Thank you so much for making this opportunity available for your child!  The level of engagement and enthusiasm was ELECTRIC!  I truly look forward to all that we can learn and accomplish this week.

What is a system?  In observing many systems (refrigeration systems, educational systems, transportation systems, political/governmental systems), etc.) we observed that systems include boundaries, elements, inputs, outputs, and interactions.  Systems are everywhere!

Today the young engineers and designers experienced what a natural disaster can do to your planning– right in the middle of the new hire orientation scenario at the local power company, we have power outages in eight states!  It’s all hands on deck! Our design project for a recreational facility is on hold for now in order to assist linemen and grid workers get things back in order in the midst of hurricane and tornado damage.  What do we know about this situation?  What information do we need to know, and how can we gather the details?  The lists of questions are long.   How can we use our new understanding of systems to solve these real-world problems in the crisis? We know systems can be interdependent, so what other systems are in critical need if the power grid is dysfunctional? What subsystems do we count on to solve the power disruption?  What do we know about electricity that we should keep in mind as we plan to work in adverse conditions?  Are there other problems that must be discovered before we plan?  Break out the maps and grids, and let’s take a look at this as a team!

How do maps work and what is scale?  To think more about these two-dimensional models we observed the scale of actual cars to matchbox versions.  We even considered the ratio of frogs that can jump 20 times their length! What if Mrs. Byrd could jump like a frog (1:20) or 20 times her height?  Tomorrow we will map out our classroom space to scale and begin using symbols for mapping the electrical wiring.  Can you help your child with a scale drawing of a room in your home?  What are the electrical needs of this room?

Safety became a major part of our conversations.  Our class discussions revealed our lack of knowledge and a need to research and respect the power of electricity.  We are not able to engage in activities or experiments without adult supervision and when disaster strikes, we must take precautions.  Check out these websites with your child to discuss at home electrical safety:

See you soon!

Mrs. Byrd

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