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Tynes students explore Mars surface … in their cafeteria

By Wesley LeBlanc wesley@opcfla.com
Posted 2/19/20

MIDDLEBURG – Tynes Elementary sixth graders went hands-on with Bluetooth-controlled robots that simulate the Mars Rover used by NASA last Tuesday.

Routine Tuesdays for a sixth graders took a …

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Tynes students explore Mars surface … in their cafeteria


Posted

MIDDLEBURG – Tynes Elementary sixth graders went hands-on with Bluetooth-controlled robots that simulate the Mars Rover used by NASA last Tuesday.

Routine Tuesdays for a sixth graders took a turn when they spent a period in the school’s cafeteria atop a giant map of Mars. They used robots to map the elevation of the Red Planet that required teamwork and coding skills.

“When the Clay Education Foundation partnered with the school district, we really wanted to bring elementary students interactive experiences that will help them with tests but also bring them 21st Century skills that they’ll need to excel in the workforce,” Clay Education Foundation Director Makayla Buchanan said.

The rover robot program at the school was provided by the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History education team in a partnership with the St. Johns County Science Curriculum and the University of North Florida College of Education. It was a program created specifically to address test standards for math, science, geography and geology.

The CEF funded the program and it’s been making the rounds to all Clay County elementary schools since the start of year. The funding came from local community partners like Wells Fargo and the Northeast Florida STEM2 Hub.

When students arrived to the cafeteria, they saw a giant map of Mars sat on the floor. After an explanation from MOSH Educator Kristi Atkisson about what they were going to be doing that day, the students got to work. Each was assigned a different but integral part of a robot team and together, each team mapped out the elevation of Mars.

“They’re split into groups of four to five and we started with an introduction about the program, what it is, what they’re looking at and I walked them through what the map before them is actually showing,” Atkisson said. “We talked about how there are coordinates, roles for them to fill and how important teamwork is to their success.”

The students were calm during Atkisson’s instructional lesson before they went hands-on but the cafeteria erupted into unbridled, but still educational, fun when the robots went live. Students worked in tandem to get their robot from one part of the map to another and together, each group completed an elevation map based on the data obtained by their robot.

“This is so much fun,” sixth-grader Taylor Barnett, 11, said. “Usually we learn about this kind of stuff in a classroom with a book so it’s really fun to be doing this instead.”

Barnett said she can’t think of a better way to learn about Mars and robots on the planet than by using actual robots. Atkisson said that’s the goal of the program.

“These robots simulate what NASA is doing on the planet and that really drives home the importance of what they’re learning today,” Atkisson said. “Mars is where NASA astronauts are heading next and it’s important for students today to learn about Mars and what it might hold for our future.”

Buchanan said the program is part of an annual experience CEF wants to bring to Clay County schools. This year’s program was the Mars robot and she anticipates bringing another MOSH education program to school’s next year, too.

“These programs are an important part of what we’re trying to do for Clay County schools,” Buchanan said. “They are, of course, a lot of fun for our students but they are so much more than that, too.”