Without further ado, here is what has been taking place in Region 3s Out-of-School-Time Programs. The following reports were submitted by either site coordinators who facilitated the activities or by the students who took part in the activities.
Name of Out-of-School-Time Provider: Target Excellence
Name of District: Elk Grove Unified
Name of School Site: Sierra Enterprise
Grade Level of Activity: 5th - 6th Grade
Number of students who took part in the activity: 20
Type of Activity: Creative Thinking and Engineering Activity
Learning Outcomes- Students were able to:
- Build a structure over five feet tall that could freely hang without falling apart after 5 seconds
- Creatively use objects to accomplish each task
- Efficiently use available materials to accomplish each task
- Find ways to fasten the items together
- Work in a collaborative environment
Instructor's Notes:
The students really enjoyed this activity for numerous reasons, such as: the activity was hands on, it allowed them to creatively think of ways to solve problems, they were able to work in teams, and they were able to control the outcome of their assignment (meaning that their wasn't an adult, informing them of what their structure needed to look like.). Both teams were invested from the beginning of the activity until the very end. A friendly competitive air filled the classroom as well. However, at times their enthusiasm led to carelessness, as they rushed through stages, dropping materials on the floor. The staff would then walk over to each group and remind them about the norms and safety procedures that they had agreed upon at the start of the project. The results were impressive- both teams were able to build a structure that measured over five feet tall.
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| Working collaboratively to build a five foot long structure. |
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| Students working with a staff member to test their structure. |
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| Students celebrating after meeting the challenge. |
Name of Out-of-School-Time Provider: Target Excellence
Name of District: Natomas Unified
Name of School Site: Natomas Middle School
Grade Level of Activity: 7th - 8th Grade
Number of students who took part in the activity: 28
Type of Activity: Career Pathways in Engineering
Learning Outcomes- Students were able to:
- Explore the various fields in engineering
- Assess general career motivators and barriers to the engineering field
- Recognize the importance of oral and written communication
- Understand the relevance of engineering to global societal issues
- Understand how engineers solve problems
Instructor's Notes:
Students enjoyed seeing how science and math concepts
are applied to the real world. Many were excited to learn how engineers are
designing earthquake-resistant houses, navigational devices for the visually
impaired, and innovative amusement park rides. They became very invested when I discussed the
average salary and earning potential of an engineer. Many were shocked to find out that most CEOs
in the Silicon Valley have engineering degrees. The students were excited to
learn that they could apply their creative, entrepreneurial, and problem-solving
skills in engineering. Many of them wanted to become an engineer at the end of
the session because they saw how engineering can help people.
Name of Out-of-School-Time Provider: Target Excellence
Name of District: Sacramento City Unified
Name of School Site: Cesar Chavez Elementary School
Grade Level of Activity: 4th - 5th Grade
Number of students who took part in the activity: 20
Type of Activity: Creating Mini-Rube Goldberg Machines
Learning Outcomes- Students were able to:
- Engineer simple machines that could be used in everyday life
- Use their creativity to design objects to accomplish a task
- Reason through problems and adjust their solution to the problem accordingly
- Work in collaborative teams
Instructor's Notes:
Students enjoyed the challenge and became increasingly
competitive over time. There were
more male students participating than female students. We will try to increase
the level of participation among female students in future activities. We were
impressed that they managed to build an enclosed track to make sure the ball
didn’t roll off the edge.
Name of Out-of-School-Time Provider: Target Excellence
Name of District: Natomas Unified
Name of School Site: Natomas Middle School
Grade Level of Activity: 7th - 8th Grade
Number of students who took part in the activity: 30
Type of Activity: The Many Forms of Dry Ice
Learning Outcomes- Students were able to:
Name of District: Natomas Unified
Name of School Site: Natomas Middle School
Grade Level of Activity: 7th - 8th Grade
Number of students who took part in the activity: 30
Type of Activity: The Many Forms of Dry Ice
Learning Outcomes- Students were able to:
- Work cooperatively in small groups to observe the process of sublimation
- Develop hypotheses on the composition of dry ice
- Identify that dry ice sublimes more rapidly when submerged in hot water compared to cold
- 90% of students could differentiate between melting, sublimation, and evaporation
- Identify the chemical formula for dry ice - CO2(s) - and regular ice - H2O(s)
Instructor's Notes:
There were high participation rates, with many students
asking questions during the demonstration. They were more interested in
real-life applications so we discussed how scientists and engineers use carbon
dioxide in fire extinguishers. This information will be critical in a future challenge
where the students are asked to put out a fire without touching the flame or
blowing on it. The students will have some materials, including baking soda and
vinegar. If they mix these items, it will produce carbon dioxide gas and put
out the flame immediately without pouring the solution in it. Many students
requested samples of the experiment. I encouraged them to conduct small science
experiments at home with their parent’s supervision.
Name of Out-of-School-Time Provider: Target Excellence
Name of District: Twin Rivers Unified
Name of School Site: Morey Avenue
Grade Level of Activity: Kindergarten
Number of students who took part in the activity: 6
Type of Activity: Milk Rainbows
Learning Outcomes- Students were able to:
Name of District: Twin Rivers Unified
Name of School Site: Morey Avenue
Grade Level of Activity: Kindergarten
Number of students who took part in the activity: 6
Type of Activity: Milk Rainbows
Learning Outcomes- Students were able to:
- Understand that all substances (e.g. water, milk, etc.) have a layer/skin on top called surface tension
- Understand the difference between substances that dissolve in water (hydrophilic) and substances that do not (hydrophobic)
- Know that some insects crawl on water due to surface tension, a very important property of water
- Differentiate between the different colors forming
Instructor's Notes:
Students
really enjoyed watching all the different colors forming in two different
trays. Almost all of them immediately wanted to try it by themselves and they
shared that they would love to try this activity at their home as it is very
simple and uses just the food colors, milk and dish soap. I also had everyone
identify and then spell all the colors that they saw.
Name of Out-of-School-Time Provider: Sacramento Chinese Community Service
Center
Name of District: Sacramento City Unified
Name of School Site: Nicholas Elementary
Grade Level of Activity: K-6
Number of students who took part in the activity: 20
Type of Activity: School Garden
On September 13, 2013, volunteers from NationWide Insurance decended upon Nicholas Elementary to break ground on a school garden as a part of the United Way Capital California Region’s Day of Caring.
Four and a half hours of digging, building garden beds, and shoveling dirt created an interactive outdoor classroom that will benefit both regular-day and after school instruction. This garden will allow Nicholas Elementary to:
1. Enhance academic instruction during the school day through project based learning.
2. Help encourage healthy eating by exposing students to home grown healthy foods.
3. Provide a location for parents and students to work side by side engaging in a healthy activity by harvesting healthy foods.
Thank you to the volunteers from NationWide Insurance, United Way California Capital Region, SCUSD and SCCSC!
Center
Name of District: Sacramento City Unified
Name of School Site: Nicholas Elementary
Grade Level of Activity: K-6
Number of students who took part in the activity: 20
Type of Activity: School Garden
On September 13, 2013, volunteers from NationWide Insurance decended upon Nicholas Elementary to break ground on a school garden as a part of the United Way Capital California Region’s Day of Caring.
Four and a half hours of digging, building garden beds, and shoveling dirt created an interactive outdoor classroom that will benefit both regular-day and after school instruction. This garden will allow Nicholas Elementary to:
1. Enhance academic instruction during the school day through project based learning.
2. Help encourage healthy eating by exposing students to home grown healthy foods.
3. Provide a location for parents and students to work side by side engaging in a healthy activity by harvesting healthy foods.
Thank you to the volunteers from NationWide Insurance, United Way California Capital Region, SCUSD and SCCSC!
Name of Out-of-School-Time Provider: Sacramento Chinese Community Service
Center
Name of District: Sacramento City Unified
Name of School Site: Luther Burbank High School
Grade Level of Activity: 9th - 12th Grade
Number of students who took part in the activity: 20
Type of Activity: School Newspaper and Website
The Luther Burbank High School newspaper, the Titan Ledger, is now being written and produced by one of the ASSETs classes. Advised by John Hull, the school's media teacher and himself a former journalist, the Ledger staff is publishing stories and photographs online.
The Titan Ledger (found at http://titanledger.blogspot.com) keeps the community up to date with the events, the special classes and the positive accomplishments by the students of Luther Burbank. Students not only are learning journalism, but also are becoming excellent photographers.
The class helped to re-build the school's website in late September and now keeps the information on the website fresh. Now the Luther Burbank website (http://lutherburbank.scusd.edu) is a wealth of information and resources for students and parents alike.
STEM Articles/Videos:
a) Head Start pushing for more math and science instruction
b) UCD program brings robots and math to Sacramento Schools
c) Equipping Science for the 21st Century
STEM Activities/Websites:
a) Computer Science Education Week December 9-15, 2013
b) California Career Zone Website
c) Sally Ride Science
STEM Professional Development Opportunities:
a) CCSS: Literacy in Science online professional learning module (K-12 Teachers)
b) California STEM Summit 2014
STEM Grants:
a) Tellabs Foundation
Website: Tellabs
Program: Education, STEM, Environmental Quality, Health
Maximum Grant: Not Specified
Deadline: 12/31/13
b) Vistex Foundation
Website: Vistex
Program: Education, Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, Health
Maximum Grant: Not Specified
Deadline: 12/31/13
c) Wish You Well Foundation
Website: Wish You Well
Program: Education
Maximum Grant: $10,000
Deadline: 12/31/13
d) Applied Materials Foundation
Website: Applied Materials Foundation
Program: Education
Maximum Grant: $2,500+
Deadline: Anytime
e) Free Health Booklets and Pamphlets
f) Free Baseball and Softball Equipment
Open: December 1, 2013
g) MOUSE Squad of California
Deadline: November 15, 2013
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