Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stem Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rockport fifth‑graders demonstrate donor‑funded CrunchLabs STEM kits
Summary
Fifth‑grade students showed cipher machines and other build projects from CrunchLabs kits that align with Rockport curriculum; teachers said the donor‑funded kits let students take projects home and reinforce hands‑on learning.
Fifth‑grade students demonstrated CrunchLabs build boxes and explained how the kits connect to classroom science and engineering work. Students showed a cipher machine and a disco dynamo, described typical assembly times (students reported about 10–45 minutes) and said the kits encourage peer collaboration and problem solving.
"You get someone else to find it, which is TY," student Brody Kerley said while demonstrating a decoding activity, describing how classmates trade keys and attempt to decipher messages. A teacher noted the kits tie into curriculum and historical examples used in class: "We bring that history piece into it," the teacher said, referencing World War I and II decoding examples shown in the instructional video.
School leaders said each fifth grader will receive 12 CrunchLab projects over five years and that the kits are donor funded so students can take them home. Committee members asked about classroom follow‑up and whether the projects lead to longer instructional activities; students and teachers said the primary work is hands‑on building in class with some follow‑up discussion and occasional written connections to science concepts.
The presentation concluded with committee praise for the students and questions about scalability; the chair thanked the presenters and said the committee values classroom demonstrations that show students' engagement.
