STREAM Fall Newsletter 2021

STREAM Newsletter Fall 2021

Our Vision:

The STREAM committee is dedicated to developing a program that is inquiry based and that will develop students into confident, self-directed learners. In a safe and supportive environment our students will be engaged in a group problem solving with applicable solutions that develops independent thinking while fostering collaboration. Students will have opportunities to gain read world experience through community partnerships and internships. Our goal is to combine science, technology, research, engineering, art, and mathematics to prepare our students to be Life Ready.

We are dedicating our winter newsletter to wellness. Don’t wait until you’ve reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching that goal.

Great Resources

Teach Engineering

Try Engineering

We are Teachers

our top Health and Wellness picks

How Teachers Can Practice Self-Care for Long-Term Health & Wellness By Jennifer Gunn

5 Quick Stress Busters for Teachers

What is Gratitude? Why is it so Important?

What’s STREAMing at...

Chase, Cooke, & KLR

K-5 teachers have been introduced to STEMScopes Math and Science to apply in their classrooms. Each lesson follows the 5E Model. Teachers can access STEMScopes through their Classlink Accounts.

Chase

Mrs. Furman’s second-grade class went on a nature walk and discussed things that occur in nature and the differences between trees and leaves. They then created an art project with the materials and described it.

KLR

The fifth-grade students at KLR are being fish-y! If you take a walk down the 200 wing at KLR, you will spot a fish tank full of trout. Mr. Scecina's class is taking part in the Trout for Classrooms Program again. His class has extended the invitation to all fifth-grade classrooms to assist in the daily testing of the pH levels of the tank. Here is a picture of one class learning about what a pH level is via TEAMS.

Here are some students from Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Futrell's class testing the ammonia levels of the trout tank in Mr. Scecina's class. This was really important science work because Mr. Scecina just changed the filter! The students found the ammonia level to be between 0 and 0.25, so this shows the filter is doing it's job!

Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Futrell's fifth-grade class applied their knowledge of matter during an afternoon of science labs! Students worked in groups and visited three different stations. At the first station, students placed a green ice cube in warm water to observe the difference in density of water and food coloring. At the second station, students measured the volume of various items (binder clip, wooden block, block eraser, and pencil eraser) by calculating the water displacement. At the last station, students used a balance scale to measure which is heavier, an empty balloon or a filled balloon. At the start of each station, students created their own hypothesis and then recorded their findings after the experiment.

Mrs. Snow's third-grade class completed an egg drop project! The used a variety of materials to create something to protect their egg while they dropped it from different heights.

Fifth-grade students at KLR read the story "Balloons Over Broadway" by Melissa Sweet this week. Mr. Scecina's class spent their half-day designing their own Thanksgiving Day Balloons through a STEM Project. They have to plan a design and create something that would allow them to hold their balloon "up in the air". They were able to use popsicle sticks, straws, string, and tape!

Introducing

RJK Middle school and Monticello high school partnered with COGNIA for accreditation and certification as STEM schools. Information will be shared with the MS and HS Faculty at upcoming school Meetings.

COGNIA

RJK Middle School

In 7th-grade Technology, students have been learning how to use the scroll saw. This was their first experience using power tools. In addition, students learned how to use Corel (drawing program) in which they were able to laser engrave an image on their wood puzzle.

The 6th graders were asked to create a model of a Building or Shelter. The goal is to promote inductive (inventive) thinking skills that will result in a wide variety of end product designs, to deductive thinking skills that instruct students to create similar products using their choice of designs and materials. As students construct their creations, they were encouraged to plan, test, and improve designs to the best of their ability.

Monticello High School

ProjectSTEM is a website we are using at Monticello High School for our Introduction to Computer Science, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Computer Science A courses. This resource is provided to the district through the Amazon Future Engineers program. For all three courses, PRojectSTEM provides an online environment where students can learn various computer science topics.

Many lessons in ProjectSTEM revolve around programming in an online environment where students can code along with a lesson.

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Students in our C++ Programming course are using the concept of a geometry calculator to learn different programming concepts. In the picture below, students are learning the difference between passing data by value and passing data by reference. They are also learning to break up the input, processing, and output of the program into its own functions.

Pictured from left to Right are Brandon R., Joseph H., and Brenden M. with their crime scene entitled, “Sleeping with the Fish.”

Students in SUPA Forensics used their STREAM (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Art, Math) skills to construct Crime Scene Dioramas. They also used their ELA skills as they wrote their own crime stories to go with their scene. They were very creative and built a pond, which did hold water. They then presented it to the class in a PowerPoint while the diorama was passed around the class for a “close-up” view. They described all the evidence and how it was tested, an autopsy including a calculated post-mortem index (PMI), a suspect, and their motive. An enormous amount of effort, creativity, and attention to detail was put forth by all of the students.

Medical Intervention students constructed ear models and presented their models to the class, explaining how sound travels through the ear and is processed. Each of them was given a specific case in which they were given a specific hearing deficit and they had to explain using their model what portions of the ear were affected.

Michelle L. constructed the ear model above and her case was a 21-year-old male sergeant who has returned from a tour of duty. He regularly reports a buzzing sound and has been diagnosed with sensorineural (sensory-neural) damage and tinnitus. Michelle explained using her model that sensorineural damage is caused by varying degrees of damage to the inner cochlear nerves within the inner ear. This damage can cause both loud and soft sounds to be muffled. Tinnitus is caused by underlying disease or overexposure to loud sounds and causes the affected person to hear random bursts of sound despite no outer stimuli. Both of his conditions point towards his time during his tour of duty as a cause. His daily exposure to explosions, gunshots, and shouting would result in a steady decline in his inner ear nerves. If left untreated, his condition can lead to permanent hearing loss.

The Engineering Design Process is the heart of STREAM

Engineering Design Process

Appreciate

Credits:

Created with an image by EvgeniT - "fall lake plane trees"