MIDWEEK CHECK-IN June 26, 2019
1
SERVICE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: HUNGER
2
SCIENCE EXPLORERS & PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE
3
3D PRINTING & CREATIVE CHALLENGES: SESSION 2
JUNE 26, 2019
SUMMER AT GDS MIDWEEK CHECK-IN
Service and Social Justice: Hunger This week during Service and Social Justice: Hunger, the class is focusing on local and global issues of hunger. They split into two groups and began to visit different locations in the area. Trips are or will be taken to the following sites: the Capital Area Food Bank in Northeast Washington, Nourish Now in Rockville, Maryland to help with food preparation, and either the Common Good City Farm in Northwest Washington or Red Wiggler Farm in Germantown, Maryland where they helped with gleaning. The students learned about the work that each of these organizations does in not only providing food for residents in the respective nearby communities, but also teaching about nutritious foods. Both groups will make sandwiches and snack bags for Martha’s Table. They also did research on various policy groups that work to alleviate hunger and will start working on advocacy projects throughout the rest of the week.
JUNE 26, 2019
SUMMER AT GDS MIDWEEK CHECK-IN
Science Explorers Monday in Science Explorers, the students did some introductory activities. They learned about water's cohesion and surface tension properties that make it possible for water to stay the the face of a penny. Tuesday they learned about the phases of matter: gas, air, and water. Through an experiment with dry ice, the class was able to visually understand the process of sublimation. They played with oobleck and observed how it acts like both a liquid and a solid. At the Museum of Natural History, they explored ocean life, dinosaur fossils, and rocks and minerals. They got to see a tarantula feeding and learned that tarantulas only eat once per year. The class also completed engineering challenges, including building the tallest structure out of straws and a freestanding house using index cards.
Public Forum Debate Students have been having a great time debating in Public Forum Debate! After learning the format and fine-tuning skills such as researching, making a case for their points, rebutting, critically thinking and giving speeches on the fly, students have been participating in several practice debates. Some topics have included eating meat and market rate housing. Students have been having fun debating one another and learning from both the experience and feedback! For the remainder of the week, students will implement their strengthened debate skills as they prepare for a final debate tournament on the topic “Resolved: The United States federal government should enforce antitrust regulations on technology giants.”
DON'T LET ANYONE ROB YOU OF YOUR IMAGINATION, YOUR CREATIVITY, OR YOUR CURIOSITY. -MAE JEMISON
JUNE 26, 2019
SUMMER AT GDS MIDWEEK CHECK-IN
3D Printing 3D printing has been exploring the capabilities of 3D fabrication using both 3D printers and laser cutters. On Monday, campers learned how to use free 3D software to create models, and have been working on a variety of individual projects since then, including a customized keychain and a laser cut animal. The campers have been excited each day to work on a new project and will continue to have fun on the last two days of class.
Creative Challenges: Session 2 This week campers learned about different types of homes around the world. During our discussions we talked about home design as well as function. The students were able to understand different home types such as apartments, town-homes, igloos, mansions and a few others. During our field trip to the building museum, campers were able to look several prototypes of homes, gains inspiration and ideas for their weekly project. They were also able to have free building time in the Work-Play-Build area. In addition to the field trip to The Building Museum, Campers went on a neighborhood walk and looked at several homes. We discussed street addresses, front yards and back yards, design and collected materials to create their own prototypes. After our growth mindset discussion, campers applied their learning to complete a new challenge. They created a house using index cards that contain information about them. This project was challenging because students had to figure out how to connect the cards without using glue. Using the materials collected during the neighborhood walk as well as cardboard boxes and other available materials, campers worked together to build a prototype of a home they have designed.
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