GCISD Secondary STEM News and Notes
December 2018
STEM Student Spotlights
7th Grade -
Nandini Senthilkumar - Nandini is a responsible young lady. She always work to the best of her ability in all subjects. She is also kind and compassionate to other students. Nandini is respectful to all adults as well.
Cohen Galloway - Cohen is an excellent and diligent worker. He asks great questions and is determined to gain knowledge in all of his classes. He is a young man with integrity as well.
8th Grade -
Taylor Hanson - Taylor works diligently by herself and in a group setting. She thinks outside the box to find unique solutions to common problems.
9th Grade -
Jack Williamson - excellent ideas and interpretation of poems in our Poetry unit
Ethan Kodat - GREAT questions and curiosity about concepts beyond the English lessons being taught
10th Grade -
Alex Zavala - She has been working so hard to improve her grades and comes in for extra help when she needs it. She has even does extra problems are her own time, and I'm so proud of her. Her drive and tenacity are amazing.
Arzo Sare - Arzo was extremely detailed with the Mars Project, considered multiple modes of thinking, thorough analysis of the problem presented.
GMS STEM Parent Night
Design Challenges
Did you know that Mickie Dozier (6th Grade STEM Math) is a Mouse.org educator? Her participation in this organization gets GMS teachers some cool benefits.
As a Spark members, all educators and students at our campus will get access to two full courses, Intro to Design and Coding, and 40+ creative computing and STEM projects for you and your students, Microprojects, digital badges, project discussion, and collaboration tools, learning management and review and portfolio features.
Check out Mouse.org or contact Mickie, Ben or Matt for more details.
Resources for January's Habit of Mind - Taking Responsible Risks
"Risk Taking" is a culture that has to be cultivated. Students must feel safe enough to take risks as they learn. Competition between students or feeling as if their teacher does not support them as they work will destroy the culture of a classroom that is trying to support taking responsible risks.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/classroom-full-risk-takers
http://gca.coe.uga.edu/are-your-students-taking-risks-in-their-learning/
Researchers have found that the language that we use in the classroom is key to students being willing to take risks. If you are interested in more information about this search "The Power of Yet" or talk to one of our instructional coaches about how to increase risk-taking in your classroom.
9th Grade STEMposium - Water Problems Around the World
STEMLinks
Elements of Secondary STEM
If you forgot to bookmark this site that has everything Secondary STEM.
https://sites.google.com/gcisd.net/gcisdselementsofstemlearning/home
Design Thinking Classroom Experiences
Need inspiration and ideas for how to incorporate design thinking into your classroom? Browse these curriculum units and lesson plans created by educators from multiple different grade levels. Look at as many as you can, even an elementary example can spark thinking for your classroom.
10th Grade STEMposium - Mission to Mars
STEMExcellence
We have had a busy month in STEM! Thank you to all of our teachers for all that you do make our program great and continuing to challenge the way students think and learn. Check out the pictures from all of our different events throughout this smore.
GMS STEM Parent Night
Students shared with their parents the work that they have been doing all semester. Different artifacts of things that they had designed were showcased along with parents being able to experience design challenges with Sphero and Keva Blocks. Thank you, teachers, for an amazing night and all the hard work you put in to make it happen.
9th Grade STEMposium
This year our 9th graders were able to show off their skills in presentation and design through a gallery style event. Their challenge was to design a solution to a water problem from somewhere in the world. Each group had a unique problem and developed their own solution. It was a great night for students parents and teachers. Thank you, teachers, for your preparation and helping our students develop their skills.
10th Grade STEMposium
Our 10th-grade students spent all semester working on sustainable life on Mars. Starting with reading The Martian and finishing with designing their own colony complete with political and social systems. Thank you, teachers, for continuing to help our students grow in their presentation skills and helping them think in ways that continue to challenge them.
Something to think about…
Articles and information about STEM outside of GCISD
How has communication changed over time?
MiniCAST call for proposals:
We would love for some of you to present what you do in STEM at MiniCAST this spring!
Presentation proposals are now being accepted at www.dfwminicast.org/proposals.html.
Deadline for proposals is January 14, 2019 (the date has been extended by a few days)
All science educators are encouraged to consider sharing their expertise with others at our annual event!
Note that we will have a variety of presentation options this year, ranging from the traditional workshop to TED-style talks. See the proposal form for more details!
**Presentations that are accepted receive complimentary registration to Mini-CAST for up to two presenters.**
MiniCAST 2019
March 2, 2019
Lowery Freshman Center, Allen ISD
368 N Greenville Ave, Allen TX 75002
Full details at www.dfwminicast.org/