TechStart Curriculum
While students learn various software applications and become familiar with computer programming, they also learn about scientific principles. In the process, they also learn to communicate through public speaking and writing. They also practice math through problem solving and data analysis.
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Grades K-2
Fall
Students in grades K-2 will focus on the communities in which they live. They will visit different places and gather information about each place they visit. The students will be able to use their collected data to build a diagram showing how community members are related. The curriculum will strengthen reading, math, writing and social science skills. Students will use Word, Paint.NET, Excel, and other software.
Winter
During winter quarter, students will use their new mapping skills to learn about the Columbia City neighborhood by visiting various sites and gathering data on them,. The numeric and descriptive data will be recorded on a rubric, and the students will the convert their information into a detailed map of the area.
Spring
During spring quarter, students will look at the animal kingdom, and learn about insects, spiders, and other tiny animals. Students will chose an insect to research and report about, including bugs and spiders which live in their own neighborhood. By the end of the year, each student will contribute to the book, and each will take home the collective works of the K-2 class!
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Grades 6-8
This year, the 6th-8th graders will base their projects on Earth, space, and the machines that assist humans in both worlds.
Fall
During fall quarter, students will ponder life and lava as they examine geologic formations, plate tectonics, fossils, and minerals. They will study the most intense geological formations in the world. Students will take information they have collected and base class-made animations on that knowledge. Students will also use Word and Excel to track data.
Winter
During winter, students will tilt their heads up and look to the stars while studying astronomy. Students will use Word to document information and narration. Students will use Scratch to program animations using math and logic.
Spring
Finally, in spring session, students begin understanding the engineering behind robots. They will uncover some of the most advanced features in Word and Excel, and have the opportunity to design, build, and program a robot using the Lego® Mindstorm™ system.
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Grades 3-5
Fall |
Animal Evolution: Students will investigate the flexibility of living things to adapt to their surroundings. They create a timeline of animal evolution and add animation to represent changes an animal might go through to become the type of creature we know today.
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| Winter |
Hydrosphere: Students will dive into exploring oceans and rivers, seas and lakes, and vaporous bodies of water that keep the Earth moist and inhabitable. Using HTML, Photoshop, and knowledge of design, students will create a web site about their oceanic adventure.
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| Spring |
Atmosphere: Students learn the elements of the atmosphere through the physics of flying and rocketing. Using a programming environment like Flash, students will create a Website that illustrates their studies of rockets, gravity and friction and other data they obtain with the Measurement in Motion software.
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