Parent University STEM Conference This Saturday!

December 4, 2018December 4, 2018Leave a comment

Boston Public Schools has announced its first Parent University STEM Conference for parents and students, to be held THIS Saturday, December 8th. This event will happen from 8:30 AM until 1:00 PM at Northeastern University Curry Student Center (360 Huntington Ave. in Boston).

During the learning conference, there will be a hands-on STEM Café and workshops for parents and students from grades K-12. Topics include Learning and Loving Engineering with Robots; Anatomy, Surgery & X-rays, and what it’s all about; and Family STEAM for Young Learners. Free parking and lunch will be provided for Boston families.

To register and find out more information (including the workshop schedule), visit bostonpublicschools.org/parentuniversity. If you are seeking interpretation services in Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Spanish and Vietnamese, request it when you register. Please call BPS at 617-635-7750 if you need any additional assistance with registration.

What Does It Mean to Wonder?

November 28, 2018November 30, 2018Leave a comment

“Great art starts with just a scribble”

~ Diane Albee

“Science and art belong to the whole world”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

My job is not to teach the standards. Instead, it’s to break the standards apart, discover what’s interesting about them to my students, and then create learning experiences to bridge both. In this way, I asked the Young STEAM Inventors, “What does it mean to wonder about something?” They told me that “wonder” happens when there is curiosity and deep thought about a topic. Wonder simply happens when you want to know. I then asked them, “What do you do when you want to learn more about what you are wondering”. They gave me a variety of answers, including conducting research through Google and book reading, and testing ideas out.

For this post, I wish to share their “wonderings”.

PreK and Kindergarten WONDERINGS

Our focus in science has shifted towards a study of author Diane Alber. Her books serve as inspiration for us to create science and art drawings. We explored her first book, Dots, and created beautiful pieces art with shapes and color. Last week, we read her second book, Splatter, and talked about color mixing, artists tools, and that scientists can be artists, too. This week we will explore her last two books, I’m Not Just A Scribble and Snippets: A Story About Paper Shapes.

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Maze Mania and Snails

We wrapped up our study of snails with snail races and constructions before the Thanksgiving break. We explored questions about land-snails and tested out our theories. One exploratory question that was posed asked “How do we get the land-snails to move?” This is what students had to say about it (do feel free to compare and contrast their observations!):

One class —

“We tried singing ‘Stone Soup,’ but that didn’t work. We tried clapping, and the baby snail popped out of its shell and started to move towards the lettuce, carrots and tomatoes. The big Mommy snail started moving when we started building her a house out of cardboard and dipped her into the water. The last snail never woke up until we broke a carrot and put it near it. Then, we spread a lot of water on it. Snails can’t hear, but they are good at smelling food. We tried blowing our breath on the last two snails, but they were too tired to move. Sometimes, when we opened the little habitat, the snails would wake up and leave the little habitat and crawl into the big habitat. When we built a cardboard house with tubes, one of the snails crawled inside the tube and fell asleep. We think that was funny. That’s all we have to say.”

Another class —

“We sang ‘Stone Soup’ to the snails. When we clapped, the baby snail came out of its shell. We sprayed water on the dad snail, and he woke up. The mom didn’t wake up when the baby snail climbed on top of her. We decided to put carrots next to them to see if they could smell the food and will come out of their shell. The mom came out and the Dad started moving and eating the carrot. The mom picked up the carrot piece and started stretching her body to climb on top. The baby snail is thirsty and drinking the water. So, maybe she is thirsty.”

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A curiosity in mazes also took place this week with the preschool and kindergarten students. Students are constructing mazes using different materials- cardboard, plastic cups, and wooden planks. They’re attempting to create a maze for the land snails in out habitat. Students also started drawing their own mazes as well. Preschool students said:

“When you build a maze, you have to concentrate, then you learn. You have to make mistakes too. You have to make sure you can get out of a maze too. We can build a big maze and then let the snails try to get out of it. We have to make sure it’s stable so it doesn’t fall and hurt the snails. I wonder if we can do it.”

Another student responded:

“With teamwork, we can do anything.”

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Grade 1 WONDERINGS

Who and What is a Botanist?

Grade 1 students are observing and collecting information about the life cycle of a plant that they planted two weeks ago. They are specifically exploring germination, the process of a plant sprouting from its seed. We read the story “Guacamole,” which guided us from the avocado seed to the plant, and then on to the table to be eaten with chips and with families.

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We also read the book, Down in the Garden with Dr. Carver. This book is about Dr. George Washington Carver, the esteemed African-American botanist, college professor, and artist. This week, students are recording the changes of the plants, finishing up their “Seed” poem, the Lifecycle of A Plant book, and their other classroom folder work. Over the next few weeks, we will examine pillbugs and sowbugs to wrap up our organisms unit of study.

I will continue to keep you posted about our WONDERINGS.

Preschool STEM and Young Scientists

October 15, 2018October 17, 2018Leave a comment

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”

~ Mr. Rogers

Last year, I pushed into the K0/K1 classrooms and supported the work of the classroom teachers. This year, students are traveling upstairs to my classroom, which I have named the Science Makerspace. The classroom Focus on Preschool Curriculum is a heavy science-based curriculum. My classes will be more STEM and choice-based integrated literacy. Our preschool students have transitioned up to the Science Makerspace twice a week. They are engaging in Inquiry-based Learning Centers through play. Please check out my Resources for Families page for activities to use at home and articles for you to explore on the important of “play” as students work.

My philosophy of education believes that play is a major avenue of learning for young children. The Learning Centers provide opportunities for play and learning at the preschool level. The activities support the concept aligned with the way children learn. Additionally, the content is not being separated into different areas, but is naturally being integrated in a holistic way as they play. See photographs below.

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Your young scientists are enthusiastic about their “work-play”. Throughout the day (on the stairwell, on the playground or at lunchtime) students come up to me and say, “Ms. Alicia, do we have science today? I love coming to science! I wish I could come every day”. I also get the thumbs up and “You did a good job today, Ms. Alicia”. I have now arrived!

“Nothing is invented, for it’s written in nature first.”

~ Antoni Gaudí

Our study of animals began with children’s author, Eric Carle. We read Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do you Hear? and started with a talk about the five senses. Students love his books! We’ve explored a matching game, lacing, art and math integrated activities through literacy. We’ve read Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do you See?, Animal Homes, and his very famous story, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do you See? We also talked about Eric Carle as an author and artist. We looked inside of his art studio and the process he used to write the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Students drew their own pictures in our writing and art center.

Last week, we read and discussed stories about scientists and the tools they use. We started using the magnifying glass to observe goldfish, water snails, and the elodia water plant that are living in our classroom aquarium. We looked at the parts of the fish (fins, gills, scales, eyes), and read a very funny story by Dr. Seuss about over-feeding fish. Next week, I will introduce guppies, and we will compare and contrast the fish.

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We will be discussing differences and similarities in the animals we investigate and starting to develop the important attitudes of respect for life, safety and responsibility for all living animals and ourselves. You can also help your child learn about animals by taking walks in your neighborhood to look for animals, and also by talking about animals around your home – everything from pets to insects.

See the slideshow below with additional photographs of your young scientists engaging in work-play. Enjoy!

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Welcome To the 2018-2019 School Year

September 24, 2018September 25, 2018Leave a comment

“Play is a primary way that children learn about themselves

and the world around them.”

~ Sir Ken Robinson, “Dirt is Good: Why the Outdoors is the World’s Greatest Playgorund” from National Geographic

Dear Families:

Welcome to the new school year! We have been busy working cooperatively, establishing classroom routines for Science Makerspace and our community agreements.

The School Site Council asked me to work on the Playground Initiative, and so from there, I began developing a new unit of study entitled “Playgrounds and the Importance of Play”. Our Young STEAM Inventors have since looked at playgrounds that have been designed and built from all over the world by students, families, and architects. They have also been looking at playgrounds called “nature playscapes”, a global term used for playgrounds that are built with natural elements and natural materials.

We were then able to make connections to geography and further personalize this research by connecting the playgrounds to our families’ countries of origin. Many students exclaimed, “That’s where my family is from, and they built a playground there!! If you would have seen it, their faces were lit up with so much pride.

Please click the “Read More” link below to enjoy the following images of the first two weeks of school. We are off and running!

Thanks,

Alicia Carroll

Continue reading →

Physics in the Young Child’s Classroom

June 18, 2018July 11, 2018Leave a comment

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

~ Albert Einstein

All children come to school with a rich background of experiences that have shaped who they are. I value all of those experiences in the Science Classroom/ Makerspace.

Students will use new and interesting materials to explore phenomena and the scientific theme of Physics through Balls and Ramps. They will observe, question, analyze and communicate their thoughts and record their findings through writing. Students will process their experiments for meaning through discussions, charts and in their notebook pages.

The first theme we will explore are the properties and characteristics of balls. Students observe, use, and compare different balls. We will examine the size, material and weights of different types on balls. Students have started using balls this week to bounce, weigh, and roll them. We are constructing stable ramps to test the balls on ramps.

The second theme will explore the different variables that affect the way balls behave. We will look at properties and characteristics balls. We will students will explore how balls are affected by gravity, inertia, momentum and friction.

Below are some photos of our young physicists at Work-Play in the Makerspace!

What’s In a House?

May 29, 2018June 13, 2018Leave a comment

“Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves.”

~ Stephen Moss in Why Our Children Need to Go Outside and Experience Nature (The Guardian UK)

Kindergarten Architects Planning and Creating Their Houses

Kindergarten students are developing tree houses and fairy houses as part of the Paper and Wood Unit. To start off our exploration into this unit, we first read from the Engineers at Work book series. Students engaged in a discussion about each stage of the engineering design process and how we will go about following that process to create tree houses and fairy houses. Students asked questions around how to build one, what materials they will have at their disposal, and the timeframe for starting and finishing them.

I responded to their questions using the Habits of Mind.

Start with an idea of creating a tree house or fairy house – Who is going to use my fairy house or tree house? What will I need in it? How will I get power to my fairy house or tree house?
Create a blueprint – Where do I want to place my model on my cardboard? Where will I create a path?
Design the landscaping around my tree house or fairy house – What do I want around the outside of my tree house or fairy house?
Create my tree house or fairy house – What materials will I use?
Write about my tree house or fairy house – What problems did I run into, and how did I solve them? How did I persevere when my ideas didn’t work out?
Reflect on and assess my tree house or fairy house – Do I want to make changes? What do I want to do differently next time?
My tree house or fairy house – What am I most proud of? Now that I have finished this, what do I want to create next?

The next step was for the students to create a blueprint for what they wanted to construct. We researched tree houses and fairy house through books, video clips, and colored photographs featuring examples of treehouse and fairy houses from all over the world. We also revisited our simple machines unit and students asked if they could construct zip-lines for their tree houses and fairy houses. They wanted to be able to zip in and out of places. Students used Lego bricks to construct models and to test their ideas regarding angles, speed, and heights. They did their tests around the Makerspace and in the hallways of the school.

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Landscaping: What is it? Who does it? Why is it important?

We read a big book entitled Tony Builds a House. After the story, we went back to the landscaping page and dove into a very rich conversation about landscaping. Students were able to connect landscapes and their families look. We looked at photos from calendars and other books. Students also talked about the simple machines in the story, ramp and wheels because the main character was in a wheelchair. Kindergarten came up with other ideas for Tony. The wanted to build Tony a treehouse for his back yard to play with his sisters and neighbors. All agreed to build him an elevator pulley, a wheel chair seesaw so he could play with it near his treehouse and a lighter wheel chair like the table top treehouse bears that we use at that center. I purchased a tree house activity where kids have to problem-solve ways to make each level of the treehouse stable. Students have been making connections from the simple machines unit, and are applying the knowledge they gained to their tree houses and fairy houses!

Fairy Houses

We read a few books and conducted research on Tracy Kane, a fairy house artist and builder. She made a video on building tree houses, and so we incorporated this resource into our research. In the video, Tracy mentions that she would pick a spot in the woods with her niece, and would begin to observe the animals living in that environment. Once she was ready to create her fairy house, she would start by drawing pictures with a pencil. Then, she used colored pencils (like our Young STEAM Inventors) to color in her creations. She would write little stories about what the animals were doing in the woods. There was one story we thought was funny where a frog jumped out of a nearby pond and into one of the fairy houses. Tracy describes in the video how there was one time that she went with her niece to build a fairy house near the beach with found materials. They used sand, water, and shells to build castle-like fairy houses. It was cool to watch!

“Some of us want to build fairy houses, and some of us want to build tree houses. We get to choose which one we want to build. That’s all we wanted to say. We want to build.”

Tree Houses

We talked about tree houses by connecting it to the “Building a Treehouse” video I showed of Sid the Science Kid. This particular episode focused on pulleys, which is a simple machine. We watched as Sid and his Dad used the Engineering Design Process to solve the problem of bringing items up into the tree house. The students were very engaged with the episode; in fact, they were talking to the television and telling the characters different things they believed were important to say. They wanted to let it be known that they were engineers and that they could figure out any problem by coming up with a few good ideas and testing them out. We also read various books on the subject, such as Way Up In the Treehouse: A True Story of the Central Park Treehouses, as well as Tony Built a Treehouse. At the end, I made sure to let the students know that each of their tree house and fairy house projects would need to incorporate at least one simple machine.

Students then stepped into the shoes of a landscaper and decided on what they wanted to design. We looked at colored photographs of tree houses for inspiration, and each student used their own creative ideas to design the landscaping for their tree house. They started cutting out green paper for grass, made trees with sticks and clay, and built outdoor furniture, seesaws, paths, bushes. Some students started building their tree houses using interlocking pop-cycle sticks and colored sticks for their foundation. Their comments to me were: “The tree house has to be stable, or it will fall!”

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The Science of Animal Habitats

While the “big kids” designed tree houses and fairy houses, K0/K1 Young STEAM Inventors have been studying animals that live in wetlands, streams, and dams. They’ve read books of different animals who live near water sources and who make habitats out of natural materials, such as mud and sticks.

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