Intermediate SAGE
5th grade
Unit of Study Updates!
Animation Studio
Animation Studio is designed to introduce students to the field of animation. Students investigate the methods used by Pixar Studios, explore the mathematics behind digital animation, practice principles of animation, and develop their own animated sequences.
During 1st quarter, students investigated the early history of Pixar Studios and discussed failure and perseverance in the careers of the artist, the scientist, and the businessman who founded Pixar. They explored the creativity of Pixar films and began their investigation into Pixar storytelling techniques. Creative teams experimented with stop-motion to show animation techniques such as Spacing and Speed, Bouncing Ball, Squash and Stretch, Double-Take, Tongue Snap, and Loops and Cycles. Then they worked in teams to apply their new skills to a fun Fall/Halloween animation!
Broadcasting
Code 1-2
So far in Code 1-2, students have been exploring the fundamentals of Swift Playground. By solving puzzles in a dynamic 3D puzzle world, students have been developing a set of coding skills to build up their basic programming vocabulary. Their coding journey began with simple commands, functions, and loops. In the Conditional Code chapter, students mastered the chaos of randomly altered puzzles. They used if statements to determine when to take an action and when to change course. In the Logical Operators chapter, they were able to modify or combine Boolean conditions using logical operators, allowing their character to navigate complex puzzles with ease. In the While Loops chapter, they were able to run a loop while a Boolean condition was true. This sophisticated conditional code helped them achieve a desired objective effortlessly.
Digital Photography
Outbreak - the Science of Disease
Shark Tank Makers
Outbreak - the Science of Disease
Our focus this quarter has been on learning about the manner in which an epidemiologist investigates a disease outbreak. Students have been working on investigating a case study that involves an outbreak of E.coli. They identified the organism responsible for the outbreak and, using evidence, are currently working to determine the source of the outbreak. Students also worked on a disease transmission lab where they used evidence to support their claims about patient zero, or the index case. This lab focused on learning about disease transmission and prevention. Finally, our student scientists have been swabbing the SAGE center and growing bacterial colonies on Petri dishes to determine the areas of the center most likely to have greater bacterial growth.
Shark Tank Makers
Shark Tank Makers is designed to introduce students to the world of making. The heart of this unit of study resides in the Engineering Design Process as it is used to create real solutions for authentic problems.
Students have learned to use flux, a soldering iron, solder, and adhesive copper tape to create a bookmark and have designed two projects in a 3-D CAD program using specific parameters. They have become familiar with the parts of a 3-D printer and learned how to add supports and rafts to improve the quality of their 3-D prints.
Digital Photography
Spanish
Fifth graders began their year in Spanish by learning the vocabulary for family members. They’ve been working to be able to talk about their own families, as you would in a getting-to-know-you conversation, ie: ¿Tienes hermanos? (Do you have any siblings?). As October draws to a close, we’re looking at the holiday that takes place on November 1 & 2, Día de los Muertos, and how it relates to family. The students have been making sugar skulls and decorating an ofrenda (an altar of remembrance) as part of their cultural learning.