Flight and Space 10/29

Currently in flight and space, the students are getting close to finishing their kites! The students have been making structurally strong kites that will fly and (hopefully) stay intact after any crashes that might occur. The students have been learning a lot about communication and group work through this project, both of which are skills they will work on throughout their lives. The students have also been learning to become self-sufficient learners, and to solve problems on their own! 

Fly Day will take place next week, based on the weather (we need wind, not wet). As these kites finish up, be sure to check in to our classroom website and twitter to see updates on the student work.

So It Begins...

Game Club is beginning! We had our first club meeting on Thursday. The students were able to play a few card games, with KEMPS being the main card game they played. Game Club will be running on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school here at Fridley Middle School.


The goal of Game Club is to create a safe place for students to play games, make friends, improve social skills, and challenge their minds. Games are a great way to accomplish these goals, as they allow students to, explore different themes, and break the ice with friendly peers who may eventually become friends.

There are many different types of games we play in game club. We mostly play strategy board games-titles like Catan, Ticket to Ride, Galaxy Trucker, and Sushi-Go! We also play traditional card games, trading card games, family games, role-playing games, dice games, and story-telling games. Currently, the games we play are from my personal collection, though we have had a few games donated by families, and a few donated by the school.

The most exciting part of Game Club this year, is our ability to expand the program. Already over 20 students have joined. This means that a small number of student leaders, who have experienced Game Club for more than 1 year, are going to become Game Ambassadors. These students will be able to help teach games, resolve conflicts, and help pick future games coming to Game Club.

We're also going to be running a monthly family night! Once per month, we will pick a night where family and friends are welcome to come in and join the fun at Game Club! Stay tuned for more information about Game Club, and when family night is going to happen!

Design and Modeling 10/22

Currently, in Design and Modeling the students have just finished up their first research project! We have researched past technologies, and how those technologies have affected society. 

Using the skills we learned, we will begin to take a look at technologies that have just been invented and try to predict the future. How will drones affect our ability to go shopping? How will self-driving cars affect how we get to school? How will new web services affect how we use the internet? We will be asking important questions like this to try and predict the future of our lives, and the lives of those around us.

Automation and Robotics 10/21

Hello Families!

Currently in Automation and Robotics, the students have finished their websites! The students had been working on researching engineering careers, and informing the world what they found by building a website. 

Well, the websites are done! 

You can check them out, for at least the next week in the side-bar on the right underneath "Automation and Robotics". Over the next few class periods, we will be reviewing and evaluating our websites. The students will get the opportunity to discuss what works well in website design and what doesn’t, all while learning more about what engineering opportunities are available for them and their future. Many of the websites turned out really great-be sure to check them out if you get a chance!

Flight and Space 10/13

Hello Families!

Currently in flight and space, the students are beginning their very first construction project of an aerospace vehicle. We discussed in class what an aerospace vehicle is (a vehicle that can fly in both air or space), and the first vehicle we are creating is a kite! Now this isn’t just any ordinary kite, this is a structurally sound kite that will fly very well, and survive high speed impacts, if created correctly.

There are two big learning focuses for this project. The first focus is learning to work in a group. This is a life-long skill that is very important, as students will be collaborating with their peers in middle school, high school, college, and the workforce. The second learning skill is problem solving. The students are being challenged to become self-sufficient learners! If the students run into a problem, I am challenging them to use their resources and find an answer themselves. The biggest reminder I give them—it is encouraged that they make mistakes!

Design and Modeling 10/7

Hello Families!

Currently, in Design and Modeling the students are working hard on a very important question. How have technologies from the past affected society? History is littered with technologies that have caused paradigm shifts in the way humans have lived their lives. From the printing press, to the X-ray, to the water purifier, students are discovering what these technologies are, and how they impacted the people of this world. There is a lot of learning getting done!

Eventually, students will be taking this knowledge and applying it to a newer technology. This is an important aspect to how we live our lives today. New technologies are invented frequently, and sometimes these technologies change our lives in very important ways. Google was created less than 20 years ago, and Facebook was created only 11 years ago. Yet in less than a decade in both cases, these technologies have become an integral part of many people's lives. Students will be researching and trying to find out how new, innovative technologies will affect us all in the future.

Guess What This Is (Microscope Pictures from 7th Grade Science)

Slide A

In 7th grade science we have been working hard on our microscope skills. Last week, we had our very first microscope exploration day. Students were able to bring in small objects from home that they wished to view under a microscope. Then in class the students prepared their slides, and began to work on their science sketching skills while]viewing the different slides of objects brought from home.

There were some very interesting images last week! I didn't realize this, but it is fairly easy to take pictures through the lens of a microscope with a smartphone camera. This is great news, because now I get to share some of the more interesting slides with all of you! Included in this post are three slides I was able to take pictures of (my picture quality will improve as I do more of these). Feel free to guess what each of these objects are (and if you follow my twitter, don't spoil it for others)! The answers will be listed below.

Slide B

Slide C

AnswersSlide A: Highlighter Ink (yellow)
Slide B: A stamp (postage, American flag)
Slide C: Some hair a student found on the ground

Automation and Robotics 10/1

Currently in Automation and Robotics, the students are beginning their very first project! Our first project takes place with two parts. The first part, is research and information gathering. Students will be researching what an engineer’s role is in developing and innovating technology. This will lead us into some very conceptually big questions, such as how technology can increase human capability, and how technology impacts our lives, and the lives of others.

The students will then be displaying this research in the second part of the project, which is to build a website! We will be using Weebly, a free online web service to create our websites. The students will be working on this for at least two more weeks, when we will review our websites and reflect what we did well, what we could have done better, and share our websites with others! Be sure to check in this classroom website frequently, as more student projects and creations will be added as the year goes on!