GRADE 7

We researched examples of tile work and patterns from around the world to kick off a mini-unit on mosaics. We reflected on how tiles and modern pixels are often used to construct imagery and patterns. 

To create our mosaics, we planned from the "grout" up using math. What mathematical areas do we want to cover? How big are the tiles, and how many will we need? How big should gaps between tiles be, and how will we revise our designs and plans knowing this? The materials for this project were provided, in part, by generous contributors to a Donors Choose project.

An additional layer of this project is that it introduces students to a craft that they can apply to remodeling a home later in life, pursuing a related career, or creating tiled works as a hobby.

Coding Webpages in HTML and CSS

We began learning about how paragraphs and headings are coded using HTML (hypertext markup language) using Web Lab on code.org. HTML is basically one of the languages that developers use to tell your internet browser how to display a webpage.

We started by learning about opening and closing tags like <p> and </p>, which let a computer browser know that a specific bit of text is a paragraph. Heading tags like <h> and </h> help show the importance of text and set it apart from paragraphs. We can even use tags to make bulleted and numbered lists.

The tutorials and practice tasks in code.org asked us to identify and correct bugs in the HTML code and to begin creating content.

We added to our knowledge of HTML by styling webpages using cascading style sheets (CSS). CSS codes allow us to change the properties of different elements on our webpages. For instance, we can make all paragraph text a specific color, size, and alignment. We can do the same with headings.

We added to our knowledge of HTML and CSS tags by learning how to insert images into a webpage. We wrapped up our unit on creating webpages with HTML and CSS. Our last lesson was on styling elements on our pages with CSS.

Digital Citizen Badges

We earned Digital Citizen Badges for being Password Security Pros, Courteous Online Communicators, and Conscientious Digital Sharers. We also played Interland to learn more about digital citizenship.

3D Design

For Hispanic Heritage month, seventh grade was studying Guatemala. 

• Guatemala is home to 37 volcanoes, 3 of which have constant activity. Tourists flock to Guatemala to see these natural wonders—and scientists encourage tourists to be safe when visiting these simmering, gaseous attractions. We searched Google for images of Guatemalan volcanoes to inspire digital sand art creations. 

•  The ancient Maya civilization (modern day Guatemala, parts of Mexico, and other Central American countries) built temples in the shape of pyramids that resembled the volcanoes in the region. We read about Mayan pyramids in Yaxha and Tikal and designed 3D models in Tinkercad.

Laser Cutting and Logographs

We explored another very important technology: Writing! We brainstormed why we think it was important for ancient cultures to develop writing systems. We decided that communication, trade, and keeping records were important reasons. A number of ancient civilizations—like those in Mesoamerica (Mayans), Egypt, Mesopotamia (Sumerians), and China—developed writing systems with symbols that we call logographs. Some of these writing systems were carved into stone (Mayan glyphs, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Chinese characters) or pressed into clay tablets (Sumerian cuneiform). While they didn't necessarily have an alphabet like the one we use today, some of the symbols connect with sounds that people in those cultures would have spoken. So, today we can use symbols and their corresponding sounds to spell out things like our own names. We're doing just that! And instead of carving using a chisel, we're going to use our makerspace Glowforge laser cutter to create keychain designs with our names.

Genius Hour

We kicked off Genius Hour. Students in grades 4-8 have opportunities during their Digital Literacy classes throughout the year to design and complete projects of their choosing. Schools across the world implement Genius Hour programs to support students in pursuing their own interests and explore their passions. The Wildcat Workshop, with its materials and emphasis on civic and creative uses of digital technologies, is a perfect space for this kind of activity.

Engineering with LEGO Models

We researched different ancient (and postclassical) building structures from around the world, from aqueducts to arches and from pagodas to pyramids. Then, we built models using toy bricks, searched the internet for information and photos (using a Creative Commons search), and updated a slideshow with photos of their models and the information and photos they found online.

Simple Machines

We explored models of simple machines and drew diagrams in our design notebooks. We saw and felt how a simple machine is able to increase the magnitude and/or direction of a force. Simple machines can be combined to create more complex machines.