The fourth and fifth grade teaching teams are creating lessons which inspire students to innovate and solve problems of the future. We are a PYP school and are dedicated to the inquiry process and student agency. 

Technology integration is key to preparing students to become future engineers, scientists, and creators. We use spheros and makeymakeys to explore scientific concepts, work collaboratively, and engage with the world outside our classroom walls. Students identify problems and propose solutions. They are empowered to test out ideas and reiterate based upon immediate feedback.

By funding this project, students will be able to have a class set of makeymakeys to solve problems. In fourth grade, students identify problems and apply their knowledge of energy and circuits to solving them. Solutions are then made public to the school in an audio guided gallery exhibition.  Later in the year, fifth grade students create mixed media collages with the same equipment in order to educate the school community about the importance of balance in our lives.

As well, fifth grade explores Newton's Laws of Motion in the Mars rover simulation. They learn to draw to scale, work on a team, and code/navigate spheros across a landscape they take part in designing. This is the culminating project after learning through scientific inquiry and the engineering design process.

Budget:

A set of spheros costs $1800

STEM Pack- Classroom Invention Kit by Makey Makey costs $700.

Classrooms will share the equipment across the grade levels. By helping us to raise funds for these engineering starter sets, you put innovation for the future in the hands our students. Thank you for taking time to learn about our project.

The Fourth and Fifth Grade Teaching Team at West TV Elementary School