Making in School
Cohort Member
PS 15 in District 1 hosted our first Elementary School Manhattan Make-a-thon with students and parents. Several members of the community came out to the Tweed Manhattan Make-a-thon and are supporters of PS 15's new Maker Space.
Amy Sacks
with support from Irene Sanchez
Why did you choose a career in education?
I wanted to become an educator since I was in high school. I attended the University of Vermont where I studied elementary education, continued on to get my Masters in Early Childhood Education at Hunter College CUNY, while teaching Kindergarten in East Harlem. I love teaching and have been an educator for the past 17 years. I love inspiring my students and fellow teachers. My excitement and creativity allow me to continually grow in my field.
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What hobbies or other interests have your brought to your classroom?
I love creating different forms of art using a variety of materials. I love building and creating projects for my apartment. I would love to learn how to weld and I think it's next on my list!
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How do you plan on bringing Making to your students this year?
I have launched CS4All programs at PS15, including coding, robotics, and 3D design. Students create digital art and animations, and a number of projects have been selected for the Borough Arts Festivals. I have partnered with MFSC and D1 to support STEAM. I hosted a District Make-A-Thon, where families in District 1 created paper roller-coasters. I co-authored and secured a grant to create a Maker space to expand PS 15’s STEAM learning opportunities. I also run a MOUSE Squad to develop student leadership and communication skills through technical assistance and troubleshooting for the school. Finally I created and implementing a Tinker Thinker after school club where students learn how to build circuits to create project that light up, buzz, and move. My students are already Making in our new PS 15 Maker Space! I really want to bring more exciting projects to my classroom. I also want to collaborate with other teachers to create Maker projects and get others excited about Making.
Karen Miller
with support from Irene Sanchez
Why did you choose a career in education?
In order to make a difference in children's lives.
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What hobbies or other interests have your brought to your classroom?
Collaging on an early childhood level, musical performing, travel.
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How do you plan on bringing Making to your students this year?
Last year we worked on legos which aligned with our social studies curriculum to develop 3 communities for our second grade presentation. This year I am being mentored by a teacher from the cohort who has creative, inventive and ingenuous ideas to create a mini-makerspace in my 1st grade classroom. We are currently working on a one month project incorporating writing with stop motion.
PS 15 - Roberto Clemente
District 1 - Lower Eastside
Pre-K - 5
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Making Space
The library at P.S. 15 has undergone a revolutionary revisioning. The long, large space was divided into a computer lab, tables and books, and a backroom that was underutilized. Technology teacher Amy Sacks saw the potential and applied for a Lowes grant to purchase work benches and Maker supplies. She had already been using her computer lab as a creative space for students to explore art, but with the Maker Space at P.S. 15, she expanded the exploration. From 3D design to sewing to circuitry and beyond, the Making at P.S. 15 is limited only by student imagination.
Making Experiences
The first Make-a-thon at P.S. 15 centered on family and community-building around constructing paper roller coasters. That community building continued with P.S. 15’s second Make-a-thon which was more open-ended around the concept of arcade games. Ms. Sacks as has also worked with classroom teachers to develop units around stop-motion animation and movie making.
Making Ideas:
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Tinker Thinkers is an after-school class that allows students more time to explore the tools they're learning in Ms. Sacks' class.
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Reaching out to teachers and incorporating digital tools students are able to explore their ideas with more depth and detail.
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Creating a Movie Showcase of student work is a way to celebrate the hard work students have done and document their creative process.