Academics
PSSA Testing
2023 PSSA Letter 3 - 8.docxSTEM
6th Grade
Students learn about
Social Responsibility in STEM!
Hearing about the horrible earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, students learned about plate tectonics, fault lines, and why the earthquakes caused such extreme loss of life.
Being innovative, socially responsible problem-solvers students learned how to construct homes with trusses, cross-bracing, base isolation, and impact absorbing engineering concepts!
4th Grade
Science Concepts Applied to Real-Life
Students learn science concepts of circuitry, constructing simple, series and parallel circuits.
But with STEM, the real learning takes place when they applied those concepts to create a wired, working Night Light of their own innovative design.
Pathful Connect: 6th Grade
Real-World Connections in STEM ...
Sixth grade students from Mr. Montgomery's homeroom participated in a Pathful Connect session with an Earthquake Engineer!!! We had studied plate tectonics and earthquakes since it ties in with 6th grade standards, tied in with current events with the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria this quarter, tied in with engineering challenge of constructing a earthquake resistant structure, and tied in with math with the requirement of building within a budget.
Ms. Drayer requested to talk with an Earthquake Engineer, and he did not disappoint!!! He had great detailed information about earthquakes, tectonic movement, and shared his own developed blueprints for buildings in California in the 90's after the Northridge quake, which Ms. Drayer remembers living thru!
"I loved the real life connection, seeing a professional in the industry. Truly the connection was wonderful." ~ Ms. Drayer
Technology Elective:
DRONES!!!
Seventh & Eighth grade students worked during their 3rd quarter technology elective to learn all about drones! The students worked through various lessons on Tynker and For the Win Robotics to learn how to build, code, and fly drones. The photos below were taken during their final project ... The Obstacle Course!!!
Students were required to develop an obstacle course that included 5 tasks for the drone to complete. Students had to build the obstacle course and then code their drone to fly through student designed course. Boot Up Pittsburgh, a technology-based community partner, assisted students every Tuesday with troubleshooting.
Students utilized the following entrepreneurial mindsets throughout the process: problem solving & critical thinking, communication & collaboration, and creativity & flexibility.
