence from the text. Please make it clear to them that this is your expectation as well. Every student in the class is ready for these tests. They are going to do an amazing job!

Reminders for this week

1. Monday and Tuesday are STAAR testing days for 4th and 5th grade. No visitors allowed, even for lunch.
2. We will be taking practice STAAR tests on Monday and Tuesday. I will communicate these results to you as soon as I can.
3. There is homework this week, as usual.
4. No school Friday. There is school on Monday, however, which marks the beginning of the final 2 weeks of preparation before our real STAAR tests.

News for the 4th and final nine weeks

Yikes! That last grading period just flew by.

As we enter the final quarter of the school year, our attention turns towards a comprehensive review of all the concepts that we have covered this year. The STAAR test is just 4 weeks away, so the next month will contain important test preparation activities. Please do all you can to have your child at school all day, every day as we prepare for them to do their best on the STAAR test. Next Monday and Tuesday we will have a STAAR practice test. Like we did during the DLA in January, we will create test day conditions. The results of this practice test will be communicated to you as soon as possible and I will use the data to personalize review activities to specific student needs.

In the links to the right, you will find the spelling lists and homework schedule for the remainder of the year. The students received these on Monday.

For the next two weeks in each subject, we will be working on the following:

1. Reading- biography and autobiography
2. Language arts- summary writing, proofreading, and editing
3. Math- liquid volume, capacity, weight, and mass; then, data analysis
4. Science- plant and animal life cycles
5. Social studies- review of map skills and geography

The first week of May will include IOWA testing. This is the test that HISD has chosen to replace the Stanford 10 test that students have been taking for several years. More information will follow.

Towards the end of the year, we will host the 3rd and final GT Expo of the year. I will let you know when we are ready to begin work on those projects.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

GT Expo #2 Approaches!

This week students began planning the layout of information for their presentation cubes. Planning will be completed in class on Monday, January 26. That means that students must be finished reading their book by that day! The cube panels will go home on Monday and return to school on February 2 to be assembled. Also note, drafts of the song/poem must be here at school for initial approval on the 30th.

Thank you for supporting your child in this project.

GT Expo 2

As I mentioned earlier in the week, the second GT Expo of the year will be held on February 6th. In the links to the right you will find the guidelines. The short version is this: Students will select a book, dress as a character from the book, and present from that character's point of view. In addition, they will be building a presentation cube as a display. They will also either compose a song or write a poem that summarizes their book from the selected character's point of view. As always, if you have any questions, contact me.

Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a wonderful break. It was great to see the class again and hear about their time off.

We jumped right back into the work today. For the next couple weeks we will be reading and writing persuasive texts. In math we will work on solving problems with fractions and then move on to money and personal finance. Our science topic will be landforms and changes to the landscape caused by natural events. We will be studying change over time in social studies.

Report cards will go home on Friday. Again, they will be in an envelope which you will need to sign and return.

The second GT Expo is just a month away. Students will be getting information on this later in the week. There will be a more detailed post about it here by Friday. The theme is "Literacy Fair" which is like a science fair, but with books. Be aware, it will involve dressing up, singing, and writing.