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Please use our website as a resource to keep up with current legislation, our local program and plan, resources,
and most importantly - what our AIG students are up to! Enjoy!
and most importantly - what our AIG students are up to! Enjoy!
elementary AIG: Egg Drop ChallengeThe Challenge: Using $100 budget construct a device that will safely hold an egg to be dropped from TWO different heights. The egg can be cracked, but must NOT have any yolk coming out. Our elementary kids had "$100" to spend on a table full of materials, including cardboard, pipe cleaners, balloons, straws, and more! The catch - the egg could not be removed from the plastic bag - it had to be easily accessible. They had time to brainstorm, budget, sketch a drawing of their device, and then they got to work! Congratulations to Madison, Ann, Bailey, Raylen, Ella and (T.S. Cooper winner coming soon!) for having the most successful egg drops at their schools!
CMS Mystery PBLS: Design an Escape ROomMystery PBLs (Project Based Learning) are in full effect at CMS this grading period. First up - design your own escape room. We know that many students learn by doing, so what better way to spark inspiration than by participating IN an escape room? Because, you know... research! The Challenge: Design your own escape room. There must be a clear theme and contain at least five math problems using a variety of skills. The math problems must increase in complexity. Ready, set, GO! Stay tuned for more on our student-created escape rooms!The Black Death comes to cmsWe’re (safely) launching back to medieval times at CMS! Some of our AIG kids are exploring the Black Death this grading period - last week they checked out some medieval art and began planning their own towns. It’s important to understand the living conditions in order to understand the spread of the plague. We’re excited about this immersive experience! Stay tuned! Robberies and Rubik's cubes - casual aig daysWe have two additional AIG sessions in full swing at CMS - "The Private Eye School" (back by popular demand!) and "You Can Do the CUBE!" These sessions both have our kids using unique thinking skills and strategies (logic puzzles, algorithms, and more!) to exercise their brains each week. There will be more on these sessions later... so be sure to check back!
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AIG Book CLubThe CMS Book Club just finished up “Ground Zero” by Alan Gratz - an amazing read about the children of 9/11. Check out of some their thoughts on the text - ideas that they gathered, questions they had, connections they made and more! We had a small group for our last session - so Kahoot it was! Engineering + DesignOur CMS Engineering + Design group have been constructing simple machines all grading period. They were presented with one final challenge - to construct a creation of their own choice. The only stipulation was that it has to serve a purpose. Check out a couple of the creations below! CMS Private Eye SchoolBefore our AIG students rotate to their new session for the upcoming grading period, our Private Eyes had to solve one final mystery. It involved quite a bit of forensics - including how height and angle can affect blood spatter. Well done, gumshoes! Hey Elementary AIG - You can do the cube!Lock boxes have been a hit at the elementary schools this school year. When some of the kids asked for more lock box challenges, I knew just what to bring them - the Rubik's Cube Lock Box Challenge! In order to complete the challenge, students had to use a Rubik's Cube and manual along with a special set of clues to solve fractions, read up on the history of the cube, and more. Who knows... this may not be the last they see of the cube! Buckland ElementaryGatesville ElementaryT.S. Cooper ElementaryCMS and the Pizza Delivery Joke MysteryPicture this - you have just called in a pizza. You're starving. When it arrives to your house, you open the box to find... WORMS? Our CMS Private Eyes were on the case to catch the culprit. They read up on alibis, examined locker evidence, cracked a code or two, and analyzed soil samples. Case closed! Welcome back! AIG is in full gear - check out what we have been up to! Also, check us out on Instagram at @gates_aig! Elementary: Pirate's Plunder LockBoxesOur elementary students having been flexing their mental muscles for sweet treats over the past two weeks! Each "Pirate's Plunder" lockbox is secured with three locks. In order to open those locks, our kids have had to solve math problems, crack a code or two, complete a reading passage... and more! Guess what though? There was another locked box within the box - meaning one last challenge to get the treasure! Gatesville ElementaryBuckland ElementaryCMS Engineering and DesignOur CMS student engineers have been hard at work using Rokenbok engineering sets construct simple machines. We began with the inclined plane, and some of our students have opted to challenge themselves by constructing a wheelchair and accompanying ramp. Other chose to move on to the next simple machine - the lever - and challenges it presents. It’s been interesting to watch them calculate and construct! CMS PRivate Eye SchoolOur CMS Private Eyes had a crash course on the critical thinking skills that it takes to be a great detective (deductive reasoning, making inferences, keen observing, and more). After that, they jumped right in to figure out who robbed the Groaning Board restaurant through a series of logic puzzles. Most recently, we have been analyzing evidence (soil sample analysis coming soon!) and cracking codes to determine who put worms on a mysterious pizza delivery. OUr elementary students got a taste of the detective life, too!CMS BOOK CLUB: "Ground Zero" by alan GratzOur Book Club kids are reading “Ground Zero” by Alan Gratz, the story of 9 year-old Brandon, who is trapped in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Through the chaos, he must find his way back to his father, who is working on the 104th floor in one of the towers. This book also tells the story of 11 year-old Reshmina, who is navigating life in Afghanistan while the Taliban’s presence makes it all that more dangerous. This book is amazing and we’ve had some great conversations!
Our elementary AIG students have been working on constructing the perfect catapults. Despite their limited resources, they made it happen! Throughout the process, they learned about projectiles, trajectory, and potential and kinetic energy. FUN FACT: Did you know that when you pull a rubber band, the tension you feel in the stretch is stored potential energy? Check out our kids as they explored STEM through the creation of take-home catapults. We made it, guys! Have a great summer! T.S. Cooper ElementaryBUckland ElementaryGatesville ELementary
Buckland Elementary
CMSSo, you know everything you just read about balloons, skewers, and Science at Buckland? Apply all of that to the photo dump below of our CMS Science Magic Squad. *But wait, there's more*After making balloon kebabs, our CMS AIG students further explored surface tension with another "magic trick" - making paper clips float! Did you know that by laying a paper clip on tissue, then placing it gently on water, the water molecules will form a membrane-like layer that remains even when the tissue does not? This is surface tension - and it made our paper clips float! Catapult ConstructionLast week we started a two-part STEM challenge at CMS - the science behind catapults. After discussing projectiles, trajectories, as well as potential and kinetic energy, our students got to work constructing catapults with limited resources. They were provided skewers, popsicle sticks, rubber bands, a milkshake straw, a small cup, and a roll of masking tape. The goal? Build a catapult that would launch a cotton ball and cap eraser a reasonable distance. Our kids were also provided with a tutorial video, however many of them chose to "do their own thing." CATAPULT LaunchingCongratulations to Mason W. and Cadence R. - they managed to launch a cap eraser TWENTY TWO FEET! Congratulations to our second place winner, Logan K., for launching his cap eraser 19 feet and Carson S., coming in third, with 15 1/2 feet. I'd like to give all of our kids shout-outs... they did GREAT! ** Nobody was injured or harmed in the making and testing of these catapults.
T.S. CooperBuckland ElementaryGatesville elementaryCooking with Aubrey
I love a good cooking project! Aubrey, a fifth grader at Gatesville Elementary, used the Passion Project as a way to practice cooking delicious food for her family. My favorite part about Aubrey's project is that she chose a wide variety of food to cook - from breakfast to dessert, from ethnic cuisine to a familiar favorite! Check out Aubrey's slideshow below. It's jam-packed with pictures and videos that highlight her experience! It definitely made me hungry! Great job, Aubrey! You get a TEN out of TEN!
Gaming with Brayden
"Pawsitive" research with Ella
I think we may have a future veterinarian on our hands here, people! Ella, a fifth grader at Gatesville Elementary, is definitely what I would consider a "cat person." She took her PASSION to the PROJECT and learned some amazing things about her favorite animal! Ella selected three specific breeds to learn about and did in-depth research. Her project was informative and (as always) creative! My favorite part was her special shout-out to a few wild breeds at the close of her presentation. Be sure to watch the recording of Ella's live presentation below. Great job, Ella! You get a TEN out of TEN!
That's right - we are back with ANOTHER round of Passion Projects! Our elementary students have worked very hard and deserve the same introduction that our CMS students received earlier this year. Without further ado... THE BACKGROUND INFO - DID YOU KNOW...In the 1950s, the 3M Company started a "15% Project," which allowed employees to peruse an idea that interested them and would benefit the company. Out of this 15% time came Post-it Notes, masking tape, and more. Building on 3M’s idea, Google began a "20% Project" initiative which gave their employees one work day a week to spend on a pet project that they would not normally work on the other four days. Because of this program, almost 50% of Google’s products come out of the 20% time, including Gmail, AdSense, and Google News. WHAT ARE OUR KIDS PASSIONATE ABOUT?Why not let our students in on this opportunity? This idea of pursuing a Passion Project is spilling over classrooms everywhere. Teachers are allowing students to do something that really interests them that they wouldn’t normally be able to do at school. Our elementary AIG students have been exploring their passions through an independent study of their choice. With an end goal in mind, they have practiced skills such as time-management, integration of technology, creativity, and public speaking. They have been self-motivating, "Meet"-ing, and checking in every week using Google Classroom. THE TIMELINE: A BRIEF RUNDOWNWeek 1: Introduction and Topic Selection Weeks 2-4: Steady work and Check-In #1, 2, and 3 Week 5: Draft Presentation development, Check-In #4 Week 6: Final Check-In and Presentations (We made it, guys!) THE PresentationsThe students you will soon see spotlighted researched, plan, and put in time and effort over the past six weeks to complete a Passion Project of their own. Now only are we still navigating uncharted waters during a time full of new things, THESE PROJECTS WERE NOT GRADED. The reward from the hard work was the fruit of a new skill, new knowledge, or self-exploration. I am so proud of these students. Be sure to check-in for new spotlights and follow their journeys!
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