teaching with a stem...

Teaching with a STEM

Mindset

Ideas to modify for the

K-5 Crowd

Start Up Materials: ❏ Toilet paper/paper towel rolls ❏ Washi tape ❏ Duct tape ❏ Packing tape ❏ Scotch tape ❏ Masking tape ❏ Glue sticks ❏ Glue bottles ❏ Sharpies ❏ Foil ❏ Styrofoam ❏ Scissors ❏ Cardboard ❏ Shoe boxes ❏ Pipe cleaners ❏ Oatmeal containers ❏ Newspaper ❏ Toothpicks ❏ Marshmallows ❏ Straws ❏ Popsicle sticks ❏ Tongue depressors ❏ Cotton balls ❏ Q-tips or cotton swabs ❏ Rubberbands ❏ String ❏ Dixie cups ❏ Wax paper ❏ Balloons ❏ Fabric ❏ Scrap paper

Books to tie into lessons: ➔ Ish by Peter Reynolds ➔ The Dot by Peter Reynolds ➔ Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty ➔ Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty ➔ Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty ➔ What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada ➔ The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires ➔ Violet the Pilot by Steve Breen ➔ Papa’s Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming ➔ Awesome Dawson by Chris Gall ➔ If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen ➔ If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen ➔ Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams ➔ The Three Little Pigs by Steven Guarnaccia ➔ Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by

Women by Catherine Thimmesh ➔ Mistakes that Worked by Charlotte Jones and Obrien

Books for Adult Reference: ➔ Invent to Learn by Sylvia Libow Martinez and Gary Stager ➔ The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros ➔ Pure Genius by Don Wettrick ➔ Uncommon Learning: Creating Schools that Work for Kids by

Eric C. Sheninger ➔ Worlds of Making by Laura Fleming ➔ Design, Make, Play: Growing the Next Generation of STEM

Innovators by Margaret Honey and David Canter ➔ From STEM to STEAM by David Sousa and Thomas Pilecki ➔ STEM Lesson Essentials, Grades 3-8 by Jo Ann Vasquez and

Michael Comer and Cary Sneider ➔ 50 STEM Labs- Science Experiments for Kids by Andrew Frinkle

Projects Included Here:

● “Cell Phone Tower” ● “Iggy Peck, Architect”

● “Home Sweet Home” ● “Spooky Expanding Ghosts” ● “Zip Line Challenge” ● “Tennis Ball Tower” ● “What Floats Your Boat?” ● “Straw Boat Engineering Challenge” ● “Sticky Slime” ● “Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’” ● “Fix My Problem” ● “Squishy Circuits” ● “Making Music” ● “Build Your Shelter” ● “Newspaper Platform” ● “It’s a Rocket, Man” ● “Paper Chair” ● “Marble Slides” ● “‘Share’ Crows” ● The Triple C Challenge ● Bucket Tower ● Paper Airplane Challenge

Cell Phone Tower Materials: toothpicks, marshmallows (or gumdrops), your cell phone, rulers, graphic organizers Approx. time needed: 20-40 minutes Directions to students:

1. Using ONLY marshmallows and toothpicks, build a structure

that can hold my cell phone up off the table for 10 seconds or more.

2. Your structure must be at least 7 inches tall. Additional Steps:

3. Once the challenge is complete, fill in the graphic organizer to show the steps to building a successful “tower.” Use transition words such as “first, then, next, last.”

4. Compare your tower to the tower of your neighbor. Who has the tallest tower? shortest? heaviest? lightest? longest?

Possible Standards to tie in:

- Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.3

- Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.C

- Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1

- Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and

describe one child as taller/shorter . CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.2 - Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools

such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1

- Use with these themes or lessons:

- measurement - “how-to” writing - compare/contrast - sequencing - adjectives (describing) -

Iggy Peck, Architect

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/1/3/

http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/MD/A/1/


http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/2/MD/A/1/

Materials: Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, toilet paper rolls, plastic cups, toothpicks, wood blocks, paper cups, straws, popsicle sticks, anything else you can build with, tape, glue Approx. time needed: 30-50 minutes Directions:

1. Use pre-reading strategies with the book Iggy Peck, Architect. Determine genre. Make predictions. Take a picture walk.

2. Read Iggy Peck, Architect aloud to the group. 3. Provide materials for each child at each table to have different

building materials. One student may have popsicle sticks while another has toothpicks.

4. Allow 15-20 minutes for free building. 5. Spend 2-4 minutes brainstorming describing words for your

creation. 6. Spend 2-4 minutes brainstorming describing words for

someone else’s creation. 7. Talk with another student. Compare your creations. (You can

even fill out a Venn diagram to compare your structures. 8. You can reread Iggy Peck, Architect and talk about rhyming

words, story elements, problem solving, etc. Possible Standards to tie in:

- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten (first grade, second grade, third grade) topics and texts

with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1

- Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4

- Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe

several measurable attributes of a single object. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1

- Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to

see which object has "more of"/"less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/K/1/


describe one child as taller/shorter . CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.2

- Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1

- Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an

organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4

- Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or

clarify something that is not understood. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.3 Use with these themes or lessons:

- 2D shapes and 3D objects - Compare/contrast - Measurement - Written expression - Story Elements - Rhyming - Sequence of events

Home Sweet Home Materials: shoeboxes, foil, tape, glue, other random items for decorations, graphic organizers Approx. time needed: 30-45 minutes Directions to students:

1. Think of the character {insert name here}. Think of his/her likes and dislikes.

2. Using the materials available to you, create a home for that character.

3. Be ready to explain why you included each element.



http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/SL/4/4/


4. Complete the graphic organizer comparing your home to the home that your partner made.

Note to teachers: We used the character “Ralph” from The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Students created houses for Ralph. Possible Standards to tie in:

- Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is... ). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.1


- chapter book units - compare/contrast - sequencing - story telling - adjectives (describing)

Other:

- On Google or Pinterest, search “Fairy Tale STEM activities.”

Tennis Ball Tower Materials: one tennis ball, straws, Q-tips, rubber bands, ruler, tape, cups, cotton balls, popsicle sticks Approx. time needed: 20-30 minutes Directions to students:

1. Using ONLY the items given to you and ALL of the items given to you,, build a structure that is at least 7 inches tall that will hold up a tennis ball for 10 or more seconds.

http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/K/1/

Note to teachers: There is more prep. involved with this one. Place these items in a small cup (or bag) and give one cup to each student (or each group): 5 straws, 2 Q tips, 1 cotton ball, 1 rubberband, 4 popsicle sticks. Allow for unlimited use of tape. Possible Standards to tie in:

- Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.A.1





- measurement - compare/contrast - problem solving

Spooky Expanding Ghosts Materials: plastic water bottles (these can be re-used with multiple classes), vinegar, baking soda, small funnel, balloons, permanent marker Approx. time needed: 20 minutes (with clean up) Challenge: Can you make your ghost grow without blowing air into the balloon from your mouth? Directions:

1. Pass out empty water bottles. 2. Pass out balloons.




3. Make predictions. How will I make this balloon ghost grow? 4. Have students make a face on their balloon with marker. 5. Have students measure out ½ cup of vinegar and pour into their

water bottle. 6. Place the funnel into the open end of the deflated balloon and

pour in the baking soda. 7. Secure the open end of the balloon onto the top of the bottle

being careful not to dump the contents of the balloon into the bottle quite yet.

8. When you’re ready, hold the balloon upright allowing the baking soda to fall into the bottle and mix with the vinegar.

9. What happened? Did it work? Can you shake it and make it work again? Why or why not?

10. Please empty and rinse water bottles when done. :) Possible Standards to tie in:


with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an


- Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.3

- Plan and conduct simple investigations. - Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. - Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations.

Use with these themes or lessons:

- Measurement - Measuring tools - Written expression - Sequence of events

So why does this work? The product of the vinegar and baking soda is carbon dioxide, a gas present when we breathe out. The carbon dioxide inflates the balloon. It’s that simple.




Zip Line Challenge Materials: graphic organizers (provided in the room), zip line (provided), cups, straws, tape, glue, craft sticks, toilet paper rolls, string, timers Approx. time needed: 20-45 minutes Challenge: Design and build something to carry a Ping-Pong ball from the top of a zip line to the bottom in four seconds (or less!). Directions:

1. Read the challenge aloud to students. 2. Begin to fill in the graphic organizer. What is the problem

here? 3. Take time to imagine and plan. Write it on the graphic

organizer. 4. Provide materials to brainstorm ideas. 5. Create and test. Time. 6. Evaluate- What could I have done differently? If I had X

materials, I could ____. 7. With time, allow students to create a new carrier or add to

their existing carrier. 8. Test carriers again. 9. Evaluate and discuss. 10. Finish filling in graphic organizer.



with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 - Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details,

expressing ideas and feelings clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4 - Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe


- Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an





- Plan and conduct simple investigations.

- Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. - Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations. - Identify problems and potential technological/engineering solutions. - Understand the design process, role of troubleshooting.


- Measurement - Written expression - Sequence of events - Design process - Problem solving - Balance - Friction

Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’ Materials: toilet paper/ paper towel rolls, tape, foil, oatmeal containers or cardboard or plastic, straws, scissors, glue Approx. time needed: 30 minutes Directions to students:

1. Using at least ONE of every material available to you, build a car that has rolling wheels.

Note to teachers: Discovering how to make rolling wheels for the car is somewhat difficult for students below third grade. Possible Standards to tie in:









- compare/contrast - measurement - adjectives (describing) - problem solving

What Floats Your Boat? Materials: styrofoam, straws, tape, wax paper, container of water, water, 4 quarters, paper or fabric, rulers Approx. time needed: 30-40 minutes Directions to students:

1. Make a boat using these materials (styrofoam, tape, wax paper, straws) that will float for 10 seconds AND can hold up at least 4 quarters.

2. You must include a flag. 3. Your boat must fit in the container of water (show container). 4. Your boat must stand at least X inches tall.

Note to teachers: Allow students to decide where to place the quarters on the boat. Possible Standards to tie in:









- Plan and conduct simple investigations. - Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. - Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations. - Identify problems and potential technological/engineering solutions. - Understand the design process, role of troubleshooting.


- compare/contrast - sink or float? - adjectives (describing)

Straw Boat Engineering Challenge Materials: graphic organizers (provided in the room), straws, plastic wrap, tape, other materials to try- styrofoam, cardboard, plastic cups, tray for water, water, rulers, pennies Approx. time needed: 20-45 minutes Challenge: Using ten straws and ten inches of plastic wrap, can you build a boat that can hold 25 pennies without sinking for X number of seconds? Directions:

1. Read the challenge aloud to students. 2. Begin to fill in the graphic organizer. What is the problem

here? (We need a boat to hold up our pennies.) 3. Take time to imagine and plan. Write it on the graphic

organizer.




4. Pass out materials. 5. Create the boats. 6. Test the boats. 7. Evaluate- What could I have done differently? If I had X

materials, I could ____. 8. With time, allow students to create a new boat or add to their

existing boat. 9. Test boats again. 10. Evaluate and discuss. 11. Finish filling in graphic organizer.






- Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4


- Plan and conduct simple investigations. - Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. - Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations. - Identify problems and potential technological/engineering solutions. - Understand the design process, role of troubleshooting.


- Measurement - Written expression - Sequence of events - Design process - Problem solving - Reflecting





Fix My Problem Materials: cardboard, shoe boxes, boxes, tape, glue, pipe cleaners, foil, styrofoam, scissors, ribbon, markers, toilet paper/paper towel rolls Approx. time needed: 30-45 minutes Directions to students:

1. Think about your house or apartment. What problems do you have there that you could fix?

2. Make something to fix that problem. 3. Be ready to explain (or write about) your creation.

Note to teachers: Give examples- “I’m trying to reach the highest shelf, but can’t, what can I make?” Or “My brother always barges into my room. How can I get him to knock?” Possible Standards to tie in:

- Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2

- Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of "how-to" books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.7

- Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8

- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2


- write informative/explanatory texts - problem solving

Sticky Slime





Materials: wax paper, tablespoon, spatula, airtight container, food coloring, clear tape, 4 fl. oz. of shampoo, warm water, large mixing bowl, 1 lb of cornstarch (multiply amounts if you want to do this in groups) Approx. time needed: 20-50 minutes Directions:

1. Tape a sheet of wax paper to your work surface. 2. Pour a generous amount of food coloring into the large mixing

bowl. 3. Add shampoo. (Notice how slow the shampoo flows aka

“viscosity.”) 4. Add the cornstarch to the mixing bowl and stir the contents of

the bowl. 5. Add a few tablespoons of warm water. Keep stirring. 6. Once your mixture turns into a thick paste, pick it up and knead

it in your hands. 7. Squash, punch, or slam your slime on the table to make it turn

solid. Whenever you stop, it will turn liquid again. 8. When done, pour into an airtight container so you can use it for

about a month. Possible Standards to tie in:







- Plan and conduct simple investigations.





- Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. - Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations - Properties of objects and materials can change. - Earth’s nonliving resources have specific properties. - Matter exists in different states, each of which has different properties.


- Measurement - Written expression - Sequence of events - States of matter

See pages 12 and 13 of the Smithsonian Maker Lab book.

Making Music Materials: rubber bands, oatmeal containers, tape, glue, scissors, cardboard, toilet paper/ paper towel rolls, pie tins, popsicle sticks, plastic straws, foam Approx. time needed: 40 minutes or more Directions to students:

1. Use any of the materials here. Create an instrument that makes a sound.

2. Explain your instrument to someone. 3. Make a change to the instrument and see if it makes a new

sound. 4. Repeat.


- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger

groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1

- Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is





supported by reasons and evidence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.3 - Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or

clarify something that is not understood. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.3 - Plan and conduct simple investigations. - Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. - Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations


- sound, tone, pitch - 3D objects - speaking/listening

Build Your Shelter Materials: newspaper, tape Approx. time needed: 15-30 minutes Directions to students:

1. Get into groups of 4 or less students. 2. You are stuck on a deserted island. In order to protect yourself,

you need to build a shelter big enough to house the entire group. 3. Plan how you will build the structure. 4. Build it. 5. Demonstrate. 6. Explain (or write about) your group’s thinking when designing

and creating the shelter. Possible Standards to tie in:

- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and

texts , building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1

- Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4

- Plan and conduct simple investigations. - Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.





- Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations. Use with these themes or lessons:

- team building - habitats - speaking/listening

Newspaper Platform Materials: newspaper, tape, scissors, ruler, small glass bowl Approx. time needed: 20-30 minutes Directions to students:

1. Create a structure using the newspaper and tape. 2. The structure must have a flat top to hold a glass bowl. 3. The structure must be 10 or more inches tall. 4. The bowl must balance on the top of the structure for 15 or

more seconds. Possible Standards to tie in:

- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger

groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1

- Plan and conduct simple investigations. - Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. - Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations


- measurement - weight/balance - problem solving

It’s a Rocket, Man.





Materials: balloons, straws, paper, rubber bands Approx. time needed: 15-30 minutes Directions to students:

1. Using the materials you’ve been given (one balloon, one straw, one piece of paper, one rubber band), create an object that flies.

2. You may not throw the object and pretend it is flying. Possible Standards to tie in:


- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and

texts , building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1

- Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger

groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1 - Plan and conduct simple investigations. - Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. - Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations


- speaking/listening - comparisons

Marble Slides Materials: toilet paper/ paper towel rolls, tape, popsicle sticks, glue, scissors, marbles Approx. time needed: 30-50 minutes


Directions for students:

1. Show students varieties of marble slides by going to Google Images and typing in “marble slides.”

2. Discuss what you might need to make your own (i.e. tubes, height, slope, etc.)

3. Remove the photos and allow students to create and trial their own marble slides.









- Objects can be moved in a variety of ways, such as straight, zigzag, circular and back and forth.

- Objects and materials can be sorted and described by their properties. - Forces change the motion of an object.


- 2D shapes and 3D objects - Compare/contrast - measurement

“Share” Crows Materials: large wooden boards fastened together to form a cross,





old clothing (that will not be returned) such as flannel shirts, jeans, boots, gloves, hats, string, Cheerios (or other round cereal), bird seed, scissors, newspaper, gallon milk jug Approx. time needed: 45 minutes Directions to students:

1. Divide equally into groups or stations. 2. One group will string cereal. 3. One group will crumple newspaper. 4. One group can cut and draw the face on the milk jug. 5. Adult helpers can place the shirt and jeans loosely on the

wooden cross. 6. Stuff the crumpled newspapers into the shirt and jeans. 7. Tie the sleeves and legs of jeans with string. 8. Tie boots to the ends of the jeans. 9. Tie gloves to the ends of the shirt sleeves. 10. Cut a hole in the bottom of the milk jug and place it on top of

the wooden cross for the head. 11. Place hat on top. 12. Put “necklaces” and “bracelets” of cereal on the scarecrow. 13. Place outside, secure in the ground. 14. Put bird seed into the milk jug, on top of the hat, and in any

pockets. Possible Standards to tie in:



- fall - following directions

The Triple C Challenge

Materials: craft sticks, cubes (wooden blocks), cups (paper or plastic) Approx. time needed: 15-45 minutes Directions to students:

1. Using at least one of every material, create a structure with ONLY ONE cube as the base.

2. Create the tallest tower you can using only materials at your table.

3. What happens when you put all your materials together? 4. What happens when you only use your own materials? 5. Which materials gave you the most stability? Which were best

for balance? Notes to teachers:

- You can talk about balance and stability here. - Change the challenge every 10-15 minutes (balance on one cube,

balance on two cubes, only use cups, only use cubes, put all of the materials on the table into the tower, etc.).




- balance - team work

Bucket Towers Materials: straws, tape, string, cups, coins

Approx. time needed: 30-45 minutes Directions to students:

1. Create a vertical tower using straws that stands at least 6 inches off the table.

2. Create a bucket that hangs from the structure that can hold objects. Possible Standards to tie in:



- measurement - team work

Paper Airplane Challenge Materials: paper clips, measuring tape, paper Approx. time needed: 40 minutes or more Directions to students:

1. Design and build a paper airplane that will travel the farthest carrying the most weight.

2. Test the planes. 3. Measure the distances. 4. Compare planes.




- measurement

- compare/contrast - scientific method

Ideas for Follow Up Questions:

★ Why did you decide to make that? ★ How did you come up with this design? ★ What were you thinking when you put this into the structure? ★ Why did you use this material here? ★ Which materials were the easiest to work with? Why? ★ Which materials were the most difficult to work with? Why? ★ Does this make you think of other lessons or projects we’ve done?

Which ones? Why? ★ If you could, what else would you add to this design? ★ When you take this home, can you explain it to your parents?

What will you say? ★ Why might we choose to work in a group instead of alone? ★ Why might you choose to work alone instead of in a group? ★ What other materials might have helped in this challenge? ★ Was there an easier way to do this? Explain it. ★ How many other students in the group gave you ideas while you

were working? ★ Did you like this challenge? Why or why not? ★ If you were in charge, what challenge would you like to complete?

What else would you like to make? ★ Do you make anything at home? ★ Do your parents make anything? ★ What would you like to learn next? ★ What could I have done better to help you with this challenge?

If you’d like graphic organizers that might go great with these projects, please email [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

teaching with a stem...

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