6th Grade Engineers

 A couple of sixth grade students have had the opportunity to engineer some machines lately.  A working elevator and steering column were their choices.  The projects turned out great and even though each had difficulties getting all the pieces to fit properly, they worked the very first time they used them.  

SHOCKED!

 

What do you do when you have mastered the days math...you learn about electricity!  These 3rd graders were amazed when they were able to hook up a circuit to light a lightbulb.  The kit is 'kid safe' and allows students to make mistakes while learning the rules of electrical circuits.  A little bonus learning on a busy Thursday is always good in the ELP room at West Elementary.

Math Challenge

 

Wind Powered Cars

 The 5th Graders are back and are trying to complete a major challenge; build a wind powered car with limited supplies that can travel 20 feet.  They sure have learned a lot about constructing the cars and each of them came up with different types during their engineering process.  Great progress kids!

Welcome Back, 2021-22 School Year

 I hope everyone has been able to enjoy the things they love this summer, here's to a great school year!

Get those brains ready...solve this:

2021 6th Grade Math Bee

 The Annual AEA State Math Bee took place virtually this year.  Although it was a little different format, the Bee offers challenging problems for 6th graders.  All of the problems are based around the five standards of Math; Number System, Ratios and Proportions, Expressions and Equations, Geometry and Statistics/Probability.   The Math Bee has two different sections, the individual standings and the teamwork part of the event.  The teamwork part involves all four students working together to solve the problems.  Each of the 6 parts of the "Bee" are also timed, so it adds extra pressure and constraints for the kids.  Zach, Reece, Taylor and Caleb did fantastic job throughout all the tests, especially the team portion. They worked respectfully and quickly through the problems to an awesome finish.  The Bee included over 20 teams from all over the state, this group of Mustangs placed 3rd overall.  As individuals they all placed in the Top 10, there were almost 100 kids in this event!

Congratulations to these math students, I look forward to your math progress in the future.

2021 5th Grade Battle of the Books

A team of 5th graders have been reading extra hours the past few months.  Each year the AEA hosts a State-wide Battle of the Books.  This year the event took place virtually using Zoom, with the aid of Google Forms and a website called Kahoot.  The event, even though it was held at each school felt much like the regular competitions held in the past.  The group of students had 21 book titles from the Iowa Children's Choice list to read, enjoy and take note of important events the characters came across in each story.  The first round of questioning for the near 40 teams across the state included 60 questions.  The team from West Elementary finished 8th place after this round advancing them to the championship round of 10 schools.  In this round the students answered 25 questions from the book "Sled Dog School", written by Terry Lynn Johnson.  This was extra special as Terry Lynn Johnson was the guest speaker all the way from Canada via Zoom.  Students were able to interact with the author and learn what it takes to be a professional writer.  

The final round took place using Kahoot, which gives teams more points for answering quickly.  The team worked smoothly through the 25 questions and ended up with a 3rd place finish.  We are very proud of their extra effort in this competition and representing the 

Independence Community Schools.  

Thank you, and CONGRATULATIONS Grace, Isla, Keira, Landon, McKenna and Myra!

Working together on the first part of the test

3rd Place

High School Future Problem Solving

 Juniors Lily, Laura, Lauren and Ashlyn all competed in the regional Future Problem Solving Bowl.  "Students apply problem solving skills they have been refining all year long at the annual Affiliate Bowl. This competition brings together the best and brightest FPSers within an Affiliate. Students that demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of the problem solving process in previous rounds of competition are invited to the Affiliate Finals." - Iowa Future Problem Solvers

This unique competition takes two hours to complete, which includes brainstorming with each other and multiple writing tasks.  The group scored enough points to qualify for the State Future Problem Solving competition which will be held later this week.  Congrats to these young ladies on their accomplishment!

Another feat these four accomplished was giving up their CELL PHONES for two hours during the competition!