United Nations Ambassador of Art Teaches Students World Peace through Understanding

Yesterday students were given a special opportunity to come see United Nations Ambassador Ibikanka Alao.

Mr. Alao is an artist who recently represented his country — Nigeria — and became the first place winner of the prestigious United Nations International Art Competition amongst 61 countries. His entry "Girls and a Greener Environment" chronicles the life of a girl-child from infancy to adulthood and the values she acquires along the paths of life. Mr. Alao shared with us his culture, music, artwork, and overall understanding of how to see good in others. We are truly appreciative of his time here in our school and hope we will be able to invite him back again for a future workshop and presentation.

More Student Animation/Rube Goldberg Projects

Here are a few more submissions to our Rube Goldberg/Animation project. 

Sixth Grade's Movie

   

4th Grade's Movie

 K-3 Group's Movie

 

Reminder: PSAT testing date Oct. 16th

What is the PSAT and why is it important?

The PSAT is a nationwide, multiple-choice test taken by about 3.4 million high school students every year–mostly sophomores and juniors. A great primer for the SAT^® and even the ACT^®, the PSAT includes math, critical reading and writing questions. However, with no algebra II or essay section, it is shorter than the SAT and ACT.  PSAT scores are not sent to colleges.

The Rube Goldberg Project...

Reuben Garrett Lucius "Rube" Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor. A Rube Goldberg machine, contraption, invention, device, or apparatus is a deliberately over-engineered or overdone machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction.  Last year under the direction of Mrs. Meyers students studied some famous contraptions inspired by of Rube Goldberg, most importantly Ok Go’s famous music video; This too shall pass.. Did you know it took over sixth months to create the contraptions for this?

In our classroom, the first through sixth grade students were challenged to come up with their own simple Rube Goldberg machines and music video. In their notebooks, our young inventors dreamed big creating their own blue prints for a design.  Using objects found in the classroom (and some brought from home), students got busy building. Other students recorded their project and pieced it together in iMovie. Some students thought outside of the box and pondered cause and effect.

Here is a sample of our fourth grade’s group video:

 

Check back here in a few weeks to see what other awesome apparatuses our other kiddos came up with.

At Home Extensions:

Though we were briefly touched upon Rube Goldberg and simple machines these past few classes, We will be revisiting this idea later this year when we start work on our lego robotics. Pulleys, levers, gears, wheels, and axles will play a big part in understanding how simple machines work.

If you would like to explore this idea at home check out the following web resources:

1. Crazy about Rube Goldberg machines? Check out videos of MIT’s Friday after Thanksgiving Chain Reaction event.   Over 1,500 participants link their chain reaction devices together forming one mega chain reaction – set off at the end as the event's thrilling culmination. No matter how unique the devices, inevitably, with a little string and duct tape, they all work together beautifully.


2.  Online Rube Goldberger Game:  http://pbskids.org/zoom/games/goldburgertogo/rubegame.html

3. How to build a Rube Goldberg machine at home.

Happy October

We begin this month with a welcome back breakfast for our HS gifted students.  Enrichment students in 9-12 can feel free to stop by the HS Library on the 2nd for a continental breakfast.  Information and sign up sheets for the 2013-2014 independent study will be available. 

October is Shakespeare Month! In a few weeks our high school juniors and enrichment students will have the opportunity to see  the Merchant of Venice at BTE. At the end of the month, the  8-12 Enrichment and Honors English students will have a rare opportunity to see a live performance of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth.  The Linny Fowler WillPower Tour is performing this production.  Now in its 14th year, WillPower has served more than 110,000 students and has a well-established reputation for excellence.  This will be a professionally directed 80-minute production of Macbeth with sets and costumes and include a post-show discussion with the cast after the performance.   (Permission slips will be available outside of HS Gifted room 108).

The next few weeks....

Our K-6th grade students will be partaking in a Rube Goldberg project. Students are busy building and recording their structures. Look for more information on this in a future post.

Our 7th through 8th grade students are finishing a creative writing piece for me. Their next project will be a folklore unit, researching tales and myths of Pennsylvania for an October Journal they will be producing.  

Students will also be dabbling 
in graphic arts for this upcoming project. 

We have a lot of fun and enriching activities to look forward to this upcoming Fall! Please feel free to email me any questions.

Remember to work hard, do your best, and think big...

Take Care,
Mrs. Kozlek