Gretchen Brinza
Email me!
  • Home
  • About Me
  • School
    • Louisville Middle School >
      • 2022-2023
      • 2021-2022 >
        • 6th Grade: Contact Forces/Collisions!
        • 8th: Patterns in Space and Sky
        • 6th: Bath Bombs
        • 8th: Climate--The Warming Arctic
        • 8th: Hail, Rain & Snow
        • 6th: Cups
        • 8th: Tsunami-Natural Hazards
        • 6th: One-Way Mirror
        • 8th: Mt. Everest & Other Mtns
    • Sauganash >
      • 2020-2021 >
        • 5th Grade >
          • Data in Science
          • Human Impact (+/-)
          • The Dead Raccoon
          • Clean/Dirty Water
          • Opening Routines
        • 6th Grade >
          • Healing
          • A Changing Landscape
          • Keeping Things Hot or Cold!?!?!
          • One-Way Mirror
          • Dogs (Well and Unwell)!
          • Opening Routines
      • 2019-2020 >
        • 5th Grade >
          • The Sky
          • Dead Raccoon
          • All Things Water!
        • 6th Grade >
          • Sick Dog
          • Mt. Everest
          • Cups
    • Alcott >
      • 2018-2019 >
        • 5th Grade >
          • Patterns in the Sky
          • Roadkill--Dead Stuff
          • Down the Drain...
        • 6th Grade >
          • Chickens!
          • Sounds From a Distance
          • Sick Dogs
          • Spooky ________!
      • 2017-2018 >
        • 5th Grade >
          • The Mystery Sun
          • Roadkill
          • Clean/Dirty Water
        • 6th Grade >
          • Changing Populations
          • Smelling Lots of Stuff
          • Seeing and Light
      • 2016-2017 >
        • 6th Grade >
          • Can I Believe My Eyes?
          • How Can I Smell Things From a Distance?
          • Where Have All the Creatures Gone?
        • 5th Grade >
          • Unknown Chemicals' Identities?
          • Data
          • Water Transformations
          • The Raccoon Mystery
        • Technology Integration
      • 2015-2016 >
        • 5th Grade >
          • Opening Procedures
          • Chemical Tests
          • Earth's Systems Science
          • Data (Moon, Daylight, Temp., Constellations)
          • Ships in a Field
          • Patterns
        • 6th Grade >
          • Opening Procedures
          • World of Wonder Projects
          • Can I Believe My Eyes?
          • How Can I Smell From a Distance?
          • Where Have All the Creatures Gone?
    • STEM Magnet Academy >
      • A Glimpse Into My Classroom
      • Fifth Grade >
        • 5th Grade: 2013-2014 >
          • Environmental Engineering (Part II)
          • Aerospace Engineering
      • Fourth Grade >
        • 4th Grade: 2014-2015 >
          • Environmental Engineering
          • Waves and their Applications for Information Transfer
        • 4th Grade: 2013-2014 >
          • Environmental Engineering
          • Transportation Engineering
          • Biomedical Engineering
        • 4th Grade: 2012-2013 >
          • Environmental Engineering
          • Transportation Engineering
          • Biomedical Engineering
      • Third Grade >
        • 3rd Grade: 2014-2015 >
          • Forces and Interactions
        • 3rd Grade: 2013-2014 >
          • Electrical Engineering
          • Acoustical Engineering
          • Optical Engineering
        • 3rd Grade: 2012-2013 >
          • Acoustical Engineering
          • Electrical Engineering
          • Optical Engineering
      • Second Grade >
        • 2nd Grade: 2014-2015 >
          • Geotechnical Engineering
          • Matter and Its Interactions!
        • 2nd Grade: 2012-2013 >
          • Geotechnical Engineering
          • Ocean Engineering
          • Packaging Engineering
        • 2nd Grade: 2013-2014 >
          • Geotechnical Engineering
          • Civil Engineering
          • Ocean Engineering
      • First Grade >
        • 1st Grade: 2014-2015 >
          • Optical Engineering
          • Sound
          • Plants--Structures and Processes
        • 1st Grade: 2013-2014 >
          • Materials Engineering
          • Mechanical Engineering
          • Agricultural Engineering
        • 1st Grade: 2012-2013 >
          • Mechanical Engineering
          • Materials Engineering
          • Agricultural Engineering
      • Kindergarten >
        • Engineers do what?
        • Forces and Interactions!
        • Earth and Human Activity
        • K: 2013-2014 >
          • Introduction to Engineering
          • Force and Motion
          • Fabric
        • K: 2012-2013 >
          • Introduction to Engineering
          • All About Fabric
          • Built By Nature
        • Check it out! >
          • Exciting News
          • National Engineers Week
          • Donations
          • Chicago Events
  • PAEMST
  • Other
    • STEM FAIR 2019
    • STEM Fair 2018
    • Tech-Class
    • Engineering Week
    • G.D.W.O.F.
    • MSU Urban STEM >
      • Summer Work >
        • Ultimate STEM
        • ImagineIT >
          • Phase 1
          • Phase 2
          • Phase 3
        • Deep Play
        • Quickfires
        • Reflections >
          • Summer
        • Cosmos
      • Fall Work >
        • Deep Play Group
        • ImagineIT >
          • Phase 4
          • Phase 5
          • Phase 6
      • Spring Work >
        • Leadership
        • ImagineIT

Compiling 3D Printed Materials!

4/11/2018

 
Our 3rd annual STEM Fair is coming up!  Look at all the things (and there are still more) that we've 3D printed.  Of course some of these are failed printed, but regardless, they have all taught us a lot!
Picture

Olympic Medals!

2/14/2018

 
Picture
As a way to celebrate the 2018 Winter Olympics, sixth graders designed and printed medals that associated with the Olympian they researched for their Social Studies project!


​Fifth graders designed medals in Google Drawing!  Way to go everyone!

Integrated Science/Literacy Videos!

12/15/2017

 
In an intense integrated project, sixth graders wrote plays in Language Arts.  Their focus included having a fluid plot, stage directions, and dialogue that helped convey meaning. Working in collaborative groups, they used the writing process from start to finish, using a shared space in a Google doc to refine their plays to a two-minute production cap.

After their plays were complete, they began working on their video production.  Students were to 3D print at least one prop and filter for their play, both of which were critical in understanding the play.  Along side these 3D printed artifacts, students were to use principles of light they learned in science as a way to convey meaning.  Lastly, they learned to use a video creation tool, learning the process of editing a visual display.  Here is their final work!

And here are the final videos!

Where Water is Located

11/22/2017

 
Fifth graders are enhancing their skills in Google Drawing!  Check out these drawings which depict all the places water is located on Earth!  We discovered this after some pretty intense research, modeling, and discussion in science class.

Self-Portraits Start in 6th...and Modeling Begins in 5th!

10/25/2017

 

Using Google Drawing

Here are some self-portraits being developed in 6th grade...

​This is a work in progress due next week!
And here are some models being developed in 5th grade.

3D Printing Starts!

10/25/2017

 
So sixth graders have started to learn Tinkercad and are beginning to 3D print things!  They're working simulataneously on two projects and are about to start a third.

1.  Everyone has designed a personalized keychain.  This was our first crack at using the printer, and it's off to a great start.  There have certainly been some fails, and that's okay!

2.  Some students are working on 3D printing sun-moon-earth models to show the application of the light models we've developed in class.   

​Check back soon for an integrated science/literacy project!  Students will be creating videos of plays they write in language art.  Must-haves in their video include the use of 3D printed props and filters which will change the mood of the play!

3D Printer

10/7/2017

 
During last school year, I was awarded a grant to receive and be trained on a 3D printer from the Digital Harbor Foundation in Baltimore.  This past summer I attended the training, and the printer is up and running in our classroom.  Sixth graders are currently using it, and it's off to a great start!  Check back for projects students print!  

Write Your Name!

9/22/2017

 
Sixth graders started the year with an assignment where they had to write their name in Google Drawing as a way to express their creativity and interests.  AWESOME work!

308 Write Your Name Presentation

null

305 Write Your Name Presentation

null

    Picture

    TPACK

    Technological-Pedagogical- and Content Knowledge.

    Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) attempts to identify the nature of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted and situated nature of teacher knowledge. ​

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly