2016
HelloK.I.T.E.Families,
Thecuriousmindsofyourwonderfulchildrenhavebeenmovingatfullspeedthisweek.
Itwasobviousthechildrenhadalotoffunthisweekwiththetheme,Ceremoniesand
Celebrations.Therehasbeensomuchlearninggoingonyouwouldbeastonished!Here
aresomethingsthegroupswanttoshareabouttheweek!
ThegroupHolilearnedabouttheholidayHoli,andthemanywaysitiscelebrated.This
inspiredthemtochooseindividualtopicsthateachstudentwouldliketocelebrateand
investigate.Throughouttheweek,theyworkedoncreatinganexhibitfocusedontheir
topic,whichincludedresearch,notetaking,writing,andthecreationofavarietyofvisuals.
Eachexhibitisenhancedbythreedimensionalpiecesthatrepresentsomeelementofthe
topic.Thesewillbecreatedbyusingavarietyofmaterialssuchas:fabric,tiles,recycled
materialsandcraftpieces.Theexhibitswillshowcasetheknowledgetheyhaveacquired,
informationtheyhaveresearchedaboutthetopic'shistory,andnewinventionsand
creationsoftheirownthathavebeeninspiredfromalloftheseinvestigations.Some
examplesoftheseprojectsare:thecelebrationoftheplanetMarsandspaceinvestigation,
whichincludesmodelsofcurrenttechnologyaswellasinspiredstudentinventions;Fine
Artpaintingincludingitshistory,traditionaltechniquesandstudentinventedtechniques;
Importantinnovationsintheareaoftechnology,thehistoryofmajorcompanies,and
studentprototypesfornewdevices.
In"YiPeng,"weareexploringceremoniesandcelebrationsthroughresearchand
reflection.Withlaptops,weareresearchingandwritingaboutgiftsandholidaysand
addingtoaGoogleslideshow.WithourT-shirtdesignsand"transformation"drawingsand
otherrelatedsketches,wearebuildingsculpturesthatwehopewillcelebratethedelight
thatwehumansexperiencewithceremonies.Weareinvitingotherstudentsfromother
classestoaddtothesesculptureswithdrawingsorpostersoftheirown.Ourotherproject
thisweekhasbeentoprepareandperformapuppettheaterproductionoftheGrimm'sfairytale
"TheWhiteSnake."
TheFloatingLanternshaveengagedinawonder-filledjourneyacrosstheglobe.Theirtripstarted
inHawaiiwherethegrouplearnedabouttheFloatingLanternFestivalthattakesplaceevery
MemorialDay.Itcommemoratesbothfallensoldiersandlovedoneswhohavepassedaway
throughthelightingandlaunchofbrightlyglowingfloatinglanternsoffoftheHawaiianshoreline.
ThegroupthentraveledacrosstheUnitedStateswhilecreatingtheirownceremoniesand
celebrationstohonorAmericancultureandinterests.ThegroupthenventuredthroughMorocco
lookingatprimarysourcephotosfromthroughoutthecountry.Eachstudentcreatedaninference
basedonwhattheysaw,andthenresearchedthevalidityoftheirinferencethroughproviding
supporting,oropposingevidence.Finally,studentslookforwardtocomparingtheterrainin
MoroccototheterraininIcelandontheirwayhomefromtheirgloballearningtrek.
TheMonkeyBuffetbegantheweekdiscussingtheelementsofmanyceremoniesandcelebrations:
music,food,costume,song,dance,andtradition.OnMonday,thechildrenwerepresentedwitha
varietyofobjectsandgiventhetasktocreateaninstrumentusingafewofthepiecestogether.On
Tuesdaytheybeganaposteraboutthemselvestobeaddedtothe"WallofFame,"celebrating
themselvesasthefamousmembersoftheMonkeyBuffet.Wednesday,inhonorofourgroupname,
wepresentedourlocalanimalswithabuffetontheschoolnaturetrail.Thiswasinspiredbythe
Thaipeoplewhoofferabuffettothelocalmonkeysonceayear.Whileonthetrail,wesearchedfor
animaltracksandleftbirdseedandbreadcrumbsasourbuffetoffering.Weanticipategoingbackto
seeifourtreatswereeaten.Ourafternoonshavebeenjoyfulaswevisitedseveralspecialinterest
groups,playedgames,andmetnewfriends.
WhiteNightsstudentstookturnstracingeachotherinordertocreate"celebrationsilhouettes".
Insidethesilhouettes,childrenincludedinformationandillustrationsaboutfavoriteholidaysand
celebrations.Childrensharedtheirtasksheetwithfellowclassmatesandincludedthoseontheir
silhouettes,aswell.WehavelearnedalotabouttheWhiteNightscelebrationinRussiaandcreated
acityscapeofSt.PetersburgcompletewithacoastlinefilledwithhandcreatedScarlettSailtall
ships.(ScarlettSailsisafavoritepartoftheWhiteNightscelebrationmarkingtheendoftheschool
year.)Nocelebrationiscompletewithoutmusicanddancing!Childrencreatedinstrumentsfrom
recyclablematerialsandcreatedoriginalrhythmandmovementtosharewithyouonFriday
afternoon.Wewillmakeice-cream(atraditionaltreatenjoyedduringWhiteNights)andeven
participateintheToiletPaperOlympicsonThursday!Teamworkandalsochancesforindividual
choiceshaveworkedwelltocompletetasksandalloweveryonetoproblemsolve,sharestrategies
andthinking,andsharefinalproducts.
LaTomatinaAstheweekstarted,afteralltheinformationpresentedbystudentsonthetask
sheetsandsharingactivities,studentsdecidedtheyreallywantedtolearnmoreabouttheBaby
Jumping,RunningoftheBulls,andLaTomatina.Wedecideditwouldbefuntotransformthe
classroomintoBunol,Spain,whereLaTomatinatakesplace.Webrainstormedexactlywhat
elementsofLaTomatinaweneededtoincludeinourminicity,includingbuildings,doors,windows,
lightposts,trafficlights,streets,signs,bridges,cars/taxis/buses/bikes/scooters,firetrucks,
plants/trees,mailboxes,sun,Spanishflag,people…..andofcourse,tomatoes!Weuseddecision
makingskillsandplanningtodecidewhatmaterialswewouldusetocreateourmodel.Wewill
holdaminiLaTomatinaonFridaywhenparents’arrive.
TheFestimagroupworkedcooperativelytodesignourownuniquecelebration.Asweplannedour
celebration,wediscussedritualsandtraditionsaswereferencedcommonthemes,suchaslight,
costumes,masks,decorations,musicanddance.Withthisknowledgeandinspirationfromthe
Festimatheypreparedfortheircelebrationbymakinglanterns,scepters,robes,saltpainting
decorations,rockandwirenecklacesandcreatingfolktalesabouttheiruniquecelebration.Duringa
trekthroughthewoodstogathermaterialsfromtheforestfloortouseinthecelebration,we
discussedtheimportanceofrespectingtheenvironmentandtheessentialsrequiredtosustainlife
onourplanettoenhancetheirunderstandingoftheinterconnectednessofalllivingthing.
Rouketeoplemosmeans"rocketwar"inGreek.Inspiredbyourgroupname,wehavebeen
exploringtheexcitingworldofrocketry.Firstwelearnedaboutthepartsofarocketandtheforces
(thrust,drag,lift,weight)thatcausearockettofly.Thenwebuiltseveraldifferenttypesofrockets,
includingstomprockets,balloonrockets,andstrawrockets.Weexploredchangingvariableslike
launchangleandweighttoseehowtheyimpactflightlength.WealsosampledafewGreekmyths
likeTheseusandtheMinotaur,thenwroteourowntohelpuscreateourownholiday!
TheUpHellyAagrouplearnedthatthisScotlandFireFestivalheldinJanuarywasacelebrationof
itsVikingheritage.Childrenconstructedafirefestivalsilhouettefrompaper.Mythologywasa
popularinterest,sothechildrenreadafewNorsemythsandcomparedthemtomythstheywere
alreadyfamiliarwith.Usingtheircreativewritingskills,thechildrenwrotetheirownversionofa
Norsemythandenjoyedsharingtheirplays,shortstories,orcomics.Thentheycreatedgoldcoin
bracteatesoftheirfavoriteNorseGod.Thechildrenlearnedaboutrunes,thelanguageoftheNorse,
whentheydecodedwords,wrotetheirname,andcreatedarunetocelebratethelifeofsomeone
specialtothem.DuringastudyofVikinglife,thechildrenlearnedhowtouseaLucetforcreating
braids/cordsandhowtoplayHnefatafl(anoldVikinggamesimilartochess)andmadetheirown
helmet,shield,andgame.Lastly,thechildrenusedtheirknowledgeaboutVikingshipdesignand
acceptedadesignchallengetoengineeraVikinglongboatthatcouldfloat.
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FascinatingthingshavebeenhappeninginSPECIALINTERESTGROUPSintheK.I.T.E.hallsas
well!!!
FireworksinaJarstartedbycreatingabannershowcasingspecificthingsaboutsciencethatwe
love.Wethencreatedfireworksinajarbyexploringdensity-foodcoloringwasusedforthecolor
elementandsinceithasahigherdensitythanoilorwater,itsanktowardthebottomofthejar.Asit
combinedwiththeotherliquidinthejar,small"explosions"ofcolorcouldbeseen.Weexploredthe
topicofstatesofmatterbycreatingquicksand(whichisneitherliquidorsolid)Childrenhadfun
gettingtheirhands"trapped"inthequicksandandthenobservinghowsmalltoyssankovertime.
UsingthepowerofthesunwewillcreatedSolarOvensandmadedeliciouss'mores.Yum!Wewill
beabletodiscussalternativeformsofenergyandrenewablevs.non-renewableenergysources.
Rainbowinatubeexploreddensityinanothermannerbyobservinghowcolorslayerontopofeach
other.Childrenmadeasugarsolutionofvaryingdensitiestodemonstratethisfascinatingconcept.
InRaisetheRoofwearelearningconceptsaboutarchitectureandengineeringbybuilding
gambrel-roofedbarns,trussbridges,androllercoasterswithgood-olepopsiclesticks.Withcool
gluegunsthatarequitesafetouse,westartbyassemblingstructuresandframes.Ratherthan
tryingtoworkfast,theemphasisisonlearningtechniquesandthinkingthroughchallenges.
Studentsthenaccessorizetheirbarnsorbridgeswithroofs,floors,walls,doors,andsoforth.
ThestudentsinTrailInvestigationhavebeenlivingbythemotto“leavenotrace”.Thetrailblazers
hikethetrail,pickinguptrashalongthewayandreturnedtotheplaygroundtomakea‘mindful
mandala’inwhichstudentssilentlytakeonepieceatatimetocreateadesignwithinacircle
celebratingacommitmenttoEarth.Afterdiscussingtheconceptofshelter,theycollectednatural
materialsandcreateashelterwhereeveryonecouldfitinside,whichhadanaccessible
entrance/exitandcouldkeepthemdryfromprecipitation.Finally,theycreatedZentangle(mindful,
creativepatterns)withsidewalkchalkanddidmeditativedrawingwithadultcoloringbooks,
enjoyingasimpleactivityoutsidewithothers.
Mathercizersusedmonsterfeettomeasurethelengthandwidthofthegym.Weexpandedour
thinkingbycalculatingtheperimeterandareaoftheroom.Wechallengedourselvestosetgoals
andreachthemduringourdot-cardsubitizingrace.Subitizingisanessentialmathskillforthisage
group.ThewordcomesfromtheLatinwordsubitus,meaningsuddenly.Subitizingistheabilityto
lookatagroupofobjectsandinstantlyrecognizethequantity.Studentssettheirowngoalsand
methodsforplayingthegamemoreefficientlyandcooperatively.
OutdoorArtbegantheweekdecoratingthegroveoftreestotheleftofthemainentranceto
Pike.Welearnedweavingandwovebetweentwotrees.Wealsocreatedclayfacesforthetreesin
thegrove.Wehavegoneonseverallongnaturewalkstocollectmaterialsfromtheareaandpainted
withnaturalpaintbrusheslikeflowersandgrassandpinecones.Wepaintedrocksanddecorated
magicwands.Afuntimewashadpaintingflowersusingbubbleart!
InTechTalkwediscussedcomputertechnologyandlearnedhowtouseGoogleAppsona
Chromebook.AfterlearninghowtouseGoogleSlidesandDrawing,studentsappliedtheseskills
andtheirresearchskillstocreateanauthenticautobiographyprojectofanoftenusedobject.
RonnyRaleigh,abicyclechain,hadaveryinterestinglifeclimbingmountainsinhisnativeFrance.
ThestarsinActor’sTheaterimprovised,acted,andperformedtheiruniqueworkwithitemsfrom
glitteringgownsto3-Dprops.Theroomwasabuzzwithenthusiasmastheydesignedcostumes
fromtablecloths,feathers,fabric,andabigbagof‘stuff’torepresenttheirheroorheroine.One
student’sskillwithstagemakeuptocreatespecialeffectswasgreatfun!
Uponmeetingoneanother,studentsinCelebrateMusicquicklyrealizedthattheyallwere
musicianswithdiversebackgroundsandskillsondifferentinstruments.Afterdiscussinginterests,
andexperiences,theCelebrateMusicgroupdecidedtoformarockband.Theycollaboratedon
choosingasongthatincorporatedeveryone’stalentandultimatelychosetoworkon“SeeYou
Again”byCharliePuthandWhizKhalifaasithadapositivemessage,andincludedpartsfor
everyone(vocals,drums,piano,hip-hop).Additionally,theCelebratingMusicisusingtheApple
applicationGaragebandtolearnhowtocollaborateinthecreationoftheirownsongsusingaudio,
andsoftwareloops.
ThisweekourScienceMagicSpecialInterestgrouphasbeencrossingthelinesbetweenscienceand
magic,allinthenameofgoodentertainment!Ourmagicincluded:PenniesDisappearduetothe
lightbendinginthewaterandreflectingoffthebottomofthecup,PepperMoveMysteriouslywhen
youtoucha"magicwand"-reallyatoothpickwithsoaponit-tothewater,thepepperallswims
awayasthesurfacetensionofthewaterisbroken,WaterDisappear,Objectsstay"Dry"under
water,aslongastheobjectisafeather,whichrepelswaterduetothenaturaloilsonit,Colors
ExplodeusingablackMr.Sketchmarkeronanapkin,withwater,toseethecolorsspreadand
separateintheprocessofchromatography,PopcornSeedsSwiminwaterwhenthepopcornseeds
swimupanddowninseltzerwater,duetothecarbondioxidebubblesadheringtotheseeds,and
finally
StrawsandPaperclipsDiveandFloatonCommandbecausethestrawsarefilledwithairand
anchoredwithpaperclips,andastheirswimmingpoolbottleissqueezed,thepressurechange
makesthemdivetothebottom.
IthasbeenanamazingweekatK.I.T.E!!Whatbetterwayistheretospendtimeinthesummerthan
bylearning,creatingandsmilingwithawholeclassofmotivatedlearners?Thankyouforsharing
yourcapableandenthusiasticchildrenwithus!Welookforwardtoseeingyouin2017.
JanisBaronandEthelColtin