The Big Finale!

We celebrated our last day together with some fun culminating activities.  Students competed in a QuizetLive review game to earn first pick at supplies for the edible car challenge.  We then had fun racing our cucumbermobiles and rice crispy cruisers.

 

 

 

We also spent some time developing our own number system based on elements of those we haves studied this year.  Students shared the ideas and let their friends attempt to decode their own personal "Moli Stones".

Students had fun reflecting and completing an ALERT Top 5 to celebrate their accomplishments this year.

I will certainly miss this wonderful group!  I am so proud of all they have accomplished, their love of learning, and the community they have built with each other.

Kinetic Contraptions!

Spontaneous Problem: Name things that cause motion.
Boundary Breaker: Explain this quote: "A design isn't finished until somebody is using it." -Brenda Laurel

Today we began looking at models and design in the development of the automobile.  Students read the article " Early Autos" to learn the history of their development.  They then began the design of their own free rolling go carts that they were able to revise and test for distance.  We also did research on "What Makes Things Move?" and tried tweaking our designs to include a self-propelled factor.

Our Habit of Mind focus today was on thinking flexibly and figuring out some challenging riddles. Try this one: Put a coin in a bottle and then stop the opening with a cork.  How can you get the coin out of the bottle without pulling out the cork or breaking the bottle?

For math, we took a look at the Chinese expanded notation system. This system  brought us back to the mysterious writing on the Moli Stone that we were finally able to crack!