STEM challenges before Spring Break

Before Spring Break this year, I decided to have students work together on some STEM challenges. These are great for getting students to collaborate. In doing these for a week, I gave students multiple challenges to practice sharing their thinking and being good listeners. I was impressed by my students creations and willingness to completely change their prototype if it wasn't working out. All year I have been working with students in math to embrace mistakes as a chance for their brains to grow. This was a great opportunity for me to see that my students are starting to embrace this growth mindset mentality. Here are some of the STEM challenges that we did this week, along with links to the websites that gave me these ideas.
Students used mini erasers as the cargo on their airplanes. They worked together to build a variety of airplane shapes. They tested their creations and then added cargo to see whose airplane could fly with the most weight attached. They were excited and planning together. Students quickly realized that they needed to evenly disperse the weight. While there was competition, students cheered each other on and complimented their designs. 

 Index Card Tower
 With this challenge, students had to find the balance between height and stability. Several teams built structures that were taller than the others, but would fall down if someone simply breathed on them. I was impressed with how students rebuilt and worked together when their structures fell.


 Pencil, ziplock bag, and water challenge
With this challenge, students discussed how pencil placement (location and angle) made a difference. They made connections between water pressure and their personal experiences of using drinking straws. This was a fun one that was mesmerizing for students to watch.

 Build a kite or parachute that can rise and stay in the air the longest
This challenge really highlighted the idea of adapting your prototype until it works. Students went through many versions of their kites until they were ready to compete.

When I sent the kiddos off, they were definitely excited for the break. But I made sure to give a little preview of some projects that would be waiting for them when they return in April. I'll be sure to give an update on here as well!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Narrative Input Charts (GLAD)

Image
 I'm so grateful that I was able to become a GLAD certified educator early in my career. This week long training I took several years ago has really changed the way I teach and stuck with me. While I have a lot to learn, there are some strategies that I use regularly in my classroom. Narrative Input Charts are one of my favorite strategies to get students excited, connected, and thinking to our learning material. Top Tips For Narrative Input Charts: 1. Choose a powerful text  Whenever possible use texts from perspectives that might be missing in your curriculum. At the beginning of the year I use Narrative Input Charts to show the perspective of the Indigenous People in Pre-Columbian North America. A Boy Called Slow by Joseph Bruchac is a great text to help students connect to what it was like to live in the great plains. 2. Include interesting pictures Students are hooked by good pictures in stories. Teaching the upper grades it is especially important to include images that ...
Read more

Primary Source Gallery Walk

Image
To get students engaged in learning about the Road to War (American Revolution), I had them do a gallery walk with primary sources. This is one of my favorite ways to get students to look closely at primary sources. These dynamic images really lend themselves to sparking questions and interesting observations. Students start with a stack of sticky notes and then silently walk around the room. They make observations, infer what the creator's purpose or intention might have been, and write any connections that they can make with background knowledge. I adore how students were fully focused on the primary sources and thinking deeply. They were excited to share their thoughts and hear their peers' ideas. 
Read more

Grumpy Dragon

Image
When my students are working on independent tasks, I have a screen display of things they must do, may do, and what they might have missed (catch up). It usually looks something like this: I also like to have a cheesy joke or fun image on there to be playful. One day, I added a picture of a grumpy dragon and the students loved it. I found myself wondering where the picture had come from. A few minutes later I discovered that it was a statue available on Amazon. I displayed the listing and asked my students if I should buy it. They said, "Yes!" and $30.00 later my very own grumpy dragon was bought and paid for. Here are some things I noticed as we discussed if we should get grumpy dragon: 1. The dimensions were listed and students had no idea how big grumpy dragon would be (this was during trimester 2, so my teacher heart was panicking that they didn't recognize the measurements or relate it to the volume project we had done this year). 2. While students were unsure how bi...
Read more