Middle School Newsletter
Northland Innovation Center
October Newsletter
SAGE Center Mission:
As the heart of the gifted community, the mission of the SAGE Center is to ensure all students, as members of a global society, foster their uniqueness, develop their potential, and embrace their true belonging through learning experiences distinguished by:
*Courageous exploration and discovery of passions in a flexible and innovative environment
*Support systems for students, staff, and community
*Ownership and self-regulation in a student-driven culture
Program Goals
To provide curricula that focuses on more elaborate, complex, and in-depth study of major ideas, key concepts and themes that integrate knowledge within and across disciplines and encourages the use of higher-level thinking skills.
To provide curricula that sets high standards and that demands rigorous expectations for student work and performance demonstration.
To provide instruction that allows for the development and application of productive thinking skills and enables students to re-conceptualize existing knowledge and/or generate new understandings that deal with real-life problems and issues.
- To provide instruction that is flexibly paced and matched to the student’s ability, pre- assessment data, learning style, interest, and motivation.
- To provide opportunities for students to develop leadership and group interaction skills that allows student-centered discussion and Socratic questioning.
To require project based learning of gifted students that represents application, analysis, and synthesis of knowledge.
To encourage an environment that fosters a positive attitude toward creative challenges, investigative activity, and knowledge creation.
What We Are Learning
Digital Communication
Future Cities
Future Cities students first defined what a city is and the wants and needs of a large community. Then, they determined how to meet those needs, as they worked through the initial stages of planning their futuristic project. Zoning, infrastructure and environmental issues were debated as groups presented their ideas and plans to the other students. They worked out trade agreements and compromises and are currently using SimCity software to develop digital simulations of their city designs.
Interior Design
SAGE Startup
In SAGE Startup, we have learned and experienced the entrepreneurial process. We are beginning to build our class business by choosing a product to create, conducting customer feedback interviews, and determining our mission for our business. In the coming weeks, you will be hearing about your student’s job in the business and the product they will be manufacturing.
Forensic Science
Robotics
FTC is a continuous-improvement engineering model designed as a sport. Middle School Northland Innovation teams are responsible for designing, building, and programming their robots to compete in an alliance format against other teams.
2018-2019 FTC Challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=rR4gR4l2XA8
In FIRST LEGO League, the Middle School Northland Innovation teams are immersed in real-world science and technology challenge. Teams are working on designing their own solution to a current scientific question or problem and build autonomous LEGO robots that perform a series of missions.
2018-2019 FLL Challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY1Z9kK71jQ
Graphic Design
Photography
Kitchen Chemistry
Kitchen Chemistry students have been very busy. We have been studying the chemical reactions of acids and bases and the role that acids and bases play in cooking/baking. The students had the opportunity to be real scientists and measure the actual ph level of 12 common kitchen substances, and apply that to cooking.
The students have seen the chemical reactions of acids and bases at work through two cooking events. The students have made homemade buttermilk pancakes and homemade muffins. Within those “experiments,” we have also discussed leavening agents and the Maillard Reaction. Hopefully, the students are sharing their cooking skills at home!
Laser Cutting & Etching
Students are finishing etching their first project, a tile coaster. During this project students were required to use the ‘Trace and Make’ tools in Adobe Illustrator. All students were shown how to use the laser etcher and had the opportunity to enter their settings for their tile to be etched. Each tile takes from 5-7 minutes to etch; during this time students are guiding the next student through the setting up process. To earn a badge, students must use the specified Adobe tool along with responding to a reflection question.
Arduino Programming and Coding
Students have been busy creating circuits to have LED’s light up. In order to earn a badge, students first follow directions to build and code a circuit. Next, students are presented a challenge that has them modify their components and add to their code. Finally, students reflect on their learning by answering a question or two. Problem-solving and critical thinking skills are constantly being put into action.
Biomedical Engineering
Textile Studio
Students in textile studio have been working hard at acquiring hand and machine sewing skills, such as threading a needle, sewing basic hand stitches, and operating a sewing machine. They have been working on differentiating between woven and knit fabrics, as well as understanding the importance of fabric choice when doing textile work. We have learned how to press fabrics to prepare for sewing, instead of ironing them. Many students are working on their first class project, which is a personal wallet, which will require their use of machine sewing skills, the use of fusible interfacing, and hand-sewing a snap closure.
Ignite
During Ignite time, students have been brainstorming, researching, and investigating problems that effect our community, country and world. They are selecting an idea and are determining a service they can do to help resolve that issue. Students will be working throughout the semester to carry out their service.
Badges
To continue to be innovative and above the curve we are using a badging system with our Middle School curriculum.
How do badges benefit SAGE students?
In addition to motivating students to develop specific skills and competencies, both individually and collectively, badges offer the following benefits to students:
- Enhance CANVAS assignments by providing evidence of a completed task and knowledge gained through the completion of that task and or assessment.
- Focus learning on specific goals, which can lead to improved quality of work as students revise and resubmit their work through an open badging system.
- Provide a supportive environment in which students’ learning emphasizes and encourages an action-oriented understanding of course objectives.
- Foster deeper learning of course material, as the badges are content driven, specific to the course goals and content.
- Creates a positive environment and holds kids accountable to a professional standard in behavior.
- Create practical ways for students to learn in the classroom and to share what they have learned in our SAGE progress reports.
- Add an element of fun to the classroom in a gamification type of platform.
Middle School Team
Robotics and Forensic Science
816-321-4009
Melissa Duffett
Kitchen Chemistry
melissa.duffett@nkcschools.org
Jennifer Koch
Graphic Design & Photography
816-321-6710
Cassandra Shaffer
Fab Lab & Arduino Programming and Coding
816-321-5988
cassandra.shaffer@nkcschools.org
Lara Owsley
Broadcasting & Future Cities
816-321-4216
Lara.bradleyowsley@nkcschools.org
Cassie Fogel
Robotics & Forensic Science
816-321-4605
Wendy Rust
Biomedical Engineering and Textile Studio
816-321-6558
Melissa Torres
SAGE Start Up & Interior Design
816-321-8719
Website: https://www.nkcschools.org/page.cfm?p=2774
Location: Northland Innovation Center - Northwest Missouri State University, North Oak Trafficway, Gladstone, MO, USA
Phone: (816) 321-5350
Facebook: facebook.com/NKCSAGE
Twitter: @NKC_SAGE