5th Grade Gets Started in the MakerSpace

We had an exciting day in the MakerSpace on Tuesday.  The 5th grade came in for the first time followed by our 2nd and 3rd graders.  Just like our 2nd and 3rd grade teachers, Mrs. Luedtke, Mrs. Nettesheim and Mrs. Woyahn, 5th grade teachers Mr. Suhr and Mrs. Behnke came to me wanting their students to have a time every week in our MakerSpace.   I did a presentation on MakerSpace last spring and was hoping staff would be as excited as I was.  We are staring the year with having the 5th graders explore the various new tools we have.  We had students using the MaKey MaKey, Little Bits kits and our Osmos.  A big group of 5th graders were using our three Lego WeDo kits.  All three groups got something built and used the software to make it move.  This group wanted me to film their trial.  Here it is.

Two girls discovered our Sphero and came to me asking if they could use it.  They figured out how it worked all on their own and were even showing other students by the end of our time.  That's what makes this so exciting to me and our teachers.  These students are figuring out how to get these tools to work on their own.  It is so fun to watch!  To find out more about any of these tools, go to the Kettle Moraine School District MakerSpace site.

Eventually Mr. Suhr and Mrs. Behnke are hoping that students find something they are passionate about during this exploration and they use their MakerSpace time fueling their passion.  Mrs. Behnke is hoping to teach some students how to knit.  And, I would love for one of our fifth graders to break in our new sewing machine!  Stay tuned...

A New Resource for our Learners and Teachers!

We are very excited at Magee to bring a new resource to our learners!  We have recently subscribed to the award-winning web-delivered resource, Brain Pop!

BrainPOP creates animated, curriculum-based content that supports educators and engages students. Hundreds of topics within Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Technology, Arts & Music and Health are all brought to life through short, animated movies and related interactive quizzes and features.


BrainPOP Jr. provides educational movies for K-3 learners and addresses a wide range of grade-
appropriate topics. Each animated topic has a movie, leveled quizzes, games, activities, and lesson ideas that develop critical thinking and inquiry skills. All content is read aloud so young students can browse the site on their own.

BrainPOP Español provides BrainPOP content in Spanish. All content is aligned to and searchable by state and Common Core standards.

Because BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. are delivered entirely online, there’s nothing to install or download. You can use BrainPOP resources with PCs and Macs.  You’ll also be able to access all movies and quizzes on your mobile device, via the BrainPOP Featured Movie apps. They’re available for all major platforms.

Your child’s subscription to BrainPOP will remain active for the next 12 months and is accessible in school and at home, through the Magee Library Media Site.  They will have full access to all the movies, quizzes, and interactive resources. Questions?  Please email Kim Jones, Library Media Specialist.

Magee MakerSpace: Week 1!

The school year has started and we are very excited at Magee to implement MakerSpace.  This past Friday our multi-age group of seventy-nine 2nd and 3rd graders met in our new space, The Depot.  I introduced the students to seven stations that they are going to be able to explore starting this week.  I used the MakerSpace website that was created last year with the district's library media team.  Click here to see that site.

 The seven stations are: Lego WeDo, MaKey MaKey, Little Bits, Osmo, Video production using a green screen, Coding and Cardboard Challenge.  (To see a description of each, go to the above website.)  After being introduced to the stations the learners got on their Chromebooks and started to explore the website.  After going back to their classroom, they chose four stations that they were most interested in exploring.  The 2nd and 3rd graders are going to come to The Depot and Information Station for the next four Tuesdays and Fridays to explore a station a week.  I just finished creating the first groups.  I'm so excited to get started on Tuesday!  I hope the learners and teachers are too!