Last week, Mrs. Anderson's 8th grade science classes took on an exciting challenge: designing and building their own roller coasters! This project helped them learn about two important concepts in physics: **kinetic energy** and **potential energy**. Students began by brainstorming ideas for their roller coasters. They had to think about:
- The shape of the track
- The height of the hills (which affects potential energy)
- The speed of the cars (which relates to kinetic energy)
Next, each group created a budget for their roller coaster. They had to consider:
- Materials needed (like cardboard, tape, and marbles)
- Costs associated with each material
- Staying within a set budget to ensure their project was realistic
After building their roller coasters, it was time to test them! Students released marbles down their tracks to see how well their designs worked. They observed how height and speed affected the marble's movement.
This week, the fun continued in the STEM lab with several engaging activities:
Students used the Z-Space machine to experience virtual reality (VR). They learned about the engineering and design process in a hands-on way. Using Oculus machines, students took a thrilling VR ride on a roller coaster. Students also worked with Sphero robots. They coded the Sphero to travel along a roller coaster track they created. Each Sphero made different sounds depending on which part of the roller coaster it was on, adding an auditory element to their project. Finally, each student created an animated slide show of their roller coaster using their Chromebooks. They had to download their presentations as videos, showcasing their designs and what they learned about kinetic and potential energy. Through this roller coaster project, Mrs. Anderson's students not only learned about energy but also developed skills in design, budgeting, coding, and presentation. It was a fantastic way to combine science and creativity!
In our recent science classes, Mrs. Reindl introduced an exciting project where we got to work with spheros! These are small, robotic balls that we can control using code. Our challenge was to program the spheros to navigate through a food web. We learned how to use block coding, which is a way to write programs using blocks that represent different commands. This makes it easier to understand how coding works! We used the block coding to give commands to the spheros. This included moving forward, turning, and even changing colors! To make our spheros more exciting, we learned how to add lights and sounds to our programs. This made our spheros not only move through the food web but also light up and make noise! Our goal was to navigate the spheros through a model of a food web. We had to think carefully about the path we wanted them to take, representing how energy flows from one organism to another. This coding project with spheros was not only fun but also helped us learn important concepts in science and technology. We got to combine our knowledge of ecosystems with our new coding skills, making learning interactive and exciting!
Today, Mrs. Salmon's and Mrs. Fassero's 7th-grade science classrooms teamed up for an exciting event in the Hot Spot! We had a special guest from "Ag in the Classroom" who helped us with a fun hands-on project: designing and building Pumpkin Catapults! After each launch, we measured how far the pumpkins traveled. This project was not only fun but also a great way to learn about engineering and physics. We discovered how different designs affected the distance our pumpkins traveled. Working together in teams helped us develop our collaboration skills and think creatively.
This week, Ms. Anderson kicked off the exciting new class, Computer Science for Innovators and Makers (IM). This class is part of a program made possible by a grant received last year, and it's designed to help students explore the fascinating world of computer science.
In the first week, they looked at the different components they will be using throughout the course. These parts include sensors and actuators that allow us to create systems that can interact with the physical world around us. (micro-bits).
One of the key ideas discussed is that programming is not just about writing code on a computer. Instead, it extends into the real world! Learning how to design algorithms and use computational thinking to solve problems. Students will have the chance to code and upload programs to microcontrollers. These small devices can perform various tasks, making projects come to life. This class will help students understand important computer science concepts through hands-on applications. Students are excited to see what innovative projects everyone will create as they learn and grow in this class!
Pictured is a student holding a micro bit.
Ms. McChristy's 5th grade completed a haunted pumpkin patch escape room! They had to complete a variety of activities to escape and enjoyed completing the escape room!!
Mrs. Cope's class earned a pajama party for their classroom jar reward party! They also did the mystery science activity “Why do our skeletons have so many bones?” They all had so much fun!
Miss Sharrow’s fifth grade class has been exploring history hands-on! Our students have been hard at work creating models of Native American homes. This project consisted of a nature walk to gather materials, researching the home they chose to build, and working as a team to build their structure. Great work!
Mrs. Klingler's class during Ag in the Classroom: Learning about pumpkins!
Miss Rebecca read about the pumpkin life cycle and then the students created and labeled a pumpkin diagram.
"TJHS 7th grade Art students working with plaster to create Day of the Dead masks."
Taylorville Public Schools Foundation Mini Grant recipients from Memorial Elementary: Kristi Luttrell, Ashley McCallister, Emily Repscher, Sheryl Carmichael, Anne Dorn.
Mrs. Klingler's 2nd grade learning about Red Ribbon Week
THS United Tornadoes visited Memorial School's Rise program!
Memorial school kicked off Red Ribbon Week with "Team up against drugs" in their favorite team gear!
Taylorville Whitetails Unlimited donated 6 new targets to the junior high PE program. The new targets are commercial grade and used in youth competitions across the country.
The students at the junior high love the archery units and these new targets are a much needed upgrade for what we have been using for years.
We want to thank Josh Asad and Dennis Crowder from Powder Keg for helping do the leg work on finding the perfect targets!
TJHS 8th grade Art students working with wire and plaster to create their own versions of Jack Skellington"
Items will be distributed to TCUSD #3 students the week of Nov 11...Thank you in advance!!!
THS held its College Fair and FAFSA presentations last night!
Miss Claypool's first grade
Mrs. Lively's first grade
Mrs. Deetz's first grade
