Life in the Science Lab
Ever wonder what's going on inside the Science Lab? Here's your chance to take a peek at what's going on inside the Science Lab!
Growth Mindset
Last week, students in grades 1 and 2 were asked to draw coding for our Sphero Mini robots as a way to draw their attention to the details involved in the block coding, including color and wording.
One of the groups did the wrong work, and it was for the best reason! Instead of drawing out the blocks coding, they drew out the "draw" coding because with these particular robots, you can code them by drawing a picture (if you draw a circle, the Sphero's will go in a circle, etc.).
I explained to the group that I was so happy with their mistake because it was a product of good thinking! They were using the correct resource (the Sphero instructional video), they were copying down code (the drawing), it just wasn't the type of code I wanted them to draw today.
The students began erasing the code so they could start over, and I asked them to leave the incorrect way and add the blocks coding, so we could remember their mistake and the good thinking it showed, and the way they cleared up their misunderstanding to do it the way it was assigned.
Sometimes, it's hard to notice when we learn something. In an example like this, students can keep track of their learning on their work, add to it, and hopefully be able to discuss what they learned.
TK and Kinders are working on understanding the needs of animals for survival, so we've been working to answer the question, "What do animals in the zoo need?" The students are building their knowledge by reading books and drawing what we've learned, and we're going to use that to build a zoo our of Lego's and other building materials in the class, and use our imaginations to build animals out of class materials, too. Then, we'll put in our homemade zoo all the things animals need. So far, students have identified that animals need food, water, trees, a home, sleep, someone to clean up after them, and specialized food.
In the 1st and 2nd grade classes, we've been exploring what our Sphero Mini robots can do! We've been studying up at Sphero Edu by watching their instructional videos, which are under the "activities" tab. Feel free to encourage students of all ages to study up on the features of and coding possibilities of Sphero Mini's!
In grades 3-5, we've been exploring the Engineering Design Process! Thinking like engineers, we've identified problems, or things that can use improvement, and we're working through identifying solutions to those problems. Stay tuned for more information on the creative and helpful solutions students create!
Engineering Design Process
Science Lab Rules: Please watch the video for an explanation of rules in the Science Lab.