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Dear TAF, |
I think about the 300 K-8th grade students who will bound into our 13 TechStart classrooms next week and I get goose bumps! It's hard to believe how much the program has grown since we started it in 2001. This year students will explore everything from electricity and robotics to language structure and how the human body works.
The first thing all TechStart students will learn is how to create their own classroom culture so that when the going gets tough - and it will - they will have strong relationships to support each other.
Then, they're off to do some serious learning in a really fun environment.
Kindergarten:
Smoke signals, Morse code, American Sign Language, Braille, text messaging... How do you communicate? Students will be introduced to many forms of communication to better understand people's basic need to communicate. For a final project, students will illustrate one of their favorite coded phrases like C-DB ("See the bee!") or LOL ("Laugh Out Loud") and collect them into a picture dictionary to take home and share.
1st - 2nd graders:
Studying astronomy, students will learn about earth's relationship to the sun and explore the other planets in the solar system, their sizes, terrains, temperature and environment. Students will produce a news program for an audience of space travelers. The news program will feature a weather report, new discoveries in science, traffic conditions for space travel, astronaut profiles, space tourism and commercials advertizing space friendly items. The news show will be posted on the website for everyone to view.
3rd-5th graders:
As an introduction to electricity, students will be learn about atoms and electrons, magnets, electromagnetism, batteries and circuits. They will also learn how to measure energy and how to make energy efficient models. In the final project, students will reproduce the Seattle skyline out of recycled boxes and other materials and light it up the buildings using their newfound knowledge of switch circuitry.
6th-8th graders, Group 1:
How is sound created? What are sound waves? How does the ear interpret sound? How do we distinguish different tones? In classroom experiments, students will create, record and interpret sounds to learn about sound waves, vibrations and how the ear works. Students will produce a group presentation, game, animation or video to dissect a specific element of sound and demonstrate their understanding of the concept.
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6th-8th graders, Group 2:
This yearlong adventure will immerse students in the world of robotics
using the Lego® Mindstorm™ system. Students will build and program
their robots to follow basic commands, respond to obstacles, react to
different situations and maneuver through courses. As students gain
skills, they will design their own robots and program them to complete
tasks. Using scientific inquiry, engineering and technology, students
will plan, design, execute and test their team's theories and
innovations. That's just a summary of the rigorous TechStart curriculum we're offering for 2008-2009. Hey,
before I sign off, I have a question for you to think about: What is the relationship
between the number 20,000 and 2020?
Make sure you read our next
newsletter to find out! Thanks for listening,  Trish Millines Dziko Executive Director Technology Access Foundation
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