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Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
This year's focus is to expose PreK-8th grade students to an engineering curriculum that emphasizes problem-solving skills and team-building challenges. Students will use math, science and imagination to examine the world around them. Students will be using the Engineering Design Process to complete projects, which involves asking questions, understanding and following criteria and constraints, brainstorming ideas, designing solutions, building, testing, redesigning and modifying models, etc. The Engineering Design Process is designed to help students understand how engineers solve problems, deal with failure and continually improve everything around us! -
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6th grade Engineering
Projects completed this year:
1. Straw Tower Challenge
2. Statue of Liberty (Critical Load Design, Build and Test)
3. Truss Bridge Project
4. Pneumatic Bridge Project (Pressurized Air-Draw Bridge)
5. Design Inspiration
6. Prediction Electricity Lab
7. Human Energy Activity
8. Brightness Electricity Lab
9. Static Electricity Lab
10. Series Circuit Challenge (Into to Motors)
11. Buildng an Electric Game Board
12. Wigglebots
13. Magnetic Toy
14. Alternative Energy Project
15. Wind Turbine Designs
16. Solar Energy Lamp Dissection
17. Solar Power Ornament Design
18. Bookmark Building Challenge -
7th grade Engineering
Projects completed this year:
1. Straw Tower Challenge
2. Statue of Liberty (Critical Load Design, Building and Testing)
3. Truss Bridge Project
4. Pneumatic Bridge Project (Pressurized Air-Draw Bridge)
5. Design Inspiration
6. Clay Boat Activity (Bouyancy and Boat Design)
7. Motorized Boats (Design, Build and Race)
8. Sail Boats (Design, Build and Race)
9. Recycling Fair Projects (Design, Build and Run carnival games made from recycled materials to raise money for the STEM program)
10. Electricity Challenge Lab
11. Wigglebots
12. Force Cars
13. Lego Engineering Projects
14. Redesign and Build a Better Lego Design
15. Bookmark Building
16. Paper Bridge Teamwork Challenge
17. Chair Lift Challenge -
8th grade Engineering
1. Straw Tower Challenge
2. Statue of Liberty (Critical Load Design, Building and Testing)
3. Truss Bridge Project
4. Pneumatic Bridge Project (Pressurized Air-Draw Bridge)
5. Design Inspiration
6. Design a Better Milk Carton
7. Water Tower Challenge
8. Clay Boat Activity (Bouyancy and Boat Design)
9. Motorized Boats (Design, Build and Race)
10. Sail Boats (Design, Build and Race)
11. Recycling Fair Projects (Design, Build and Run carnival games made from recycled materials to raise money for the STEM program)
12. Simple Machines
13. Pulley Projects
14. Design and Build a Building with many creative simple machines
15. Wigglebots
16. Chair Lift Challenge
17. Bookmark Building
18. Spinning Top Design
19. Lego Gears
20. Motorized Design Project -
Spanish
Students from K-8 participate in weekly Spanish classes taught by a master teacher! They learn from the foundations all the way to Spanish which is preparatory for the High School level.
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Art
Students K-8 participate in art classes. Kindergarten to 5th grade have weekly art classes, and 6th-8th have a trimester-long class where they focus on intensive studies and applications of artists and techniques.
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Entrepenuership
7th and 8th graders have the opportunity to participate in McIncEdu, our schools' Entrepreneurship program. We are the only middle school in McHenry County to offer this program. This is a program that leads into the classes offered at our local High Schools.
This program is a progressive, experiential journey that empowers students to drive their own learning and embrace an iterative process of testing, learning, and applying those learnings. Local business leaders contribute valuable mentorship and feedback.
Middle School students work in teams to identify a problem to solve, design and pitch a solution, and expose the product or service to the marketplace. Through their experience, they will develop critical skills: collaboration, communication, decision-making, and more.
