Saugus Iron Works PBU

Ferryway fifth graders transformed the school lobby into an extended classroom as they shared their learning with fourth graders, parents, teachers and school administrators. The 2008 Technology Showcase ran from 1 to 3:30 PM on Tuesday, June 3rd. The showcase gave students a unique opportunity to communicate what they learned during the Saugus Iron Works Project-Based Unit (PBU) experience. It featured a total of 11 stations in which students volunteered to present their work in a science fair setting. One highlight was the final competition of student built waterwheels concluding a hands-on study of the engineering design process. Students tested their prototype designs in April, debriefed as a team on how to improve their designs, and then worked to implement the redesigns tested today. A majority of waterwheels lifted heavier loads compared to April. At the waterwheel multimedia station students used an HP laptop and projector setup to demonstrate how online interactive learning helped them understand engineering concepts such as torque and efficiency. A new addition to this year's SIW field trip was a photojournalist lesson where students were given the task of using digital cameras to capture images of categories such as engineering, natural resources, and colonial life. The photojournalists showed their photos on a student wiki site using HP tablet computers. The importance of identifying natural resources was one of the more popular activities as fourth graders tested sample minerals using tools such as a tiles, a nail, a magnet and a flash light.
Did our fifth graders succeed in teaching next year's fifth graders? View the online results of the Grade 4 technology showcase survey. Our fourth graders are certainly eager to enter the fifth grade with an eye toward waterwheels. Thanks go out to our entire Ferryway fifth grade team, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Teixeira, Mr. Richmond, and Tufts engineering intern, Andy Chang for making the event a success.

Labels: "technology showcase", Ferryway, SIW, waterwheel

Waterwheels are an important aspect of the Saugus Iron Works project. Understanding that water powered early colonial industry is a critical learning objective of the unit of study called the Saugus Iron Works Great Adventure. If you've been following the SIW blog you know that our focus is to leverage the web to promote an integrated, multi-modal learning experience for fifth graders. You need to be able to merge best teaching practices with new instructional technologies in order to make it happen. Adobe Education Leader (AEL), Robert Simpson, collaborated on an Adobe case study to help explain how an Adobe software program know as Presenter (formerly Breeze) made a major contribution to teaching the engineering concepts that describe waterwheels. As an AEL, Simpson has access to Adobe software solutions experimenting on their use in K-12 classrooms. As the case study clearly points out, the knowledge of content experts can be effectively captured using multimedia solutions such as Presenter. I look forward to implementing this powerful learning strategy in more classrooms.

Labels: "Adobe Education Leader", Adobe, Adobe+presenter, waterwheel

A gorgeous spring day greeted Ferryway School students on the first day of filming by the George Lucas Educational Foundation. Half of the Ferryway fifth graders traveled by bus on a Target sponsored field trip to the Saugus Iron Works Historic Site. Students were immediately met by the GLEF camera crew who diligently recorded every facet of the field trip experience. The first activity had student groups calling upon their research skills to identify a wheel barrow full of simple and compound machines provided as part of a hands-on science lesson. Ranger Curtis White stated, "the program addresses the Massachusetts curriculum science standards for fifth graders and especially connects to the TRITEC district project in Malden." He went on to say that the classroom preparation really makes the field trip experience meaningful. Ranger Curtis then led the students through the reconstructed buildings that truly make the Saugus Iron Works unique. The restored blast furnace building featured a set of large bellows with new leather and nails, hand cut planks for the roof and repairs to the waterwheel assembly. Watching the water rush over the blast furnace waterwheel causing it to rotate certainly captivated students.
A group of twelve students were given an extra assignment as they toured the site with digital cameras in-hand. They were photojournalists charged with capturing images that represent categories from colonial life to engineering. Students worked in pairs deciding what to photograph and where on site. These photojournalists would later return to school to download, organize, and select the best three photos based on their assigned category. Students will share their work on a classroom wiki. Tomorrow, the other half of the fifth grade will have their chance to investigate the iron works.
We would like to thank the Target field trip grant for making this experience possible.

Labels: GLEF, SIW, Target field trip grant, TRITEC, waterwheel