5th

Pasta Cars!

With a budget of $12.00, fifth graders had to decide what materials they would need to build an effective pasta car.  The goal was to focus on durability, working wheels as well as style.  Students tested them on a ramp to see how far they would go.

The Stock Market Game...

Fourth and fifth graders are participating in the Stock Market Game.  They have $100,000 of virtual money to invest.  Students had the opportunity to hear from a certified financial planner, Karen Perri from Morgan Stanley.  She gave them information about companies, why stocks rise and fall and how to read the interactive charts on Yahoo Finance.  Ms. Perri also looked at the student's portfolios and offered them some advice.

Zip Line Challenge!

How can you construct a zip line that can carry a ping pong ball from the top of the string to the bottom in 4 seconds or less?

Operation Games...

Students are making their own version of the game Operation.  They will use Makey Makey kits and the Scratch program to make them interactive.




     

One Plastic Bag...

We read "One Plastic Bag" about a woman in Gambia, Africa that made a huge difference in her community by re-purposing plastic bags that were destroying the environment.  This movement inspired us to create some interesting things out of fused plastic bags.  Fused plastic bags become very strong and durable.  Here are some of the creations:

Extraordinary Characters!

Fifth graders are challenged with designing either a gadget, vehicle, building or invention for an extraordinary character.  From a time traveler to an ice queen, these characters are definitely unique!  They have to draw conclusions about their specific character based on a card that depicts their lifestyle.  There are also "Think Cards" which helps them expand on their ideas.

Intro Activity:  Egg Carton Self Portraits!

      

               

Electric Telegraphs & Morse Code

After learning the history of electric telegraphs and the connection to the transcontinental railroad, students made their own working telegraphs.

 

Battle Bots:  Build your battle shell and prepare your Sphero for the Battle Bots Tournament of Champions!  

Students created some fierce looking battle bots for the tournament!  The goal was to strategically drive Sphero and pop the balloon of another bot.  

Pasta Cars:  Can you design and build a race car using only pasta and hot glue while keeping the cost under $12.00?

Fifth graders are becoming automotive engineers.  Thinking about vehicle safety, cost and durability, they are designing and making pasta cars that will be tested down an inclined plane.

Classroom Assistant Robots!

5th graders finally had the opportunity to complete their classroom assistants and had the opportunity to share them with Ms. Massagli's class.  The students learned about Makey Makey and the Scratch program.  They were excited to see that the robots were interactive.

 

We are going to the STEAM Tank Regional Competition!!

 March 22, 2019 

 Blackwood Army Reserve Center, Blackwood, NJ

Teams are hard at work preparing for the big day!

Check out the student's pitches!

Ice Wiper: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VlkhoAy6p_cQ08FWQB2KcR-nEbV4evq7/view

The No-Stress Station:
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Vq63mDxZi93Wvftkn-ZN6kDtbpvo5WTe/view

STEAM Tank Challenge

Modeled after the show Shark Tank, this competition requires students to come up with a new invention, modify an existing invention or try to better the environment in some way.  Two 5th grade teams have spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas that do not already exist.  The Ice Wiper and the Stress Station will be pitched in a two-minute video.  If their invention is chosen, they will move onto the regional competition.   Fingers crossed!


Classroom Assistants

Wouldn't it be nice to have an assistant in class to help with a variety of things from giving directions, making sure you are prepared and answering questions?  Fifth graders are creating a classroom assistant that will be interactive with the use of Scratch and Makey Makey.  They will not only build the robot but "program" it to do a variety of things and even include LED lights.

Newton's Cradle

We took a page from Newton's book and created his pendulum out of ordinary items which demonstrates that "every action, has an equal and opposite reaction". This activity required a lot of problem solving and perseverance.













Extraordinary Characters!

Fifth graders are challenged with designing either a gadget or vehicle for an extraordinary character. From a  time traveler to an ice queen, these characters are definitely unique!  They have to draw conclusions about their specific character based on a card that depicts their lifestyle.  There are also "Think Cards" which helps them expand on their ideas.












Team Building Cup Stacking Activity!

Spaghetti Tower Challenge!
Who can build the tallest freestanding tower that can hold a marshmallow on top?







Extraordinaire Design Challenge!  
Fifth graders are challenged with designing either a gadget, vehicle or building for an extraordinary character.  They have to draw conclusions about their specific character based on a card that depicts their lifestyle.  There are also "Think Cards" which helps them expand on their ideas.

GENIUS HOUR PRESENTATIONS!
The day finally came to show off all the hard work involved with their Genius Hour projects.  Fifth graders had the opportunity to present their projects to a couple fourth grade classes.  There was plenty of variety, from a karate demonstration to magnet prototypes.  I'm so proud of them!  They did a fabulous job!

 

April 9, 2018

Origami Crane Folding Club Reached their goal of making 1,000 cranes!!!  They are now in the display case for all to see!

April 5, 2018

Time to play Operation!  All of fifth grade classes had the opportunity to try their "steady" hand at the games.  I was so impressed with how hard the GEM students worked to create their take on this popular game!

March 13, 2018

Fifth graders are working on the "motherboard" of their operation game.  Next, they will create sounds in Scratch and hook it up to Makey Makey to see if it works.





March 6, 2018

We are reviving the 1980's game Operation and putting a modern twist on it.  Students chose a popular character to be "operated" on.  They will create a Scratch program which will coordinate with Makey Makey to make sound and turn on lights if the player touches the edges.  Fifth graders will have to use their knowledge of circuits and conductive materials in order to design a working game.

March 2, 2018

Fifth grade GEM students created their own versions of a STEM activity to teach to a younger class.  They were responsible for the introduction, activity including directions as well as a culminating sheet to accompany it.  One group chose to "Save Sally" (a gummy worm) using only paper clips.  The other group designed marble mazes with "bumpers" for students to complete.  They did a great job and were wonderful role models.

February 5, 2018

These simple machine contraptions have turned out to be not-so-simple!  Students are still revising and improving their designs.





December 24, 2018

Students are busy working on their contraptions.  Each team decided on a task they would like to accomplish at the end of their chain reactions.  Patience and perseverance has been super important during this project!







December 15, 2017

                         

Have you ever heard of Rube Goldberg?  He was a political cartoonist who created elaborate contraptions that completed simple tasks.  Students are learning about simple machines and how they can be incorporated into their own contraptions.


December 8, 2017

The day has finally come to share the interactive books!  Mrs. Latham's first grade class came in today to hear all the creative stories which included sounds, music or the fifth grader's own voices.












December, 1, 2017

Fifth graders just about finished with their interactive books!

November 17, 2017

A few fifth graders are piloting a new kit...Little Bits.  They are electronic building blocks that are magnetic and color-coded.  The pieces are used to create circuits that can make sounds, make things move or produce light. Their first creation was a spinning Rudolph!











November 16, 2017

Did you know that if you make 1,000 paper cranes, according to an ancient Japanese legend, you will be granted a wish?  Well, the fifth grade students started a club and are trying to make 1,000 paper cranes by the end of the year.  Their wish...To have no bullying here at Roland!  They challenged themselves to make a large paper crane and here is how it turned out!





November 14, 2017

Taking a page from Hallmark with their interactive greeting cards, students are writing interactive mini books that they will hook up to Makey Makey.  They will use the Scratch program to actually create the code for their books. After writing and illustrating the books, copper tape and/or graphite from a pencil will be used to create a complete circuit within the book's pages.  Each page will contain some interactive component such as a sound, musical instrument or their own voice narrating the story. These one-of-a-kind books will be shared with first grade classes.

October 24, 2017

Jar Jar Keys!  Using Makey Makey and Scratch (piano), students were able to successfully create music with recycled glass jars!






October 10, 2017

Makey Makey!  Our new invention kits came in and we aren't wasting any time becoming familiar with them.  With Makey Makey, you can turn everyday objects into touchpads.  Today we were using them to control bongos and a piano with a couple snaps of an alligator clip!  Students are making a game controller out of clay to see if it can be used to play an online game.

September 25, 2017

In the book, Mechanimals, a farmer is devastated after a tornado destroys his farm and leaves him with a bunch of random scrap metal.  "Determined not to give up, the farmer declared, "I'll turn this mess into a masterpiece".  He ends up building some very purposeful creatures and proves that you can believe in your dreams!  The fifth graders are designing their own purposeful animals with mechanical features by first brainstorming, sketching and labeling then actually building.




 
 
 

September 22, 2017

Cardboard Challenge!  My fifth graders piloted a project that will be a school-wide event!  The idea is for each classroom to create an arcade-style game out of mainly cardboard.  These games will be on display in the gym on October 13th so homerooms can try them out...Roland Rogers Day of Play! The fifth grade GEM students designed and built a working skeeball game.   They thought of every detail down to a holder for the dry erase marker used to keep score.  Here are some pictures of them in action...

 
 
 

Here's a couple pictures of the 5th graders showing 3rd graders how it works...

 The idea was driven by Caine's Arcade.  Watch the video below!

September 13, 2017
Fifth graders are busy already!  They are creating their self portraits using a variety of random materials.  I'm super impressed with their creativity!




 
 





Last Year's 5th Graders
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April 20, 2017
To celebrate National Biomechanics Day (April 6th), students learned about the joints in the body and how biomechanics helps us understand how the muscles make forces that help us move our bodies. They have been designing and making a mechanical leg that has a moving ball and socket joint. Click here to learn more about how biomechanics can help athletes make improvements...

National Biomechanics Day



March 22, 2017
Space Lander Mission...aliens need help bringing a special dessert to Earth.  They do not have a way to safely land on our planet.  Students are creating an engineering company that will design and build a shock-absorbing lander to protect two aliens (marshmallows) during impact on Earth.  They only have certain supplies to choose from and a budget of $10.  Let's see if they can slow down the lander as it hits Earth so that the aliens remain inside the cup!

February 27, 2017
Fourth and fifth graders are still working on their obstacle courses.  They are turning their rough draft into a 3D model.  Here are some pictures of them in action...


 

January 30, 2017
Climbing ropes, crawling through mud and jumping through tires!  Teams will be designing their own obstacle race course. Students will have 50,000 units of land to build their amazing course which entails calculating perimeter and area and using math in a real world situation. There are plenty of requirements such as including 8 obstacles, 2 gift shops, a warm up area, hydration stands and health aid center.  They will be provided with a checklist to keep them organized.  Completed obstacle courses will be 3D and include a map key.


January 17, 2017
We are embracing the TINY HOUSE movement!  Did you know that to be considered a tiny house, it has to be under 500 square feet?  Students are using a program called floorplanner.com to create a tiny house specifically for a chosen character.  Everything that they choose to incorporate into their house has to somehow reflect that character.  They are doing a remarkable job using this new program and their tiny houses are super creative!


November:
Fifth grade students will be entering a contest:  Species on the Edge Art and Essay Contest!  They will advocate for an endangered/threatened species from New Jersey by writing an essay and creating an original art piece.   This is a great way for students to make a real life connection to our New Jersey wildlife while learning about the animal's diet, habitat and natural history.

                                         

Students have also been given the opportunity to participate in the Odyssey of the Mind Competition being held in Pennington, NJ on March 11, 2017!  Letters have been sent home requesting parent permission so groups can be formed for this exciting event!


Sphero City Tour October 7, 2016
Fifth graders have put their engineer hats on!  They are designing a blueprint and building their very own SPHERO City!  Students have been bringing in various everyday materials to use for their creations.  They will then program Sphero to navigate through their city streets.  Check out pictures of these future engineers!