Technology and Engineering
Sixth Grade:
Another six weeks have come and gone. It is amazing how fast time flies while teaching the
six-week Future Pathways class. While I am writing this blog it is the last day of fourth term and I am
seeing so many smiling sixth grade students. We are racing their cars to determine who designed the fastest dragster. These students can hardly contain their excitement.
Seventh Grade:
I am really excited about my 3rd Trimester Tech Explo class. In preparing for next years transition to full semester class I have changed a few of the projects and activities we are completing. I believe this will greatly benefit student learning and make the course even more project based. Students will continue learning 3D modeling basics and engineering drawings through the completion of a 3D printing project and a puzzle cube project. Additionally students will design a bench in our 3D modeling software then we will transition to a more traditional woodshop setting, learn power tool safety and build a 3 foot bench. Each student will have a 3 foot bench to take home by the end of the trimester.
8th Grade:
We have completed our SeaPerch underwater robotics competition and have two teams per
class that are invited to compete at the Pattonville High School Pool for a regional SeaPerch Competition. To decide which teams will attend the regional competition we will test our underwater robots on March 20th during school at the high school pool. This was a really exciting project that I believe was a lot of fun for students. Not only did students get to design and build their robots but they were able to gain hands-on experience using tools and applying the lessons of our electricity unit to create a working robot. The finished products were really fun to see work. The fact that students can see and touch a product that they built themselves can give students confidence that, if they put their minds to it, they can create anything. Building and creating is not something students normally get to do in class and I am glad that my Gateway to Technology students have the chance create. We are continuing our robotics unit by exploring simple machines and gears in the coming few weeks. Students will learn how to use gears to increase power or increase speed through many hands-on robotics builds.
