Twinkle, Twinkle

 Thanks to a grant from Northrup Grumman, our STEAM class received a straw rocket launcher.  Although we didn't reach the stars, our straw rockets did get kids excited about math and science.  They were calculating angles of trajectory, measuring distance, recording data, experimenting with air pressure, and having a BLAST doing it!

The Gingerbread Man Trap

 "Run, Run, As Fast As You Can..."  Why chase when you can TRAP? Students in grades K-2 enjoyed this engineering challenge.  In small teams, they designed and constructed traps to catch and hold The Gingerbread Man.  They had to come up with statements of evidence to support their claim.  Each student worked intently.  They were excited by their ideas!

Cinderella Stories

We studied several picture books with a "rags to riches" theme. We focused on setting. Grades 3-5 did a project where they designed, engineered, and marketed a shoe. Grades 1-3 did some fun Cinderella-themed learning centers.

There Was An Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe

Grades K-3 are classifying shoes based on attributes that they can see. Grades 2-3 engineered shoes.

extending the lesson

By introducing new materials into the equation, students were able to learn about angles, force, & friction and the roles they play in velocity.

Jack and the Beanstalk

We looked at this classic story from the giant's point of view. We engineered a system for the giant to get down to Jack's house after the beanstalk was chopped down. The kids used foam and marbles to model their solutions.

Humpty Dumpty

We learned that Humpty Dumpty was originally an English cannon. We learned about the engineering and technology of ancient Romans as they constructed walls. Grades 2 and 3 learned about fractions and polygons as they completed the origami section of the lesson. Everyone had fun with parachutes!