Projects Starting and Spring Break

6th Grade:

Students are in the middle of constructing their dragsters in the shop this week. Some classes were even able to paint their cars. Due to many students being absent this week because of the 6th grade camp we did not finish the cars. It has been really neat to see that the designs students created on the computer are now turning into an actual product that they will test by racing down a track.

7th Grade:

Students have sanded down the piece  of wood that will become their passive amplification box for their cell phones. Students have also taken the big safety test on all the tools we will be using in the next few weeks. Unfortunately it does look like some students did not study for the safety test and will need to retake the test after spring break. All students have access to the safety notes from home by logging into their google classroom for Tech Ed. Students who did not pass also know exactly which questions they missed. This information was e-mailed to their school e-mail accounts. When using power tools in the classroom safety of our students is my number one priority. 

8th Grade:

The glider design challenge is in full swing. From identifying the problem, brainstorming, creating technical drawings with measurement, and creating a cardboard prototype most students have moved into the final phase of the project: creating the glider out of balsa wood! I really enjoy this project because students are going through an engineering design process while having fun and being creative. It is really interesting to see students create their cardboard prototype then realizing the prototype and their design didn't really turn out how they wanted. These students then were able to change their design based on the information they gathered from their prototype. Even if the student gliders do not fly as they expected students have still gained valuable experience in following an engineering design process.

In other news:

We also got a new tool in the classroom this week. I cannot wait to see how students can use our new router and router table! I already have 7th graders coming up with ideas how to modify their projects using the router!