Mystery

In January, students will continue to improve their skills using the digital program to create the newscast. We will also do a mystery unit using the book, The Eleventh Hour.

Elementary Newscast

First Semester, students in 3rd and 4th grade gifted and talented will learn to create a newscast for the entire school to view daily.  The digital program is called Digital Sandbox.  We will use a green screen to video so that students can edit to create the daily news. This will include the lunch menu, birthdays, weather, the pledge, moment of silence, a joke, and fun fact. They will learn to research, download images, how to rename the download, and then upload to digital sandbox.  They will learn to edit in the program editor to create a fun and engaging newscast.  Students will problem solve as they learn to navigate the program.  They will also learn how to speak on camera as well as how to create transitions and scripts. This is a huge undertaking, but I know we are up for the challenge! 

Update:  We have produced two shows.  The entire school district loves it! 

Natural Disasters

January/February/March of 2024  We will be looking at natural disasters for the next month.  We will have a reading escape activity, do a science experiment, track the weather, learn new vocabulary, complete a problem solving activity on natural disaster detecting devices (engineering), and finally, students will complete a research project.  They will create a product to communicate what they learned. 

Squishy Circuits

December of 2023  Students will learn about electrical circuits through several hands on experiences. One such way is with Squishy Circuits!

It's Not a Box

November of 2023 This is NOT a Box.  Students will create something out of a box using originality, flexibility, and elaboration.  Students will plan for and design a unique product out of a box using divergent thinking.

The Great Island Challenge

September and October of 2023 students are learning about engineering and what the engineering process looks like.  We use the process to design, build, and improve upon different STEAM projects.  Right now, we are working on the Great Island Challenge.  Students are given a scenario in which they must create a product that goes along with the challenge.  They will build a shelter, bridge, waterproof bottle, and a boat all using the engineering process. 

During the month of December, students are diving into the world of simple machines! Simple machines are all around us and make up a lot of different things. Students will be introduced to 7 different simple machines. A scavenger hunt around the school will help students recognize how many simple machines are actually around them. Students will also play the game "Mousetrap" as it has a lot of examples of simple machines. As our final project, students will be exposed to Rube Goldberg and the types of machines he used in his comics--students will use materials to create their own Rube Goldberg machines with simple machines. Stay tuned for pictures!