{"id":5464,"date":"2016-08-01T12:18:38","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T16:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=5464"},"modified":"2016-08-05T09:50:25","modified_gmt":"2016-08-05T13:50:25","slug":"stem-camp-showcases-power-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/stem-camp-showcases-power-science\/","title":{"rendered":"STEM camp showcases the power of science"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students standing on the front lawn of Lynnhaven Elementary School were asked to count down from five to initiate the launch.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive! Four! Three! Two! One!\u201d they shouted and shielded their eyes from the sun as they watched the plastic soda bottle, propelled by pressurized air, lift into the sky.<\/p>\n

\"water<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s the power of science,\u201d said one student matter-of-factly after the water rocket landed on the ground.<\/p>\n

It was a teaser of what was to come for fourth- and fifth-graders attending the Title I STEM summer camps hosted by the school division throughout July. Students from 12 VBCPS elementary schools participated in four-day camps free of charge and were given opportunities to engage in activities involving robotics, electronics, coding\/computer programming and engineering.<\/p>\n

The Virginia Air and Space Center (VASC) in Hampton partnered with the division\u2019s Title I program to\u00a0support the camp with additional grant funding, field trip opportunities and staff. Teachers from Title I schools served as STEM camp instructors.<\/p>\n

\"cool<\/p>\n

Joshua White, PE teacher at Birdneck Elementary School, has worked at the STEM camp for four years.<\/p>\n

The engineering design process was the focus of his instruction this year,\u00a0working with students to plan, create, test and improve paper stomp rockets students launched by jumping onto empty two-liter bottles connected to PVC pipe.<\/p>\n

\"paper<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can take something fun, like paper rockets, and they don\u2019t even realize they\u2019re actually doing [math],\u201d White said.\u00a0\u201cThey don\u2019t know they\u2019re doing trajectory by the angles they\u2019re shooting their rockets. They don\u2019t normally think about those big concepts, and then you break it down after and show it to them and they say, \u2018I didn\u2019t know that I was just doing that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have fun when they\u2019re doing it, which is the best part of learning,\u201d added White.<\/p>\n

Parkway Elementary School student Kiera was having fun redesigning her paper rocket from the day before which flew in the air for 2.68 seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had lots of tape on my first version. It kind of looked heavy on the plane,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I decided to use only a few pieces of tape. I put three around it \u2013 one on each end and one in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"kiera\"<\/p>\n

She continued to describe in detail how she adjusted the rocket\u2019s nose and wings, using tape more sparingly for her second trial.<\/p>\n

The sounds of students having fun learning also could be heard inside the school where they were programming Dash robots and LEGO robots as well as using Ozobots and Makey Makey invention kits.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what? I think I got an idea for us getting around the whole thing,\u201d said Carlos to his partner Mason about the Dash robot challenge for the day.<\/p>\n

\"dash<\/p>\n

The two watched as Dash successfully made its way around the square of blue tape on the classroom floor.<\/p>\n

Also watching was Birdneck teacher Chad Huff, who gave the boys a new challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat took 30 seconds,\u201d Huff said. \u201cCan you code it to take at least 45 seconds?\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair began to discuss next steps after showing a camp visitor some of the Dash\u2019s special functions.<\/p>\n

\u201cReady?\u201d asked Mason as he programmed the robot. \u201cIt\u2019s going to rev up its engine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo the dancing mode!\u201d\u00a0Carlos cheered.<\/p>\n

They easily maneuvered Dash, and it was only their second session programming the robot.<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t surprise Jeanne Miesse, gifted resource teacher at Parkway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids \u2013 you show it to them and they just take off,\u201d said Miesse from her small group table with Ozobots.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re teaching us. They all want it,\u201d she continued. \u201cThe kids just pick it up and run with it. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t fret if I ever don\u2019t get something because I know they are going to get it and show me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"coding<\/p>\n

Miesse, who was having as much fun learning as the students, said she was texting her principal ideas for her school\u2019s makerspace based on her work at the STEM camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great introduction for the students, and you hope they will continue on and get into coding after high school,\u201d Miesse said.<\/p>\n

Informing students and their parents about pathways to STEM careers is one focus of the camp according to Title I instructional specialist S. Cooper. Parents are invited to the final day of each camp to watch students showcase their projects and hear from camp staff about school division programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe let parents know that if they want their kids to get on that path for STEM careers, they have to start thinking about it in elementary school and the kids have to start getting excited about it now,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cWe tell parents exactly what they can start thinking about to get their children into academies, the ATC and the Technical and Career Education Center.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially in our Title I schools, our parents want the best for their children, but they don\u2019t always know what those opportunities are in this division,\u201d Cooper said,\u00a0\u201cso part of our job is to make them aware of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cooper also notes that changing mindsets for some students is another valuable aspect of the STEM camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times [our girls] don\u2019t see this as a career path for themselves,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want them to know that they can do this. This is for them, too. They may not think about coding being a \u2018girl thing\u2019 but they\u2019re getting just as engaged and excited about it, and if they know they can do it then they can continue exploring those fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"girls\"<\/p>\n

Providing STEM role models for all students at the camp is one reason Cooper also has high school and college student volunteers helping with all the activities.<\/p>\n

William Beale, who graduated from ODU in May,\u00a0said his high school basketball teammates dreamed of careers in basketball while he told people he always wanted be a scientist.\u00a0Childhood visits to NASA and Langley Air Force Base air shows developed his love of airplanes and rockets, and now the aerospace engineer works with VASC on its outreach programs.<\/p>\n

Beale agreed with other camp staff members that early exposure to STEM-based explorations is valuable.<\/p>\n

\"Beale\"<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to control computers is very important in today\u2019s world,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we try to teach the kids, and they get a head start on how to create these computers. For my generation and the generation before, computers were still new, so we were trying to figure it out how to use them. This generation already knows how to use them and now needs to know how to create.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beale acknowledged that today\u2019s students are well on their way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re very well versed with the technology already,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do a little bit of computer coding and before we even finish the instructions, the kids are already in there doing what they have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI made it work!\u201d\u00a0shouted a student in the room with Beale, celebrating that he was able to play the video game Pac-Man with his hand drawn controller.<\/p>\n

\"Pac-Man\"<\/p>\n

The same smiles and enthusiasm were seen around the classroom and across the hall where students experimented with LEGO robotics kits.<\/p>\n

\u201cKids having access to this kind of equipment and activities is what we try to do in Title I,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cWe try to level that playing field and give them exposure to what\u2019s so important for their careers. If they get excited now about this and parents get on board with how to get them there, this can change their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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