Skyview Middle School robotics classes spent the third quarter learning about the properties of buoyancy, design and construction, then created life size duct tape boats, and took to the pool for boat races!
“STEM Education ROCKS!” — Shelli Church. educator, Skyview Middle School
Tag: Robotics
Robotics enrichment at HMS
Homer Middle School Enrichment Opportunities
Exciting changes happened to the master schedule at Homer Middle School. In an effort to offer students a variety of enrichment classes, every seventh and eighth grade student takes band or choir for thirty minutes each day. In addition to the core content classes, each student has an enrichment period to take one quarter of robotics, art, business, and health. In the robotics class course, students are given an opportunity to use meaningful problem-based learning, a hands-on approach to math and science, integrate and apply knowledge of engineering, math, and science, and work in cooperative teams. At the end of each quarter, students compete with one another in the Robot Challenge in which the robots are programmed by students to complete an obstacle course. The challenge requires the robot to follow a black line, complete maneuvers and listen to voice commands.
Robotics competitors prevent strawberry mold
West Homer Elementary heads to Anchorage in January to compete
In a three-component robotics, research, and teamwork competition sponsored by First Lego League, a West Homer fifth and sixth grade team won their first tournament this year against seven other teams in Kenai on November 19 to advance to the Anchorage competition in January!
Competing in FLL’s 2011 Food Factor Challenge, teams find ways to improve the quality of food by researching food safety and examining possible contaminants our food encounters—from exposure to molds, bacteria, and insects during production, processing, transportation, preparation, storage, and serving. The competitors find ways to prevent or combat spoilage or contaminants, put their research into a creative presentation before a panel of judges, and compete with their programmed autonomous robot to solve a set of Food Safety missions. The West Homer team’s focus was mold prevention on strawberries.
Throughout their experience, the team operates under FLL’s signature set of core teamwork values of learning together, friendly competition, discovery is more important than winning, sharing experiences with others, and displaying gracious professionalism in everything they do in the challenge experience.
Story and photo provided by Arthur Kettle and Suzanne Haines, West Homer Elementary