BSI LEARNING COMMONS
The media specialist and staff of the Learning Commons (LC) are dedicated to supporting the school's STEM initiative. During the 2017-2018 school year the media specialist purchased $2000 worth of books (print and digital) to support the three grade level year--long STEM PBL initiatives. In addition, special Destiny Collections were created to facilitate the research components of each of these projects. Most importantly, the media specialist has collaborated closely with faculty from each grade level helping designing STEM curriculum opportunities (ex. coordinating professional presenters like Julia Eliot, owner, Bird Watchers Supply Co.) and providing direct instruction for students (ex. taking all third graders bird watching). Lastly, she is a member of the school's STEM Leadership Team.
MAKER SPACE
What does a day in the Big Shanty Maker Space look like? Before school a girls’ reading club convenes there, during the school day third graders learning about heat cook brownies, followed by fifth graders who review science using BeeBots and Osmo kits. On another day, small groups of fourth graders filter in to use the green screen to make “weather report” videos, another third grade class uses the space to create book report dioramas, and after school the GEMS Club (Girls Engaged in Science) meet to make rock crystals. On yet another day, the MOID class uses recycled plastic water bottles to create wind chimes for their sensory garden, and the after school Makers’ Club worked on designing and sewing stuffies with programmable Arduino tinys. In addition the After School Program uses the space for many of their STEM projects, utilizing the green screen, Makey Makey kits, BeeBots, and more.
The media specialist and staff of the Learning Commons (LC) are dedicated to supporting the school's STEM initiative. During the 2017-2018 school year the media specialist purchased $2000 worth of books (print and digital) to support the three grade level year--long STEM PBL initiatives. In addition, special Destiny Collections were created to facilitate the research components of each of these projects. Most importantly, the media specialist has collaborated closely with faculty from each grade level helping designing STEM curriculum opportunities (ex. coordinating professional presenters like Julia Eliot, owner, Bird Watchers Supply Co.) and providing direct instruction for students (ex. taking all third graders bird watching). Lastly, she is a member of the school's STEM Leadership Team.
MAKER SPACE
What does a day in the Big Shanty Maker Space look like? Before school a girls’ reading club convenes there, during the school day third graders learning about heat cook brownies, followed by fifth graders who review science using BeeBots and Osmo kits. On another day, small groups of fourth graders filter in to use the green screen to make “weather report” videos, another third grade class uses the space to create book report dioramas, and after school the GEMS Club (Girls Engaged in Science) meet to make rock crystals. On yet another day, the MOID class uses recycled plastic water bottles to create wind chimes for their sensory garden, and the after school Makers’ Club worked on designing and sewing stuffies with programmable Arduino tinys. In addition the After School Program uses the space for many of their STEM projects, utilizing the green screen, Makey Makey kits, BeeBots, and more.
MONTHLY STEM CHALLENGES - independent student challenges
STEAM MAKER CLUB a club for fourth and fifth grade students that meets Friday mornings before school that makes fun things.
LESSONS (Media Specialist collaboratively and/or Teacher led)
THIRD GRADE
Recycling Masterpiece: students use Osmo Masterpiece to learn about recycling
Heat: Learning about heat and fractions through cooking brownies
Birding: Students learn how to identify birds and use binoculars then go birding on the school grounds
Bird Research: Students research native Georgia Piedmont Birds
Citizen Scientists/Graphing data: Bird observations are entered into eBird, graphed with paper/pencil and using MS-Excel
Farm to Table: Students developed a menu from the garden vegetables they harvested, prepared, and served it! YUM!!
Plant Research: Students research which native Georgia Piedmont plants best to attract native birds
BeeBots: Learning fundamentals of coding
Scratch Poetry: Students from classes co-authored a poem about their experiences, thoughts, and feelings about the year-long STEM project.
Recycling Masterpiece: students use Osmo Masterpiece to learn about recycling
Heat: Learning about heat and fractions through cooking brownies
Birding: Students learn how to identify birds and use binoculars then go birding on the school grounds
Bird Research: Students research native Georgia Piedmont Birds
Citizen Scientists/Graphing data: Bird observations are entered into eBird, graphed with paper/pencil and using MS-Excel
Farm to Table: Students developed a menu from the garden vegetables they harvested, prepared, and served it! YUM!!
Plant Research: Students research which native Georgia Piedmont plants best to attract native birds
BeeBots: Learning fundamentals of coding
Scratch Poetry: Students from classes co-authored a poem about their experiences, thoughts, and feelings about the year-long STEM project.
FOURTH GRADE
Research Best Bees for BSI: Using the Destiny Collection, Thrive in the Hive: BEES, students researched gentle bees to attract to BSI
Research Best Pollinator Plants: Using the Destiny Collection, Thrive in the Hive: GARDENS, students researched best plants to attract Mason/Leafcutter Bees
Colonial Cookies and Fractions: Students practiced real world application of multiplying and/or dividing fractions in making a recipe
Race Car Simple Machine Challenge: Using their understanding of Newton's Laws and simple machines students built fast racecars
BeeBots: Combining basics of computer programming and X,Y graphing concepts
Weather Reports: utilizing Green Screen and DoInk app
Scratch Poems: students co-authored a poem about their grade's year-long STEM project
Research Best Bees for BSI: Using the Destiny Collection, Thrive in the Hive: BEES, students researched gentle bees to attract to BSI
Research Best Pollinator Plants: Using the Destiny Collection, Thrive in the Hive: GARDENS, students researched best plants to attract Mason/Leafcutter Bees
Colonial Cookies and Fractions: Students practiced real world application of multiplying and/or dividing fractions in making a recipe
Race Car Simple Machine Challenge: Using their understanding of Newton's Laws and simple machines students built fast racecars
BeeBots: Combining basics of computer programming and X,Y graphing concepts
Weather Reports: utilizing Green Screen and DoInk app
Scratch Poems: students co-authored a poem about their grade's year-long STEM project
FIFTH GRADE
Watershed Research: Students used ProjectWet website to develop better understanding of water concepts and terminology
Enviroscape: Using the interactive enviroscape loaned by Cobb Water, students developed better understanding of watershed hazards
Physical and Chemical Change: Students combine their understanding of fractions, and physical and chemical changes as they bake a cake understanding the chemical effect of the baking soda and heat.ee
Snap Circuits: implementing understanding of electrical circuits to create a working circuit that talks, beeps, is a lie detector, and many more
Watershed Research: Students used ProjectWet website to develop better understanding of water concepts and terminology
Enviroscape: Using the interactive enviroscape loaned by Cobb Water, students developed better understanding of watershed hazards
Physical and Chemical Change: Students combine their understanding of fractions, and physical and chemical changes as they bake a cake understanding the chemical effect of the baking soda and heat.ee
Snap Circuits: implementing understanding of electrical circuits to create a working circuit that talks, beeps, is a lie detector, and many more
ALL GRADES
BeeBot & Osmo Test Review for all content areas (Social Studies, Science, ELA, and Math): Students rotate through stations with different content. At some they have to program the BeeBots to move to the correct answer the quickest, while at the Osmos stations they have to spell out the correct answers.
Nature Poems: Students co-authored, illustrated, and podcast a poem about their grade's year-long STEM project.
BeeBot & Osmo Test Review for all content areas (Social Studies, Science, ELA, and Math): Students rotate through stations with different content. At some they have to program the BeeBots to move to the correct answer the quickest, while at the Osmos stations they have to spell out the correct answers.
Nature Poems: Students co-authored, illustrated, and podcast a poem about their grade's year-long STEM project.
ESOL
Stained Glass Pop-up Cards. ESOL students created stained glass pop-up cards that required reading and following directions while using a diagram for information. Math was incorporated as they measured, cut and assembled cardstock using recycled laminate plastic that was colored with markers to make translucent inlays for the trees. The students had to assemble the pieces with an engineer’s mind so the trees would fit in the allotted space, lay down when the card was closed and “pop up” when the card was opened!
Stained Glass Pop-up Cards. ESOL students created stained glass pop-up cards that required reading and following directions while using a diagram for information. Math was incorporated as they measured, cut and assembled cardstock using recycled laminate plastic that was colored with markers to make translucent inlays for the trees. The students had to assemble the pieces with an engineer’s mind so the trees would fit in the allotted space, lay down when the card was closed and “pop up” when the card was opened!