The Power of the wind

Recently 5th Graders used the power of the wind (fan) to conduct several tests.  Students worked with partners to design and create a wind-powered vehicle.  The vehicles came in all shapes and sizes.  Many variables were tested and tested again to see how minor adjustments increased or decreased the travel distance.  Some variables included: paper thickness, tire circumference, car design, sail design, and wheel thickness.  The Scientific Model was used for testing purposes and data was collected on the trials.  

Good work 5th Graders!

Student Data Collection Sheet

East Elementary ELP

Some students in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd have been working on vowel sounds, especially those tricky "e"'s the show up at the end of words.  They have all learned that without knowing our vowels we won't be good readers.  
Hard work is paying off for these youngsters!

Problem of the Week

1st Graders get Introduced to STEM

All first graders were introduced to STEM this past week at East Elementary.  The students will do several activities centered around STEM this year.  Science, Technology, Engineering and Math are vital skills for our students to learn about and put into practice.

In this activity, kids were asked to build a basket, like the one "Little Red Riding Hood" used in the story.  They had a limited amount of supplies that included paper, tape, string, and noodles.

In the end, each basket was tested to see how much weight it could hold.  They did a great job, and each and every student was a part of a successful basket.  Great job 1st Graders and classroom teachers!!!

The kids were very enthused as weights were added to
their basket, and celebrated with each block.

Parent-Teacher-Student CONFERENCES are coming SOON!

All students at East and West Elementary please make sure you have your conference scheduled with your classroom teacher.  Stop in and say hi to me too!

K-6 Conference Schedule:

Thursday, October 5th- 3:30pm-7:45pm

Tuesday, October 10th- 1:30pm-7:45pm

Brain Teaser

Problem of the Month

Here is the problem of the month from Noetic Math:

WELCOME BACK!

West Elementary staff, students and the community
 celebrate the "Vernie" Mustang outside
 to commemorate his  volunteer work here
 at the Independence Community School District

Students, staff and families...welcome back for the 2017-18 school year!  This is the second year that I will be working with the kids of Independence and West Elementary staff.  This year I will also be working with the students and staff of East Elementary.  

My official capacity will be the ELP instructor for grades K-6.  It will be an exciting year filled with many memories, challenges, some failures and many, many successes!

WELCOME BACK!!!

Top Noetic Math Students

Over 60 students at West Elementary received instruction on problem solving strategies in preparation for the Noetic Math Challenges.  Each score is submitted and compared to students across the country.  Three students at West Elementary received the top honor of National Honor Roll, meaning they were in the top 10% of all scores across the country.  Students were given grade level problems as well as problems a year or two above their grade level.  It is a great challenge for the kids and really stretches their thinking and problem solving skills.  Here are the top placing students in each grade, as well as the National Honor Roll students, CONGRATUALTIONS kids!

STEMi Trailer visits the Independence Schools

This past week has been a busy week around the campus of the Junior/Senior High.  The STEMi trailer from Hawkeye Community College was parked so kids could experience the many aspects of STEM (Science/ Technology/ Engineering/ Math).  During the 4.5 days, over 425 students were able to visit and experience a virtual world inside the trailer.  Students ranging from 4th grade through Seniors made trip during their class time to learn a variety of subjects.  A great experience for all involved!

State Math BEE

Four 6th Grade students from West Elementary participated in the State Math Bee after qualifying at the Regional Event a couple weeks ago.  These four students showed their Mustang Pride and placed 4th overall in the state.  This is an amazing feat considering there was over 100 teams from all over the state that competed.  Congratulations to the team and especially Sydney Schwartz that placed 9th overall in the state.  A big CONGRATULATIONS to these these students: Ceraphine Franck, Caitlyn Hoglan, Sydney Schwartz and Carter Straw!

6th Graders Participate in Eastern Iowa Math Bee

Thirteen sixth grade students made the trip to Cedar Falls this week to compete in the annual AEA267 Math Bee.  This competition had 35 teams competing and over 140 individual students from schools all over the state.  Each of the four West Elementary teams did well representing Independence, and the team of Caitlyn, Cerephine, Carter and Sydney placed 7th overall, while Sydney placed 10th in the individual competition.  These 4 students have earned the right to compete in the state Math Bee competition in a couple weeks to represent Independence.  This is quite an accomplishment and we are very proud of all the students who competed and were challenged with math problems all morning long.  Great job KIDS!!!

Battle of the Books

5th Grade students from West Elementary have been reading a lot of books this year.  Recently, six students made the trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa to compete in the annual Battle of the Books competition.  This state competition had 38 teams from all over the state battling it out to see which team had the best comprehension of the selected books.  Of the 37 books, 95 questions were given to the group to answer.  West Elementary students finished the competition by placing 3rd in the state.  All of us here at West Elementary are proud of their hard work, CONGRATS kids!

5th Graders Using Wind Power

5th Grade students spent some time recently harnessing the wind to power their model cars.  They learned a lot using the Scientific Method to test and change their designs to extend their trial runs.  After testing their cars they would modify and test them again to see if their adjustments helped their total distance.  Not only did the area of the sail make a difference but the total mass of their car made a large difference too.  They did a fantastic job, all students reached the goal of traveling 10 feet and a few car traveled over 30 feet!

West Elementary National Winners

West Elementary TAG students have participated in the Noetic Math Learning Contest for many years.  Each year the students of Independence show their best and compete against students from all over the country.  Students are given 25 math problems at and above their grade level to solve in 40 minutes or less.  

This year West Elementary had 4 National Honor Roll winners, meaning they placed in the top 5% of all test takers in the nation.  This is quite an accomplishment for these young boys and girl.  

CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS kids!!!

Let's build a rocket

Students in 3rd grade have been using the Scientific model to build and test their paper rockets.  They have learned that there is a fine balance between too much weight and too little weight when designing their models.   A lot of testing and tinkering going on to build that one great flyer!

Student challenges

Students have been busy with various challenges this winter.

Here, students try to create boats that will hold pennies.  Buoyancy was a topic that seemed easy until they put their boats to the test.  Once they sink, the amount of pennies are recorded and they go back to redesigning the boat.  Straws, tape and tinfoil are the only materials being used.