2nd Grade Curriculum
7th Grade Collaboration
Students come to the MakerSpace once a week in 2nd grade to engineer and build while learning science. Students have focused on materials science this year and focused on understanding the properties of an object will make it a good fit for certain jobs. The concept of friction was also explored and students used friction to slow things down and make heat. 7th grade science mentors helped students to measure absorbency and bendability of some objects. The older students were excellent role models and helped answer students questions and think through the big ideas. Building for Harry Students built objects to make the class pet's life better. Harry is a round ball with eyes and paper hair. Students had to construct a perch for Harry to help him get a better view, and had to be sturdy and strong. Students had to test out their designs and share their thinking with their peers. Students also had to make a hat for Harry to keep his hair dry in the rain. Groups picked materials based on their properties and built the hat in a collaborative group. Hats were tested by having "rain" sprayed on Harry and checking his paper hair for wetness. Students designs were all different and solved the problem in a different way. They were able to share their thinking with the class and get feedback from other groups to improve their designs. It is so exciting to hear students develop the skill of constructive critique and learning from their peers. |