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.