Students Engineer Sea Glide Submergible Device with Mike Kelly

7th Grade English Students Use Maker Space for Study of Symbols in Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit Symbols Project

Students in seventh grade English headed to the Beard Center for Innovation to create a three dimensional object using Makerbots and the laser cutter to create a physical rendering of symbols gleaned from a close reading of Fahrenheit 451. In making their designs students were asked to explain how the object connects to the big ideas in the novel.  Symbols were constructed from 3d printers and textual evidence was be etched on wooden boxes that were laser cut for component assembly..  

5th Grade Paper Circuit Design Challenge

Fifth grade students in Lauren Vanin's class learned about how electricity flows though a circuit by engineering circuits on their own.  Experimentation and self-direction were key elements to this unit as students were not told explicitly how to build the circuit.  Using a project specific design brief in their design thinking process, students had to strategically place a light in their construction that highlighted the achievements of the person they studied.  

Mapping Your DIgital World: 10th Grade Health Classes Engage in Digital Citizenship Curriculum

 

Students in upper school sophomore health class spent sessions in the Beard Center for Innovation thinking about four key aspects of digital citizenship - relationships, self image and identity, digital footprint and reputation.   The focus of this exercise was to utilize case studies and discussion as a means of thinking about digital tools and the online world as forces for creating positive change in the world.  Students also engaged in this work as a way to shift the conversation about digital citizenship from lecturing about what NOT to do in the online world, and to instead focus on what is positive and possible.

 

AP Psychology Students Maker Space to Uderstand Brain Function

Middle School Engineers: Solar Ovens in 6th Grade Science

The Lower School Journal Engineering Project

Each year, 5th grade students create their own journals to take to outdoor school. This year, the 5th grade team used the resources in the BCI to engineer them.  Using a design brief to scaffold the design thinking process, students planned and designed original journals.  Some students chose to use the laser cutter to imprint designs on the front.  

GA Engineering Students Take Award at Widner University MouseTrap Competition

Once again, GA engineering students performed well at Widener University Mouse Trap Competition. Of seventy seven teams in competition only seven remain as finalists after the first two runs. GA's team, led by engineering teacher Diane Goldstein took fourth overall in the competition.  Pictures with her are GA students Luke Dion '17, Ronald Mersky of Widener University who is the Director of Engineering Outreach, Ed Wiernicki '17, and Michael Peters '17.

Middle School Engineers

Sixth grade science teachers Jim DiFranco, Maura Saurman, and Kate Cassidy and their students have been engineering solar ovens in the Makerspace of The Beard Center for Innovation. In this project based unit, students learn about energy transformations and use of materials to harness sun energy to design and test solar ovens.