Past projects 6
A STEM Way of Thinking
Funded Mar 30, 2023Anyone who was in the classroom the day I showed all of the new STEM kits could have felt the excitement from the students. The students were smiling, asking questions about the STEM kits, and most importantly wanting to know when they could start on a project. We tried a few STEM kits at the end of the 22-23 school year, and have already completed one project this school year. Students have been able to create individual builds or collaborate with partners on their builds. They have prepared plans, constructed multiple items, and/or followed step-by-step instructions for a build. I love to hear students calling other groups over to show off their builds; and explain how everything works, giving their thought processes behind their build.
These STEM kits are expanding our students' education in the world of STEM. We are so thankful to have these in our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Barrett
This classroom project was brought to life by 3MGives.Developing a STEM way of Thinking
Funded May 24, 2022Anyone that was in the classroom the day I showed all of the new STEM kits could have felt the excitement from the students. The students were smiling, asking questions about the STEM kits, and most importantly wanting to know when they could start on a project. We have tried a few kits already this school year. Students have been able to create individual builds or collaborate with partners on their builds. They have prepared plans, constructed multiple items, and/or followed step-by-step instructions for a build. I love to hear students calling other groups over to show off their builds; and explain how everything works, giving their thought processes behind their build.
These STEM kits are expanding our students' education in the world of STEM. We are so thankful to have these in our classroom.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Barrett
This classroom project was brought to life by 3MGives Missouri and one other donor.Success with Math
Funded May 21, 2019Since receiving the math supplies I have used them in my online-based math class. We have the resource posters covering the walls of the classroom. The students can see the posters from their seats or use their clipboards to get a closer view. It's great to see that my students are developing a life skill to use their resources, and that will really help them be successful in the future.
I think my students were most excited about the flashcards. We have created fun ways to incorporate the flashcards into our weekly routine. Students can study their math facts individually or with a partner during the week. At the end of the week, students are randomly selected for their flashcard relay team. This is a group competition and the team that earned the most points wins a small prize. I like the group competition because the students are really trying hard to learn their facts and help their team. We will have an individual competition later in the quarter.
The growth these students have already made in only two weeks of being back at school as been impressive. By having these resources available for the students to use at any time during our math lesson has built their confidence in their math skills.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Barrett
This classroom project was brought to life by Google.org and 3 other donors.Time to "STEM" Up with Coding
Funded Dec 10, 2018Since receiving the Code Cars I have used them in my 7th-grade technology classes and my 6th-grade STEM class. My students had prior knowledge of coding before we used the cars. However, our coding mostly consisted of Blockly coding used on different web-based sites. We did talk about JavaScript coding and even looked at the JavaScript that was under the Blockly. The program that is used to run the Code Car is JavaScript based.
My 7th-grade students and 6th-grade STEM class used the Code Cars individually but could have assistance from other students or the teacher when completely stuck on the code. The Code Car lessons showed the students how the coding made the car functions work, but the lessons also pushed the students to explore additional options. For example, a lesson may have the students produce the code to turn on the brake light, but to advance that skill without word-for-word directions students would have to analyze how to turn on the headlight.
My students have been so excited to explore the world of coding using the Code Cars. As an educator, I love hearing the students say, "Wait class is over? Can we please use the cars tomorrow?" Parents are even excited to learn about the code their students are producing. I believe the Code Cars will improve my students' problem-solving skills, and they will be more willing to take a chance on solving a problem using code.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Barrett
A World with Coding
Funded Aug 21, 2018Since receiving the Code Cars I have used them in my 7th-grade technology classes and my 6th-grade STEM class. My students had prior knowledge of coding before we used the cars. However, our coding mostly consisted of Blockly coding used on different web-based sites. We did talk about JavaScript coding and even looked at the JavaScript that was under the Blockly. The program that is used to run the Code Car is JavaScript based.
My 7th-grade students used the Code Cars individually but could have assistance from other students or the teacher when completely stuck on the code. My 6th-grade STEM class was assigned to a two-person team, so they could easily collaborate about the code. The Code Car lessons showed the students how the coding made the car functions work, but the lessons also pushed the students to explore additional options. For example, a lesson may have the students produce the code to turn on the brake light, but to advance that skill without word-for-word directions students would have to analyze how to turn on the headlight.
My students have been so excited to explore the world of coding using the Code Cars. As an educator, I love hearing the students say, "Wait class is over? Can we please use the cars tomorrow?" Parents are even excited to learn about the code their students are producing. I believe the Code Cars will improve my students' problem-solving skills, and they will be more willing to take a chance on solving a problem using code.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Barrett
This classroom project was brought to life by Craig Newmark Philanthropies and 3 other donors.Where Can Code Take You?
Funded Oct 26, 2017Thank you so much for the amazing Lego Mindstorms and Makey Makey. We used them after finishing up a coding unit to bring the code on the computer to life in the students' hands. Students spent three days building different variations of the robots and using different parts to accomplish different tasks. They were each done through the Lego Mindstorm programs. Students then were given a maze and a challenge at the end to complete. Each student went about the process differently which made for great discussion and problem-solving. We used the Makey Makey to create controllers for the computer using everyday supplies. We brought in all kinds of foods to see if they could be used with the Makey Makey.
The students absolutely loved it. They worked very hard on the Lego Mindstorm to get their robot to perform the maze perfectly. They figured out the to start the maze was hard and to finish was hard and took the most time to get it perfect. There was so much excitement and brainstorming they did not realize they were having fun learning. The Makey Makey was so much fun for them. After figuring out what food worked and did not work they went around my room trying anything they could get their hands on. Once again the amount of problem-solving they were doing was amazing and they were having so much fun doing it.
The class is a semester class and we have switched so I have a new group just starting. We begin with vocabulary and then work our way to code and then the Lego Mindstorms and Makey Makey again. I know they are very excited to get to those as they have heard from other students what they got to do last semester.
Thank you again for your contribution to your class and school.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Barrett