6th Grade Flight and Space Updates

Two updates from the beginning of the year! The first is from September and early October. The second is from November. Enjoy!

In class we have been working on designing and researching.We went over the design  cycle.We researched about Apollo 13.We learned about space.We learned about 3D printing.We also learned about the Riverside Museum in Glasgow,Scotland. 

By Klarissa


Right now in class we are making kites. My kite is going to be electric green. It is a group project. We just finished making our first triangle and are currently making our dimond.  We have instructions at least.

By Sophia

Welcome Back!

Welcome back Tigers!

I am very excited to begin teaching this year. This year, I am teaching only 3 courses - Design and Modeling, Flight and Space, and 5th Grade Design. Even so, there is a lot of learning to get done in our class!

I have one request, one call to action. I will be looking for student authors for this blog. I will be announcing this in class, but if any students are interested being an author for this blog (and beginning to build their portfolio and resume), let me know! I am excited to give students more opportunities for learning and experience, relevant to their interests and future!

I can't wait to see everyone again! Welcome back!

Back...With New Family!

I (Mr. Hron) am back!

I was gone for three weeks of school due to the birth of my first child! Both Mrs. Hron, and our daughter, Eleanor, are doing great. I wanted to share the reason for my absence over the last few weeks in case you were unaware of this special time in our family.

As I return to school, I will be re-organizing the classroom and my desk, and beginning the students on their final project of the year. This project can be viewed as a final exam of sorts, but instead of a sit-down pencil-and-paper test, the students will be showing off their design skills over the next few weeks as they work on, and complete, their final project.

Please be sure to continue checking this website and the school newsletter to learn details about the final project. Pictures and other updates can be found at my classroom twitter @MrHron! If you have any questions about anything, you can reach me at my email (james.hron@fridley.k12.mn.us).

Wind Tunnels and Airplanes

The students have just finished their commercial projects, and we have gone through viewing day. Viewing day is a day where all the student’s commercials get aired, and the students get to sit back, relax, and enjoy the outcome of their hard work.

Next, students will be learning about how flight in the atmosphere works. They will learn the reason we use wind tunnels, and actually get to see our classroom wind tunnel in practice! The knowledge over the next few weeks that students will gain about flight, wings, and air foils, will help them as we approach our final project: The Water Bottle Rockets.

Be sure to check out our twitter (@MrHron) for more updates!

Commercials Almost Done

The students are just finishing up their commercials. These commercials are looking very good, and many of them have complex and challenging special effects. One group is attempting to use the white
brick walls in our hallways as a green screen, so their footage appears to be in front of a rocket. Another student has special effects added so it appears there is fire on the screen and stars moving by. Another group has spent a lot of time animating their product, so it appears more appealing in the commercial.

In addition to the technical side of the commercials, the students are also working hard on advertising. Advertising is all about trying to see the product from the target audience’s perspective. The students are trying to answer questions about how to target families, or children, or people who need to drive to work. By the end of this week, the commercials will be complete!

Be sure to stay tuned in with twitter (@MrHron) for more updates!

Designing Commercials

One group's research and ideas so far.

The students have begun building commercials! Over the next few weeks, the students will begin research and designing commercials for a product they created. One of the biggest challenges for sixth grade students is to create a commercial targeted at a specific audience (like parents, or kids). It is sometimes challenging for students to see commercials from other perspectives, but I am confident the students will rise to the challenge.

Once the students are finished designing and researching their commercial, they will learn how to use professional-level video editing software. This too will be challenging, but the students will be learning transferable technology skills throughout the process, and completing spectacular commercials by the end of it all.

Be sure to stay tuned in with twitter (@MrHron) for more updates!

Hoping for Wind

The sixth grade students have completed their kites! Now, we are waiting for a properly windy day to begin flying our kites. During Flight Day, the students will test their kite to see how well it flies, test different string access points, and try different flying techniques in attempt to get their kite as high as possible in the air.

A mega-kite, built by a group that enjoys challenges.

The students were also working on collaboration and group work skills during this time. Many

students showed major improvement with these skills. It was challenging at times, but working in a group (especially a group with kite conflict) teaches life-long, transferable skills that the students will rely on through high school, college, and wherever they end up working.

We are hoping for a windy day (we need at least 10mph wind), that isn't too cold. Our window for finding this day is closing. But, we still have a chance at seeing Flight Day, as November slowly moves towards a colder December.

Be sure to stay tuned in with twitter (@MrHron)!

Introducing the Fridley Space Program

Here at Fridley Middle School, we have a space program. Yes, that is correct. The Fridley Space Program was founded two years ago. Last year a student in 7^th grade provided the Fridley Space Program with an excellent logo, which the students voted on. In the Fridley Space Program, students research, learn, and create flying vehicles, in an effort to add to the body of knowledge that humanity has accumulated about flight, and space.

This year, we are about to embark on our very first mission. The students have been researching and designing kites. This week, the students will be split into mission groups, and begin to create their very first vehicle for the Fridley Space Program – the kite. It’s an exciting time of the year, and it will be interesting to see how the students react to the challenges that they face. Stay tuned at our twitter (@MrHron) and website (mrhron.blogspot.com).

Skills of the Internet

At the beginning of the year, the 6^th grade students are working hard learning different computer skills. Some of the skills they learn are how to use email, Google Drive, and how to create strong passwords. Currently, the students are learning one of the most important skills of all: how to determine if a website is reliable.

The internet is one of the best learning tools we have ever had. However, with this great power of learning, comes some great responsibility. For every website that has excellent, sourced information, there is a website that shows heavy bias, propaganda, or outright falsehoods. The students are learning how to determine if a website is reliable, and some strategies to use when researching to make sure the facts they are reading are, in fact, trustworthy. It’s not always easy work, using the internet. For the 6^th grade students, that journey starts now.

Welcome Back

Welcome back! There is a lot of learning to be done, so let's get to it! Here is a quick overview for each class that I (Mr. Hron) teach!

5th Grade Design
This is the first year that fifth grade design has moved to the technology side of the school. This class is going to start out by introducing and practicing computer skills, moving from basic to complex. Then, by the end of October, the students will begin designing. They will design all sorts of things, from a tree house, to presentations, to a boat! The year is going to be very hands on, with lots of practice at becoming a responsible citizen of the digital world.

Flight and Space (6th Grade)
Flight and space begins by introducing the concepts and forces of flight. Then, the students get to build. The build kites and hot air balloons. Then they get to design, and build some more. Eventually, the students will be building a rocket to accomplish a specific mission, and launching that rocket in the spring. The year is going to be very hands on, with lots of failure, because failure translates into learning.

Design and Modeling (7th Grade)
Design and modeling begins by examining technologies of our past, and how they've influenced our lives and the environment. Then, our examination turns towards the future, and the students predict how our future will be shaped by an up-and-coming technology. Following that, students begin constructing a Rube Goldberg competition, and the students end the year with 3d model design, and 3d printing of their design. The year is going to be very hands on, with lots of reflection on how technology influences society.

Automation and Robotics (8th Grade)
Automation and robotics begins with the students researching an engineer's role in our world of technology. Shortly after that, the students begin to research and build a website about a new robot that is currently being developed. Following the website construction, the students will begin to learn and create different mechanisms. This will eventually lead into complex machines built to achieve a purpose, and finally robotics. The year is going to be very hands on, with a significant focus on how to find facts and truth among the avalanche of information online.

Overall, I am very excited for another year of school. I teach because it is something I believe is very important, and because it is something that I love doing. I am looking forward to getting to know all of the students in this school, and reaching out to as many families as possible. Enjoy the year!

Ending With A...Flight

Student Designed Logo

The end of the year is upon us, and as of now, the students are away from school for the summer.

There is one message I want to leave with all of you: Don't stop learning!

Having said that, the school year ended in our Flight and Space class with some wonderful student learning. The Fridley Space Program saw the third year of launches, but it was the first year with our wonderful, student-designed logo!

The launches were spectacular, and some students were able to experience failure! It's important to remember, especially on days like Launch Day, that failure is okay, and mistakes should be learned from. Of course, there were also many successes, as students were able to choose a mission for their rockets (such as spiraling their rocket upon launch, landing with a parachute, etc.), and accomplish these missions with varying degrees of success!

In addition to the great launches seen on Launch Day, I had some wonderful student camera-workers, who took some great video of the event. The footage was compiled into a hype video for next year. Feel free to enjoy the video, and enjoy the learning and launches from the 2016 Flight and Space students!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWZRy_179Mc

Fridley Space Program Logo Design Winner

Our sixth grade class (Flight and Space) is currently embarking on their final journey of the year. The students have officially joined the Fridley Space Program, and are currently designing their missions and rockets for launch day in late May.

A week ago, I challenged the 7th and 8th grade students to design a logo for the Fridley Space Program. There were 11 spectacular logos entered into the contest. Today, the results are in! Below, I would like to introduce the winning design of the Fridley Space Program Logo Design Contest!

Design Credit: Donovan L.

Henceforth, this logo will be used as the official logo of the Fridley Space Program. It will be attached to every rocket the students construct. It will be included on the top of every official document the students fill out. It will be the banner under which the Fridley Space Program flies.

Congratulations to Donovan L. on the design of this logo! Stay tuned to twitter for more updates on the Fridley Space Program as we approach launch day!

Flight and Space 2/24

One student group's storyboard sketch.

Currently in flight and space, the students are almost finished with their videos for their commercial projects. These videos look spectacular right now, and have a wide variety of ideas. Some commercials are all live-action acting. Other commercials are mostly animation. Most commercials have some sort of voice-over. 

The students can be proud of the hard work they are putting in to these commercials, and we are all very excited to see how they turn out!

Flight and Space 1/27

Currently in flight and space, the students are in the middle of their commercial project!

The students have brainstormed ideas for a futuristic aerospace vehicle. Now, they are using the design cycle to design a commercial to sell their aerospace vehicle idea. 

Over the next few weeks they will be brainstorming, storyboarding, and building a plan for a commercial. Not only that, but the students will also be learning how to use Cyberlink Powerdirector! This is a professional-grade video editing software that the students will be using to film, record, and edit their commercial with. 

Stay tuned to twitter (@MrHron) to see their ideas from infancy, to completion!