5th Grade Robotics: Movin' and Groovin'

5th grade had a lot of action in robotics this week!  Aiden brought his EV3 mindstorm robot he's been working on at home for us to see. We loved the remote control and are going to try using our ipad in the same way.  There was so much activity and learning and coding going on today, we had to charge our robot's batteries!  A few highlights:
1.  Using the degree function to make precise turns.
2.  Programming an action (like making a sound) when the touch sensor is activated
3.  Using the ultra-sonic sensor (robot's eyes) to calculate distance
4.  Robot moves in a perfect square using the Looping function...and more!!

Grade 3: New Guinea!

Third grade learned more about the terrain, people, and features of Papua, New Guinea.  It was surprising to learn that the island of New Guinea itself is only slightly bigger than our state of California yet there are around 850 spoken languages there.  We discussed why learning English as a second language would be so important to people while working, at school, or traveling through the country.  A strong part of tribal life is the importance of the different masks used in everyday life.  We learned that masks celebrate many things in the tribe, bring good luck to the clan or even ward off evil or enemies!  We are making our own masks and symbolizing decorations to celebrate a milestone in our own lives or to bring a certain good luck to our clan (family).

Grades 1 & 2 in Papua, New Guinea

We are leaving the northern hemisphere and heading to Papua, New Guinea in the southern hemisphere.  We located New Guinea on Google Earth and noted the land forms there and proximity to Australia, New Zealand and eventually Antarctica.  Updating our passports with the flag, and several facts, we discovered Papua NG's flag is the most complex and different so far.  It also includes the southern cross a constellation we cannot see in our hemisphere.  Continuing our education on this diverse country will lead us to understand some of their language (there are over 850 languages inside New Guinea), learn more about their culture through their unique art and wonder about some interesting animals.