See what we've been up to with our buddies each week as we explore a plethora of STEM projects covering numerous science, technology, engineering, and math standards! "FROZEN"-INSPIRED STEM CHALLENGESDisney's Frozen is a COLOSSAL success...and PERFECT for inspiring "blizzards" of STEM activities! We engaged in the following snow/ice-themed activities:
3 BILLY GOATS GRUFF: BRIDGE ENGINEERING"Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?!?!" After reading the Three Billy Goats Gruff, our classes were challenged with creating the strongest bridge using only dried spaghetti and hot glue! This took some architectural planning and LOTS of design improvements! SEUSS-TASTIC STEM: 10 APPLES UP ON TOP TOWER ENGINEERINGMiss Weinstein and I jumped at the chance to celebrate Seuss’ birthday with some STEM fun, and found Ten Apples Up on Top to be a perfect fit for our weekly STEM challenge. Students were given Keva planks (but you could use ANY building materials, purchased or recycled) and were asked to build a structure at least one yard tall that could balance and hold at least one apple “up on top.” Once students achieved that goal, they worked to improve their engineering designs to add more apples to their structures. In the time we had, students were able to support up to four apples on their yard-tall towers. SMITTEN WITH SCIENCE: VALENTINE'S DAY STEMStudents on Route #125 "LOVED" getting to do STEM experiments with their buddies on the morning of Friday, 2/13. We explored the scientific concepts of chemical & physical reactions, changing states of matter, & the scientific method. We also participated in creating eco-friendly, 100% edible bird feeders to show our love for our feathered friends during the winter months. Please scroll through the slideshow below for up-close photos of the experiments as well as action shots of 4th grade students with their Kinder-buddies. See full details on each experiment in my Scholastic blog post featuring these simple STEM activities that you can recreate in your own home using items easily found around the house! We've been up to lots of FROSTY FUN as we explore the story of FROZEN! To start, we examined varied perspectives of different characters from the tale. We used iPad apps to make our characters talk from their own perspectives. Then, we worked with Code.org to use computer coding skills to make Anna and Elsa ice skate, and today we worked with hands-on manipulatives and technology to create symmetrical snowflakes. Check out photos from these previous session below and look forward to updates on our FROSTY FUN after next Friday! To kick off our STEM unit on the Three Little Pigs, we started by examining PERSPECTIVE. This is one of our CENTRAL CONCEPTUAL THEMES across all subject areas for the entire year. The story of the Three Little Pigs is a PERFECT TALE to use as a study in perspective, because we only ever hear the story from the PIGS' perspective. We exposed our children to both.
Then, students were divided up into their buddy pairs to use an app called ChatterPix to make talking digital versions of the pig and wolf to share their perspective using technology. Bricks, sticks, & Straw...we Tried them ALL!After examining both perspectives, students had the chance to take on the role of the piggies using one of the 3 materials to build houses that would hopefully withstand another wolf attack. We made this challenging, but only letting students use pretzel sticks for sticks, dried fettuccine for straw, & graham crackers for bricks. Icing served as adhesive (mortar) for all. Students went through the entire engineering process, including sketching their ideas in order to create their houses made of food. {We did NOT eat them, of course--YUCK!} You made our dreams come true! |
Who we areWe are two teachers who love the magic of learning & watching our students engage their imaginations as they participate in STEM challenges that Stay in TouchArchives
April 2015
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