Since his birthday is during break, we were especially grateful that Leo and his mom took time to prepare some delicious and colorful chocolate cupcakes, so we could send him off with a celebration. How thankful we are for the gift of YOU, Leo!
Since his birthday is during break, we were especially grateful that Leo and his mom took time to prepare some delicious and colorful chocolate cupcakes, so we could send him off with a celebration. How thankful we are for the gift of YOU, Leo!
We took another tiny field trip today, this time right next door into fifth grade. Mr. Fitz’s students have been diligently working on dioramas, which display their learning about biomes. It was interesting for us to make connections to our study of landforms and the natural processes of weathering and erosion.
To learn more, check out the following websites:
As scholars, always half empty, we are eager to listen and learn from others’ educational endeavors. And, ancient civilizations never cease to amaze.
Mrs. Lout’s sixth grade students were very professional and well-informed. It was obvious they had put a lot of time and effort into researching from multiple sources. We were so grateful for the gracious invitation extended to us and for the opportunity to exercise our brains about life in the past.
What a wonderful culmination of learning and a preview of what is ahead for us in a couple years.
Announcements
**Check back later in the week for additional homework related to in class discussions and activities
One of the highlights of this week was the two-day Sumobot Tournament hosted by Mr. Minu and his high school and middle school robotics students.
Below is information provided by our host, Mr. Minu:
What is robot sumo?
Robot sumo is an activity or challenge in which two robots attempt to push each other out of a circle (in a similar fashion to the sport of sumo). The robots used in this competition are called sumobots. Sumobots come in various classes, from heavy weight robots weighing as much as an adult to femto-sumo with tiny robots the size of a sugar cube. The most common robot sumo class are sumobots made out of LEGO Mindstorms components.
Sumobot specifications
A sumobot must be made entirely out of LEGO parts, with the only exceptions being the flags or decorations. A sumobot can only have one NXT or EV3 Mindstorms controlling it. The number of motors and sensors used are only limited by how many the brick support. NXT bricks support 3 motors and EV3 bricks support 4 motors. Both type of bricks support 4 sensors. All actions must be pre-programmed. The use of any form of remote control is prohibited.
Competition
A match consists of three games of up to three minutes each. The first sumobot winning two out of the three games is the winner of the match. At the teacher’s signal, the contestants start the program on their robots. The game ends when the teacher calls the winner.
A game will be stopped and a rematch will be started under the following conditions:
In case of a rematch, maintenance of competing robots is prohibited, and the robots must be immediately placed in the designated starting position. The only exception to this rule is if the cause of the rematch is a robot breaking. If neither of the competing robots wins, or loses, after a rematch, the teacher may reposition both robots to a specified location and restart. If that does not yield a winner, the match may continue at any location decided by the teacher, until the time limit is reached.
All decisions by the teacher are final.
There were certainly some tense moments. Excitement personified!!
We were especially proud of some of our siblings who participated in the tournament. It was obvious that he robotics students had to be… thinkers, risk-takers, inquirers, communicators, knowledgeable, principled, and reflective. What a great event to see TASOK learners exemplifying the qualities of the learner profile.
Announcements
**Check back later in the week for additional homework related to in class discussions and activities