First Grade: Convergent Thinking

We finished up practicing our thinking skills by learning about Dudley the Detective, who uses clues and deductive reasoning to find one and only one correct answer.  One way to practice convergent thinking is to practice computer coding/programming.  Code converts human input into sequences that computers can understand.  If the input is not correct, the output will not be correct.   A great introduction to coding for 1st graders is the Osmo Coding Jam.  The Osmo coding game allows players to snap together Coding blocks to create unique musical Jams and movements.  As players move up in levels, they are able to explore even more advanced computational concepts like subroutines and nested repeats.  

The actual snapping together of coding blocks is a great way to introduce coding in a very concrete way. Once students practiced this, they were ready to try coding with digital blocks. We moved into Scratch Jr. to try getting our "characters" to do what we programmed them to do... for example, "Can you make characters race?" or "Can you make a basketball dribble?"

Another way we practiced convergent thinking was to solve logic puzzles and math games.

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We also played hands-on games that practice using logic like Sodoku and Master Mind. If you have Checkers or Chess at home, these are also great logic games.

We will continue to use all of these thinking skills throughout our journey in Idea Lab. It's always beneficial to be cognizant of different ways of thinking and know our areas of strength and areas of development. Today in Idea Lab, we began a project-based learning unit centered around the world's oceans. We will use all of the types of thinking that we learned within this unit as well!

Cardboard Arcade Games

We had a very successful Cardboard Arcade Design Challenge in 2nd & 3rd Grade.

To view the video of our process click HERE.

The students followed the Engineering Design Process:

1. Ask questions

2. Research & Brainstorm

3. Plan & Sketch

4. Create a Prototype

5. Test & Evaluate

6. Make Improvements

7. Share & Reflect

We appreciate you taking time out of your day to see our prototypes and giving us feedback. The younger students also really enjoyed playing our games at the Cardboard Arcade that took place in the Spoede Library!

We look forward to designing and using the engineering process again in the future.  

4th Grade Architectural Styles Presentations

 How does one learn the most about a topic?  Teach others!  

After learning about various architectural styles in history, students partnered up and chose an architectural style that they wanted to teach others about.  

Students needed to research this particular style and create a slideshow sharing some of the quintessential architectural features known for that particular style of architecture.  They also needed to find famous buildings that exist in that style.  They needed to research to see if there are any buildings in St. Louis that also featured that style of architecture.  

Then they needed to sketch a design and build a prototype of their style with the quintessential features. 

 
The prototypes were a collaborative effort, and the students did an amazing job with the designs!  

When it was time to teach the class about their particular architectural style, the students were ready!  
They really understood the style and its features.  

Each group developed a quiz to check students' understanding of their teaching.  

Some students presented an oral quiz.  Others used technology like Kahoot or Blooket for their class quiz.  

We were very impressed with both the presentations and the architectural prototypes!  

After our presentations, we moved on to understanding the inside of buildings, the floorplans.  The students quickly reviewed area and perimeter and found the square footage of some rooms in a house.  

This coming week, students will experiment with a digital tool that allows them to create a 2D floorplan that will automatically transform into a 3D plan with walls.  They can insert furniture and other features in the room.  
Also, this coming week, we will be looking closely at the new Spoede School architectural plans and see how these plans are coming to life!

Below is the new floorplan for the Idea Lab classroom (all the way on the right)  and STEAM room that will be attached.  The garage door is between the two rooms.  The library/media center is to the left of the STEAM room.  

Exciting to be able to have this architecture unit going on at the same time that our new school is being built behind us!

Cardboard Arcade Challenge

Our 2nd & 3rd graders have embarked upon a cardboard arcade challenge!

We asked our families to donate their cardboard and other recyclable materials for our cause, and boy did they come through!  Thank you, families!



Then, we got into the planning stages of our arcade design.  We pondered some questions:  What makes a game interesting to play?  What makes you want to play a game over and over again?  What are things every game needs to have?  What is your favorite arcade game? Why?  Then, we started brainstorming some ideas for games with our partner(s). We sketched a design plan, discussed some ideas for rules and instructions, and presented our ideas to the class.  The class responded with feedback and questions for each group.

We learned about the engineering design process, and then it was time to build a prototype.  

A BIG thank you for donating to our prizes for our Arcade.  We can't wait to show you the arcade games!