Student Spotlight: Sanchez Fifth Grade Body Systems Project

Alicia Sanchez International Elementary School recently invited the BVSD Ed Tech team to participate in an interactive demonstration presented by the fifth grade students. According to Retta Kelley, Sanchez teacher librarian, this fifth grade summative project was the culminating project for their IB transdisciplinary unit, "Who We Are." To create this culminating project, Kelley explains, "students worked across the curriculum to meet language arts informational writing and research standards, life science human body systems standards, and health and personal wellness standards."



This visual display allowed students to take advantage of the Sanchez makerspace to creatively construct a 3D model of a body system they researched. Students then used Scratch and Makey Makey to code themselves reading their writing and teaching about their body system. The final step was to create an interactive body system museum for younger students in the school and their families to visit.

Check out the video below to hear some Sanchez fifth grade students describe the project in their own words.

ISTE Standards
Student 1d: Students understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate the ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies and are able to transfer their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.
Student 3a: Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits. Student 3c: Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
Student 4c: Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
Student 5d: Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.
Student 6c: Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations. Student 6d: Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.
Educator 5b: Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active, deep learning.
2020 Colorado Academic Standards
Reading, Writing, & Communicating Std. 2:  Oral Expression and Listening - Present to express an opinion, persuade, or explain/provide information.
Reading, Writing, & Communicating Std. 1: Research Inquiry and Design - Research to locate, summarize, synthesize and document information from print and digital sources, and communicate findings appropriately.