May 2012

A body has been found and stolen.  Four suspects act innocent.  Is Felix dead???  If so, who killed him?  Middle School students are on the case! Their challenge is to solve a mystery which is set up in the classroom.  The students are inspecting mapping and the evidence left at the scene and will test and analyze it to identify each item.  Next, they will have to determine what happened to Felix and prove it with evidence.

 

Speaking of CSI - the Cemetery Scene Investigators are on their way!  There is a great deal of fascinating exploration within the cemetery.   Eighth graders are focusing on : Potowatomee Indians, Anarchists, Druids, Monument Weathering, Cultures, Symbols and Tokens left by visitors.

 

Creative computing! Fourth grade is immersed in a design-based introduction to computational thinking and is creating innovative uses for their sensor inputs in the creation of their very own programs.

 

Third grade students are using loupes to look at the world differently and make new connections.  Looking closely allows students to think deeply about structures and ask questions to develop a new perspective and create analogies.  Looking closely also opens the door to imagination.  One student brought in a bag of moss- so we looked at it with a high powered scope to really see what was going on inside the moss.  Students were amazed to see teeny worms and bugs crawling about what they saw as a micro world.

Fifth grade is learning about math in nature by looking at patterns in nature (and architecture) and how they relate to pi and the Golden Ratio.  Students are growing plants whose petals fall into the pattern.  Ultimately, the kids are designing and planting a Fibonacci Flower garden in the planters behind the school.  We also created our own hydroponic system for growing plants (which may also be how plants could be grown on Mars).

 

Good luck to our six sixth graders who will take on the Argonne Electric Car Challenge over break.  Getting the car ready was very difficult - the gears would strip from the powerful motor and supercharged lithium battery and the cars would need lots of redesign work.  

This year, the Electric Car Race challenges students to use applied science, and engineering skills to meet technical challenges comparable to those that scientists and engineers face to provide a light-weight low-friction vehicle with efficient gearing, chassis integrity, and robust performance.

In the past, cars in the Argonne Challenge have been solar and hydro powered; however, this year they are aligned with the direction the government is going - that is: high performace batteries... gas prices are still climbing...

March 2012

Eighth graders explored the fields of GPS, GIS, mapping data, and even geocaching. 

The weather was beautiful as students set out to find their first geocache.  

The hunt for the geocache brought us to the Ancient Indian Trail in Forest Home Cemetery and opened the door for many more local historical discoveries.  (Here is a Prezi tour link.) 

Eighth graders are now researching topics of interest on the Forest Home Cemetery.  Topics include gravestone weathering, Native Americans, anarchists, Druids and symbols.

Nature links:

3rd graders at Field are looking closely at nature using a "loupe look"   - a program designed to encourage students to look closely, think deeply, and develop analogies.  

chall loupe look 2012

Next week, we will create poems using the analogies.

Meanwhile, 5th graders are looking closely at nature by learning about Fibonacci.  We are also planting a Fibonacci flower garden in the back of the school.  Students selected and planted flowers whose petals have Fibonacci numbers.  Art teacher, Ms. Skelton, gave us a great way to get the seeds started - - cut paper towel rolls and fold them at the bottom for planters.

February 2012

Elementary students visited Argonne National Laboratory  in late February.  The scientists at Argonne gave a Superconductivity demonstration where our Challenge kids had a chance to observe magnetic levitation using liquid nitrogen and discover how materials behave under cold temperatures.  

There were also two learning labs the students attended:  1.  Science of Toys Lab - kids learned how toys are designed around science concepts and principles and investigate how these laws and principles involved. 2.  Spectrophotometers Lab  - students used advanced equipment to compare the relationship between light and color. 

January 2012

Seventh graders have been keeping in touch with students in Prague using Skype.  The last week in January, the teacher took the students on a "walking tour" of Riverside School in Prague to see the art installations created by students.  All of the artwork pieces created by the students have become permanent installations and are made of recycled materials.  Prague instructor, Mr Hellman, challenged students to find more about Jan Kaplický, and his futuristic design plan for  the National Museum of the Czech Republic.  His design quickly became controversial and was ultimately rejected. 

5th graders are now completing the Mars surface for their Red Rover project.  The took a look at geomorphology of Mars and compared features to the Earth. 

They used plaster to sculpt the land and carefully selected colors that matched the photos the looked at.  The students also built rovers and programmed them to run at a low speed to ensure the missions do not get damaged when the are operated over the internet.  

3rd and 4th graders are testing the machines they built which are powered by three alternative energy sources: water, wind and solar.  

November 10

Solving global problems is all in a days work for thirteen Forest Park Middle School 7th and 8th grade students who participated in the Northern Illinois Model UN Conference at the Chicago History Museum on Thursday, November 10th. The students did an outstanding job role-playing delegates from different countries while learning about international affairs and gaining insight into other cultures and countries across the globe.

During the mock summit, students were able to develop negotiating, writing, and public speaking skills while discussing solutions to international problems. Delegates participated in one of three UN bodies: the Committee for Disarmament and International Security (DISEC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Security Council. The topics they faced included: climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, terrorism, child soldiers and the piracy in Somalia.

There was also an interactive simulation with crisis scenarios that tested their foreign policy knowledge – - and a few "fun" crisis scenarios such as an alien invasion and UFOs over Russia. The students had a blast and learned a great deal. Forest Park Middle School students won the NIMUN School Initiative Award for their hard work at the conference. Way to Go FPMS MUN!

October 26

Grade 3 and 4 traveled to the Graue Mill to explore a working water-wheel that represents an important technology era in the history of America.  It is one of a few restored mills that remain in this country, and today the museum is filled with local history. This is part of our renewable energy study.  As a follow-up to our visit, we will construct our own renewable energy designs including solar, wind and water-powered machines. 

October 20

Sixth graders explored history exhibits at the Chicago History Museum in preparation for their Chicago Metro History Fair research project.  Projects will be local history (Chicago, Forest Park or Illinois) and students will show the impact they made.  Students can select their product to be a documentary video, research paper, museum display, website, or performance.