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Welcome to Makerspace with Ms. Kramer

Ms. Kramer

About me

  • Born and raised in Michigan
  • First career: Newspaper reporting (Contributed articles that helped earned our staff a Pulitzer Prize!)
  • Some of my favorite things, besides teaching and learning: day hikes, Rollerblading at the beach, reading, making cool and creative projects, time with friends and family, figuring things out ...
  • 19 years in education in BHUSD and in Los Angeles (classroom teacher and instructional technology coach)
  • BA in English (University of Michigan - Ann Arbor)
  • Masters in Education Technology (UC-Fullerton)
  • National Board-Certified Teacher

 

Beliefs that guide my teaching (and my learning)

  • Failure recovery goes hand-in-hand with another key competency: a growth mindset in which we see ourselves as capable of growing abilities to accomplish great things!
  • An ethic of excellence and a growth mindset transform learning
  • The abilities to collaborate and communicate effectively are essential
  • Teachers and students need to keep learning fun

 

About us

It was so difficult last spring to not have class time with kids! I was in awe of everything parents juggled to support kids with learning at home, including their Makerspace adventures. I still will miss seeing students at the start of this year, but I hope we'll be face-to-face soon!
 
Until then, I'm excited that specialists now are able to have actual class sessions with students! I can't wait to see what we come up with!

 

I’ve been putting together packets with specialized materials for one or two projects per grade level. After the first wave, I expect another set to go home later in the fall. Beyond those "mini kits," we’ll use found materials for other physical projects, and laptops or iPads for digital making that ranges from coding to 3D print design.

 

For the basics, I’m hoping families will have around the house most of the tools and supplies we plan to use, or are able to easily find them. If any of the tools or materials below aren't available, no worries -- we will improvise!

 

Tools:

  • Pencil(s) and eraser
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Masking tape
  • Tacky glue
  • Glue stick
  • White paper
  • Markers (black and multiple colors)
  • Card stock or construction paper

 

"Found" Materials -- if you can find them conveniently! (Grade-specific materials will be posted in Google Classroom):

  • Corrugated cardboard (This will be needed later, and it can definitely be made available for pickup, if needed!)
  • 1 shoebox 
  • Bath tissue tube(s)
  • 1 paper towel tube
  • Thread & string
  • Decorative materials: buttons, used ribbon and wrapping paper, scraps of fabric ...

 

 

Schedule