Happy National STEM Day!

How appropriate that today was a late start. On these days we specifically devote time to whole group STEM challenges. Today's was a tower challenge. Using 20 index cards, student trios had to build a tower that would support a pencil. Then they were given 10 more index cards to add more height and support a mini pumpkin. Finally 10 more index cards were handed out for additional height and balancing of a ping pong ball. Check out the videos and pictures on our social media accounts.

The afternoon was spent learning about what is expected for Curiosity Cruisin' Presentations, which begin next week. Here are a few key take aways:

*You are sharing what you learned and how you learned it.

*It's OK if you didn't "finish" your project; present to that point.

*It's OK if you didn't like what you tried; present why you didn't like it.

*It's OK If your project didn't turn out like you thought it would; present what you learned and any pivots you had to make.

*You DO NOT have to have a slide presentation. Only use it if it helps show something better (i.e. something small looks bigger on the screen)

Presentations begin Nov. 14 and should be between 3 and 5 minutes in length. Please encourage your student to do some run throughs with you as an audience at home. We are evaluating for presentation skills. (See the rubric on pages 2 and 3 of the planner.) Tomorrow is the last work day! New Curiosity Cruises will begin next after Thanksgiving.