Snapshot: 8A Barbie Bungee Jump

Students are always asking,"When will I ever use this?" in math class. I do my best to give them real world contexts for the skills they are learning. In the 8th grade, we began the year learning about linear functions and figuring out how to graph them. To help make these skills real, the students did an activity where they had to use linear functions to figure out how many rubber bands a Barbie required to get the most thrilling bungee jump off QLab 201's balcony (16 feet).  Thrilling was defined as getting as close to the ground without actually touching the ground.  Here is a compilation of shots from our jump day. 

Thank you to Blake Hansen for the video footage and editing.

To see more photos and videos and to read more about the project, see this blog post.

Rotational Geometry

In a seventh grade math class, the students explored the geometry of motion. They looked at line symmetry, rotational symmetry, translations, and reflections. The students applied this knowledge to create art with their names. The combination of symmetry and the nature of the motion, created beautiful abstract tiles. Can you read the names embedded in each tile?

BPC at Julia Robinson Math Festival

On Saturday, February 8, an enthusiastic contingent of sixth and seventh graders from BPC attended the Julia Robinson Math Festival at Pixar Studios. The students engaged in a wide variety of math challenges in a collaborative, noncompetitive environment.  The student built flexagons, folded fractals, solved problems for Cookie Monster, estimated, played Criss-Cross, and wrestled with the Prisoner's Puzzle. 

Here is what some of the participants had to say about the event:

"I liked the event because it was an interactive way to solve math problems. It was fun to share ideas with friends and learn new things from other people." - Ella

"I really liked the Julia Robinson Math Festival; their events really challenged me a lot." - Dylan

"The math seemed less like a challenge, more like a game." - Nicola

It was an engaging event in an inspiring environment. Each student was pushed and did some great mathematical thinking. We hope to organize a trip again next year.

SNAPSHOT: Fruit Loops Ratios in 6th Math

The sixth graders are beginning their work with ratios and proportions. To kick off our unit, each split took samples from a box of fruit loops and created ratios comparing the different characteristics of the fruit loops. Those ratios were then applied to help them make predictions about the larger sample (the whole box). We used Google spreadsheets to collect and process the class data and to share across splits. They also used skills learned in tech class to make the spreadsheets do sum calculations.

Each split enjoyed the hands on research and loved "encrypting" their fruit loop data after the research!

BPC Students in Upcoming MATHCOUNTS Competition

On February 8, 2014, members of BPC's Math Team will be headed to the MATHCOUNTS Competition.  The MATHCOUNTS Competition Series is "the only competition program of its kind, with live, in-person events in all 50 states." With competitions taking place in over 500 local chapters, BPC will participate in East Bay Area Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition at UC Berkeley on Saturday, February 8 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Competition Series have the school, local, state and national level. It is "ideal for students who have a talent and passion for math who need to be challenged. Students will engage in exciting, "bee-style" contests in which they will compete against and alongside other bright, motivated students. Students win hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships and prizes every year." (website)

BPC students came in the 2nd place in Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition and in the 14th place in the State MATHCOUNTS Competition in 2012-2013.  Here are the BPC representatives for the 2013-2014 competition!  Good luck, Math Team!

UPDATE 2.13.14:  Black Pine Circle Math team has come in the 2nd place in the Bay Area Chapter Mathcounts Competition 2014 for the third year in a row. There were 17 middle school teams and over 120 students competing for the right to advance to the State Mathcounts Competition. BPC Team has advanced to The Northern State Competition that will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2014 at Stanford University in the William R. Hewlett Teaching Center, School of Engineering. All BPC mathletes have been placed among the top 20% of participants.

Why STEAMspace?

Many of us in education are familiar with the acronym of STEM education - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  However, at Black Pine Circle, we were recently warmed up to a new acronym - STEAM - which includes an "A" for "Art & Design."

Now, this buzzword is not new (it's been around since at least 2006) but captures a particular nuance that illustrates our quirky Berkeley independent school, where science and art are equally important, well.  STEAM is a movement that came out of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and, according to the STEM to STEAM website, aims to

1. transform research policy to place Art + Design at the center of STEM
2. encourage integration of Art + Design in K–20 education
3. influence employers to hire artists and designers to drive innovation

The focus was put on STEM education many years ago, but to be truly competitive, it's about more than just math and science, it is about creativity and innovation; critical thinking and problem solving; and communication and collaboration.  It's about art & design.

This is excellent timing for us to embrace the idea of STEAM.  Over the summer of 2013, we dismantled our computer lab, moving technology into our library / media center space and into the classrooms, with the intent to integrate technology more widely within and across the curriculum.  In addition, in an effort to embrace the Engineering Design strand of the Next Generation Science Standards, we have implemented a Maker Mondays program in the 7th grade.

Regarding STEAM's predecessor STEM, some sources say the term STEM was first coined in the 1890's by the Committee of Ten at Harvard, as a response to the gaps in the agrarian school system of the 1800's.  Most credit the National Science Foundation in the early 1990s.  Other sources point to Dr. Judith Ramaley, president of Winona State University in Minnesota, who is said to have coined the term "STEM" when she was assistant director of the education and human resources directorate at the National Science Foundation from 2001 to 2004. (Previous to her, apparently the acronym was "SMET." Ew.) Other folks would prefer to discard the acronym altogether.

Whatever you prefer to call it, we will be highlighting some of the science, math, engineering, technology, and design happenings at BPC in this STEAMspace blog.

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Other STEAM articles of interest:

• (1.13.14) BPC science teacher, Christine Mytko, shares her opinion on STEAM in the Atlantic article, STEM Needs a New Letter.
• (9.5.14 - The Washington Post) STEM is incredibly valuable, but if we want the best innovators we must teach the arts

Finally, here is a list of other organizations with STEAMspaces, although we were the first that we knew of (except, of course, for the gaming platform).  Know of others?  Please let us know!

• Northern Illinois University STEAMspace (NIU)