Tag Archives: STEM Fair

04.14.23
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TNCS March STEM Madness 2023: That’s Science!

The month of March at The New Century School is a big one for STEM subjects. From Math Kangaroo to the STEM Expo, TNCS students are steeped in STEM!

It’s important to note right off that, at TNCS, the STEM Expo is a demonstration of scientific rigor, not a competition. Participation in the Expo is required for all students in grades K through 8. So, on Friday March 10th, TNCS students unveiled the projects they had been working on for several weeks for a packed house of attending families.

Scientific Method vs. Engineering Design Process

But let’s start from the beginning: developing their ideas. “For the younger grades, first we reviewed the differences between the scientific method and the engineering design process in an effort to help students better understand what makes a meaningful project,” explained TNCS science teacher Rob Brosius (“Mr. B.”). “We included in this discussion the nature of testable/measurable questions and the importance of isolating variables. For example, you can’t question which cookie tastes the best because you can’t generate numbers about that—it’s subjective.”

Even though middle schoolers were able to start right away, having learned this part already, a big part of Mr. B.’s job at this stage for all students is moderating expectations. Wanting his students to succeed (and to learn!) and work on a project they are really interested in, he gave the younger students a bunch of testable questions and asked them to choose a handful that attracted their interest. From there, they went on the Science Buddies website to search for a project that matched up with their question. Once a project was identified, Mr. B. helped students adapt it if necessary (e.g., if it was a little too complicated) in such a way that allowed them to work independently.

The next step in the process was listing and assembling materials. The TNCS science inventory is well stocked, and Mr. B. was also able to order needed supplies. “We try to reduce the amount of help given by families in an effort to help students feel more accomplished/confident and develop a better sense of independence,” he said. “This is an exciting time of the year for our students and the science program. We hope to help them explore their passions as they relate to scientific exploration.”

Robots, Drones, and … Kitty Litter?

Student projects ran the gamut, from building robots that moved in a straight line or spun in circles, to drones, to testing which kitty litter was most absorbent. (Surprise, surprise—it’s Target’s Up and Up brand!) “A lot of the younger students gravitated toward nature and chemistry, so we had some plants and animals and moldy bread projects,” said Mr. B. Moldy bread is, of course, a classic.

Older students, he explained, tend to have grander ideas that might not be entirely realistic to complete in the timeframe, so his goal there is to help them gain the knowledge that they would actually need to be successful. One student wanted to build an artificial pancreas, for example, recognizing that it was something that people would want to use. Mr. B. modified it so it was more on her level and has hopes she might return to it next year with increased knowledge and readiness. “That’s something I try to evaluate: ‘are there students who had projects they wanted to do but didn’t get to do?’ Because I can help them get ready to do it for the following year. At the end of the quarter, we put all the projects into a spreadsheet to keep track of what students do every year,” he said.

Science for Good

Although TNCS does not judge the projects, the requirements are similar to those of a standard science fair. Mr. B.’s goal with the STEM Expo for the younger students is to make sure they understand the scientific method and the engineering design process. For the older students, he encourages them to compete in external regional competitions that require increased dedication and attention to detail. And, even though no project was “judged,” a couple stood out for how well they fulfilled the project requirements. “One was from a student in the 2/3 class looking at whether the color of light affected the growth rate of mustard plants. The student put the seeds very carefully in a grid on wet paper towels, put colored cellophane over each, placed them all in plastic bags, and then left them in the sun to see what the germination rate would be and how much the stems would grow. She did all the research herself and to a standard I would consider 4/5 grade level,” he said, ” because it shows that she really understands the process as a whole and realizes that research is what leads you to any great science project.”

Another standout was from a middle schooler who wanted to make more eco-friendly, biodegradable ink. Mr. B. appreciated that project because it can be improved on through repeat testing.

I enjoy seeing students find projects that are practical and can actually solve or try to solve a real-world problem. That’s the epitome of a good science project: it’s something that if you presented this information to people they could replicate it and use it to help others or help themselves. Scientific exploration is very much about solving problems. We hope that by the end of this process students will feel a greater sense of community and a responsibility to help others. The goal is to help students become increasingly rooted in humanity, grounded in their intent, and focused in their dedication.

 

Feeling nostalgic for STEM? Visit past TNCS expos and science fairs below!

03.17.17
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March STEAM Madness at TNCS!

As The New Century School entered the third quarter of the 2016–2017 school year, things started to get pretty “STEAM-y” for elementary students, curriculum-wise, that is. This post will be the first in a series that explores some of the many Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math–related activities they undertook.

“Cool” Engineering Challenge

In science class, STEM teacher Dan McGonigal transitioned into a unit on heat energy and how it transfers. He gave students a fun engineering challenge to “save the penguins.” Working in pairs, students were tasked with developing a dwelling that would keep a penguin made of ice from melting. To do so, they investigated how different materials act as insulators against different types of heat transfer.

Field Trip!

As February wound down, elementary students began looking ahead a bit to their fourth-quarter science unit: the Industrial Revolution. On February 28th, 2nd- through 6th-graders took a field trip to The Baltimore Museum of Industry to learn more about energy as well as to experience what the Industrial Revolution was like in Baltimore: “The Baltimore Museum of Industry celebrates Maryland’s industrial legacy and shows how innovation fuels ongoing progress. . . exhibitions, educational programs, and collections engage visitors in the stories of the people who built Baltimore and those who shape the region’s future.”

In addition to touring all of the amazing galleries that allowed TNCS students to relive Baltimore’s early days as a trading port and manufacturing hub and featuring the authentic tools and machines used back then, they also got to put their engineering skills to work.

First, they learned how mass production revolutionized the car industry and manned their own assembly line.

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They were also given the chance to engineer a ramp to send cars down and see who’s car traveled farthest and to design other transportation-related innovations. Time-traveling back to the present day temporarily, they also got to design their own video games.

Next they got a close-up of what it would be like to work in 1929 in the garment industry, which Baltimore was a major player in, in the 18th and 19th centuries. TNCS students were spun a tale of strenuous but monotonous toil for very long hours, poor working conditions including overcrowding and extreme heat, and little pay. Although fascinated, none of them will be sitting down at a sewing machine anytime soon!

Other interactive exhibits they toured included the 1865 Platt and Company oyster cannery (the only surviving cannery building in Baltimore and the museum building), a 1910 pharmacy (or “Druggist’s shop,” much like the one where Noxzema skin cream was invented), a print shop (the linotype was also invented in Baltimore), and a machine shop.

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TNCS elementary students enjoyed their taste of old industrial Baltimore and learning the roots of their 21st-century engineering projects. More importantly, they were inspired by this special field trip to begin working on their STEM Fair projects the very next week and threw themselves into those endeavors with zeal—stay tuned for more on the TNCS 2017 STEM Fair as well as posts featuring other elements of STEAM (hint, Math and Art)!

03.20.15
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TNCS STEM Fair 2015 Makes a Huge Splash!

engineering-design-process

Engineering design process.

The past week at The New Century School was devoted to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Fair, and what an exciting, inquiry-filled week it was! This year’s was the biggest ever, with three classrooms participating—Dan McGonigal’s upper elementary students, Adriana Duprau’s lower elementary students, and even Teresa Jacoby’s K/1st students—each class taking a slightly different approach to their projects, but all loosely unified by the common theme of water.

Mr. McGonigal took the lead on this endeavor, as appropriate, given his specialization in this area. You may recall from a Meet the Teacher post last fall that he is part of the very first cohort in a pilot program at Towson University for STEM certification to earn the new Maryland State Department of Education endorsement, “Instructional Leader—STEM (Pre K‑6)” this spring.

He is passionate about the value of STEM teaching and with good reason. “STEM is an integrated instructional strategy—there are no borders or boundaries,” he said by way of introduction. STEM pursuits will ensure that students develop “21st-century skills”—those skills they need to navigate this exciting new era of globalization, connectivity, and continuous technological advancement. According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, these skills include “critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration,” which intersect with social and media literacy, among other critical disciplines. You will see how these features were implemented throughout the TNCS Stem Fair projects as well as how they employed their engineering mantra: Imagine, Plan, Create, Improve, and Ask.

The week started with the upper elementary presentations on a chosen problem facing the Chesapeake Bay and how to act as “better stewards of the environment” by addressing the problem, such as litter or erosion. Taking a very sophisticated approach, these students presented their projects to attending parents electronically. During project execution, in fact, they used technology in various ways to document their process, such as videotaping and recording details regularly via Glogster. Their “glogs” are akin to electronic journals. Mr. McGonigal said, “This was very much a project-based learning experience for the students, who were in charge of their own direction. I was there to help, prompt, and encourage along the way as much as they needed.”

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Mrs. Duprau’s first- and second-graders presented their Life Cycle of a Plant projects on the following day inside the TNCS gymnasium. Their presentations took the more traditional approach with the trifold poster boards used by science fair presenters for decades. Note that these persistent, hard-working students took the “improve” part of the engineering design mantra very much to heart—be prepared to discreetly cover your inevitable chuckles if the kids are nearby. Scientists have feelings, too ;)!

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Finally, on STEM Fair Day 3, Mrs. Jacoby’s kindergarteners and first-graders took over the stage. Not yet being the consummate presenters that their older colleagues are, they used a video directed and produced by Mrs. Jacoby and Señora Tyson to debut their work (there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience; the video is wonderful). Parents were then asked to direct specific questions to the students about their projects. Although this was the first year that kindergarteners participated in the STEM Fair, you will see that they held their own amazingly well!

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Please see Elementary Science Fair and TNCS Elementary Science Fair 2014 for prior years’ STEM/Science Fair projects. and, if you’d like to view Mrs. Jacoby’s masterpiece video, you can do so here: 

Thank you to Mr. McGonigal and the other TNCS teachers who made this STEM Fair such an unqualified success! We are already excited for STEM Fair 2016!