Christy Garvin

Georgia Tech Robotics and Propulsion Labs (4th and 5th grade)

GSRA Cadets,

It is time to make plans for our third training exercise of the year.  We will be traveling to Georgia Tech to visit several robotics labs and possibly a space propulsion lab.  This trip should give you the opportunity to see some cutting edge robotics technology being developed by professors, graduate, and undergraduate students at Georgia Tech.

The trip will be on Thursday, April 26^th, and we will leave the bus port at 6:45 a.m. -please arrive in your GSRA uniform at 6:35 a.m.  We will travel down to Georgia Tech and tour a couple labs before eating lunch in the student center.  After lunch we will enjoy a couple additional tours before heading back to Vaughn.  We will arrive back at the bus port at 3:15 p.m.  The cost of the trip is $28 per person and will include transportation, lunch, and snacks.  Please return permission form and payment no later than Friday, April 20th. I will need parent  squad leaders to chaperone this GSRA training; if you would like to help in this way, please fill out the chaperone sheet and return to me by Thursday, April 19th at 8:00 a.m.; I will not be able to accept late chaperone forms.  Since space is limited in the labs, I will probably need to draw names for chaperone positions, and will do so on Thursday, April 19th; please do not send in chaperone money until you have been notified of who will be attending.  If you have submitted your name to be a chaperone, please hold both your payment and your child’s payment until chaperone names have been drawn on the 22nd; then, you will be able to write one check and use one payment envelope.  The chaperone fee for this field trip is also $ 28.

Sincerely,

 Commander Garvin

May Target Calendar

Please use the following link to download the May Target calendar: Download May 2012 Calendar

April Target Calendar

Please use the following link to download the April Target calendar: Download April 2012 Calendar

Space Shuttle/Living in Space Quiz (4th/5th)

To prepare for your space shuttle quiz study the following information:

1. Words that were included in your GSRA dictionary this semester.
2. Space Shuttle Notes Packet
3. A Walk Around the Shuttle
4. So What’s That?  (no word bank will be included on the test)
5. Types of Space Food
6. How Space Affects the Human Body Packet
7. Going to the Bathroom in Space

Some specific items to focus on learning include:

1. Be able to label the diagram of the shuttle stack as well as the orbiter diagram.  Remember that you will NOT have a word bank.
2. Know the names of the orbiters.
3. Know the three main parts of the shuttle and the characteristics of each. Know where they are built and tested and how they are transported to KSC.
4. Understand the purpose of the thermal protection system and the different parts of that system.
5. Be very familiar with the launch outline and make sure you are comfortable with the general order in which events occur.
6. Know all five aborts, when they are used and what occurs during each abort.
7. Know the following acronyms: VAB, ET, SRB, TPS, OMS, RCS, EVA, RSLS, RTLS, TAL, ATO, AOA, MECO, RMS, APU, TDRSS, and ECLSS.
8. Know the different functions of ECLSS, fuel cells, RMS, OMS, RCS, GPC’s,  and the APU's.
9. Be familiar with different types of communication the astronauts use. 
10. Be able to explain what happens as the orbiter descends for landing and which runway locations it uses and when.
11. Know the situations surrounding the Challenger and Columbia accidents.
12. Be able to explain how the cardiovascular, vestibular/neurological, and musculoskeletal systems are affected by microgravity.
13. Know the five different ways food can be prepared for the shuttle missions.
14. Be prepared for questions dealing with personal hygiene, including waste management.

Really study all of the notes and handouts you were given.  Everything on the quiz is either on your notes or something we added to your notes.  We have discussed all of these topics in class, so you should be very familiar with the material.

Space Shuttle Quiz will be given the week of April 16th.

River Kids Test (3rd Grade)

Believe it or not, the school year is drawing to a close and it is time for our final river test.  Your test will once again be split into two sections so you will have time to focus on each section separately.  The objective portion will be on Friday, April 13^th and the short answer and essay will be on Friday, May 4^th.  It is a great idea to begin studying now so that you don’t have to “cram” the night or two before the test. 

 The main topics to be covered on this test are as follows: Wastewater Treatment, Drinking Water Treatment, Chemical Testing (Turbidity, Dissolved Oxygen, Phosphates, and pH), and Pollution/Conservation.  I have listed the specific notes and questions you should study to make sure you are prepared.  At the bottom of this page I have also given you the long essay that will be on your test; this is done to help you learn to write essays and organize your information.  We will be practicing the interpretation of these data graphs in class, but you will need to practice at home as well. 

Notes and Questions

River Kids Dictionary

Wastewater Treatment Process (labeling and notes)

Wastewater Treatment-Primary Treatment

Wastewater Treatment-Secondary Treatment

Drinking Water Treatment Plant (labeling and notes)

Dissolved Oxygen

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

Questions for Dissolved Oxygen Reading

Turbidity Packet

The Phosphorus Dilemma

Acids and Bases are Everywhere

Brain Pop pH Scale

Brain Pop Acids and Bases

Water Quality Chemical Testing Part 1

Chemical Testing Questions 1

Water Quality Chemical Testing Part 2

Chemical Testing Questions 2

Point and Non Point Source Pollution

A Little Here and There is Too Much

 

Long Essay

Look at the following graphs (these will be given to you) of river data (temperature, velocity, all chemical tests, and benthic invertebrates).  Analyze the data given, and draw conclusions about the health of the river.  You should demonstrate your understanding of how the different factors relate to one another to determine the overall health of the river. 

 

For help in organizing the essay, I suggest five short paragraphs that follow the outline below:

• Paragraph 1: Brief introduction
• Paragraph 2: Visual assessment-students should explain temperature and velocity data and how it affects the health of the stream.
• Paragraph 3: Chemical assessment-students should explain the data from the four chemical tests and how this information tells us about the health of the stream.
• Paragraph 4: Biological assessment-students should explain the data from the benthic macro invertebrates.  This should include information about how the different types of macro invertebrates show the different health level of the stream.
• Paragraph 5: Explain how each individual assessment connects to the others to give the overall health of the river.   Concluding sentence to define the health of this stream based on the given data.

Study hard and feel free to come see me if you have any questions about the material.

Watershed Improvement Project (3rd Grade)

It is time for our final project of the year!  We have spent this school year exploring water, the water cycle, watersheds, stream assessment, pollution, and conservation of our waterways.  We have discovered the importance of water to our everyday lives and have learned how crucial it is for us to take care of this valuable resource.  So now, it is your turn to make a difference!

           

The goal of this project will be for you to find a way to make a difference in the health of our Etowah watershed.  Your job will be to plan the project, execute it, and then report your results back to our class.  You are free to be as creative as you like with both your project and your class presentation.   The whole idea is for you   to use your problem solving skills to develop your own idea on how to help our watershed.  We don’t want this to be your parents’ or teacher’s ideas, so you need to think about the issues facing our watershed and what you could do that would actually make a difference.  Of course, once you have decided on a plan, you might need your parents help to implement it, but the idea should be all yours. 

            You will need to obtain both parent and teacher approval for your idea before you start working on it.  We want to make sure that your plan will actually work and that you will have time to complete it before the deadline.  Once you have completed your actual project, you will need to design a creative way to share what you did with our class.  You will have 3-5 minutes to share your project with the class, so WOW us with how you made a difference.

            Have fun being a steward of our watersheds and making a difference in our community!

 

Photostory 3 Movie Project (4th and 5th)

 It is time to begin working on your third and final project of the year- a Photo Story movie about robotics or past, current and/or future space exploration.  Within those parameters, any topic that interests you is acceptable; some possible topics include: astronaut selection and training, parts of the space shuttle, space food, living and working in space, an astronaut biography, the Challenger and/or Columbia disaster, the building of the ISS, science on the ISS, NASA Spinoffs, robots in space, Robonaut, Spirit and Opportunity,Curiosity, future exploration of Mars, etc……

 

In order to receive full credit for this project, there are several components that must be completed- an outline, a storyboard, and the movie itself.  You will begin work on the project by saving an adequate number of pictures (approximately 12 pictures per minute of movie) on a flash drive and by printing out written information that will be used to educate the movie audience.  Then, you will organize your information in outline form; the outline should include the title of the movie, the main topics to be covered, and all subtopics that would fall under the main topic headings- please use standard outline form.  Make sure that you consider both the audience and the purpose and theme of your movie as you write your outline. The next step will be to create a storyboard that will show which pictures and what information will be included under each main topic.  You will be receiving more directions on both the outline and storyboard in class. 

Once you have completed the outline and storyboard, you are ready to begin physically creating your movie.  You will import and organize your pictures and will then add transitions between the pictures.  Voice recordings will be made and finally music will be added.  Please read your rubric carefully so that you are very aware of how this project will be evaluated. The long range planner provides all due dates, and the final project will be due on your Target day on the week of May 7th.

 

We will be working on this project both at school and at home.  The software we are using to create our movies is Photo Story 3; it can be downloaded free from Microsoft, and I have provided the link below.

Have fun and enjoy creating your movie!

Photostory 3

Photostory 3 Tutorial

 

Be creative, have fun, learn a lot, and we will all look forward to watching your movie in May J

 

Challenger Center (4th and 5th Grade)

The time has arrived to begin making plans for our final training exercise of the year.  Your mission, should you accept, is to travel to Mars to collect planetary samples.  In order to accomplish this task, we will be traveling to the Challenger Center, which is housed at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, on Wednesday, May 2nd.  We will leave from the front flagpole at Vaughan at 5:30 a.m. (arrive at 5:15 a.m.) and will return at 4:15 p.m.

 

The Challenger Center is an interactive learning environment that immerses students in a unique space mission simulation.  Throughout the mission, students are presented with tasks and realistic dilemmas that build problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills.  The mission is called “Voyage to Mars” and is based on the following scenario.  In Earth years, it is 2076. A now routine voyage to Mars has brought the latest human crew into Martian orbit.  Control of the incoming flight has been transferred from Houston's Mission Control to Mars Control at Chryse Station. The crew arriving from Earth on the Mars Transport Vehicle has been specially trained to replace the existing crew of astronauts, which has manned Mars Control for the past two years. After arriving on the Martian surface, the team will collect and analyze a number of planetary samples and data. This information is vital to scientists and explorers for a better understanding of the Red Planet.  In addition to the mission, students will also have the opportunity to construct and program Mars rovers, and then to control them as they attempt basic tasks.

 

The cost of this trip is $75, and it includes lunch, snacks, the Challenger Center mission, and the Mars Rover Encounter.  Please return permission form and payment no later than Friday, March 23rd. I will need parent  squad leaders to chaperone our astronaut training; if you would like to help in this way, please fill out the chaperone sheet and return to me by Thursday, March 22nd at 8:00 a.m.; I will not be able to accept late chaperone forms.  Since space is limited at the Challenger Center, I will probably need to draw names for chaperone positions, and will do so on Thursday, April 22nd; please do not send in chaperone money until you have been notified of who will be attending.  If you have submitted your name to be a chaperone, please hold both your payment and your child’s payment until chaperone names have been drawn on the 22nd; then, you will be able to write one check and use one payment envelope.   The chaperone fee for this field trip is also $ 75.

March Target Calendar

Please use the following link to download the March Target calendar: Download March 2012 Calendar

Dahlonega, Ga (3rd Grade)

    As part of our” Life is a River” unit, third grade Target students will be taking an extended day field trip to the North Georgia Mountains.  This trip will allow us to compare and contrast the conditions of a stream in Cobb County (urban stream) to those of a stream in the North Georgia Mountains (rural stream).

     The trip is scheduled for Friday, April, 27th.  Students will depart Vaughan promptly at 6:00 a.m.  They will need to arrive at the front flagpole no later than 5:45 a.m. so that we can load the bus and pull out no later than 6:00a.m.  We will eat breakfast on the way and will arrive in Cleveland, Georgia around 9:00 a.m. While there we will conduct all of our usual stream assessments and will then enjoy a special treat of grubbing for gemstones.  Each participant will receive a bucket of gem ore, a screen, and directions on how to use the sluice to look for rubies, emeralds, amethysts, sapphires, topaz, and other semi-precious stones.

Once we have finished with our grubbing, we will drive to Dahlonega, Georgia where we will enjoy a family style lunch at the historic Smith House and a visit to the Gold Museum.  After all our activities are complete, we will leave Dahlonega and return to the front flagpole at Vaughan at 4:00 p.m. 

     This trip includes breakfast, a snack, lunch at the Smith House, transportation, Gold and Gem Grubbin, and entrance to the Dahlonega Gold Museum. The cost is $60 per student and $70 per chaperone.  Please fill out the permission form and return both the form and payment no later than Friday, March 9th. 

If you would like to be considered for a chaperone position, please return the chaperone form no later than Friday, March 2nd.  Given space restrictions on the bus, we may not be able to accommodate everyone who would like to help; with that in mind, chaperones will be chose on Friday, March 2nd and notified that afternoon.  We will send home an additional payment envelope at that time, so please do not send in a chaperone payment until we know for sure who will be attending. 

     

Students will need to bring a small backpack on our trip to the North Georgia Mountains.  Since we will be doing river assessments, boots, gloves, a change of socks, and possibly even an extra outfit should be packed. Students also might want to bring a disposable camera (with child’s name written on it), a jacket, and a book to read.  Students WILL NOT be permitted to bring candy, gum, snacks or any type of electronic device or game.  This includes i-pods, cell phones, Gameboys, etc… If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.