Transform Traditional Lessons into STEM Activities with Pizzazz!

Gail DickinsonSandy Weicks

John Hunt

What makes a project – STEM?

The four basic elements for crafting a STEM lesson:

1. Question/Problem —Real-world problems/questions are posed to students.

2. Inquiry-Based —Students "conduct original research" through inquiry-based and inspired lessons to test, gather, and analyze data.

3. Collaborative —Students work collaboratively to re-design and improve potential solutions.

4. Findings Communicated —Solutions and findings are communicated to peer communities

Steps to Great STEM Lessons

1. Prepare the STEM lesson around a topic you will be teaching.

2. Connect that topic to a real-world problem.3. Clearly define the STEM challenge students will tackle.4. Use the engineering design process.5. Involve students (in teams) in researching the content

for the challenge.

Steps to Great STEM Lessons (cont.)

6. Encourage teams to develop their own ideas about how to solve the problem.

7. Guide teams to choose one idea to test and then create their prototype.

8. Facilitate the process of prototype testing and evaluation.9. Involve teams in communicating their findings.10. Redesign if there’s time.

Suggestions

Begin lesson with a “hook” activity.Video, class discussion, hands-on activity

Be sure to include research/background infoInternet

Model if neededHave students model teacher

Include an inquiry pieceDirected inquiry

Follow the engineering design process

Engineering Design Process

Problem/Goal Research Brainstorm/Plan Design Create Prototype Test Prototype Improve

Difference Between Science & Engineering

Scientists tend to explore the natural world and discover new knowledge about the universe and how it works.

Engineers apply that knowledge to solve practical problems, often with optimizing cost, efficiency, or some other parameters.

I find out the HOW & WHY!

I FILL A NEED!

Sample Traditional Lessons Transformed Into STEM Lessons

Parachute Project Snack Attack iPhone Dock Google SketchUp

Traditional Physics LessonParachute Lesson

Lesson includes: following instructions for making parachute – make observations, time, record data, change one variable.

Transformed Physics LessonParachute STEM Project

Science Background:• Gravity• Newton’s Laws of Motion• Drag/Friction/Resistance• Free fall• Velocity- Terminal/Constant• Acceleration• Surface Area• Balanced &Unbalanced Forces

Science Skills:• Measuring• Observing• Analyzing• Data Collection• Sharing Information• Conclusion

Students will are hired to drop a payload of medicine to a remote hospital in Africa. The payload must descend at the slowest rate possible to protect it’s contents.

Parachute STEM Project (cont.)

IntroductionReview science conceptsResearch or review Parachute history

Activity 1- Parachute videoActivity 2 – Model teacherActivity 3 – Change one variableActivity 4 – Build from scratch

Traditional Lesson on Sound

Lesson or activities include: Various stations in which students make sounds.For example, a drum, tuning fork, coat hanger & singing tube.

Transformed Sound LessonDesign an iPhone Dock

Students will: Design an iPhone dock that will enhance the sound in one direction while supporting the phone.Science Background:• How sound works• Vibrations though objects• Sound waves/Wavelength • Volume• Amplitude• Crest/Trough• History of sound – Acoustic Mirrors

Traditional Physics Lesson – Egg Drop

Traditional lesson-students design a covering around an egg to protect it from breakage when dropped from a certain height.

Science skills – testing, gathering evidence, observing, force of gravity, Newton’s Laws.

Transformed Physics LessonSnack Attack

Science background:• chemical & physical changes in

matter• Newton’s Laws of Motion• force of gravity• transfer of energy• kinetic and potential energy• properties of materials –

plastic cardboard, aluminum

Science Skills:• observing• data collection• testing• conclusion• sharing information• collaboration• research

Students are part of an engineering firm who is hired to package a single serving of a S’more. The package must be economical and protect the product from breakage, heat and moisture.

Google SketchUp Activities

Google SketchUp is a type of CAD (Computer-aided Design) software is used by architects, engineers, drafters, artists, and others to create precision drawings or technical illustrations.

Google SketchUp is free!!!

Teaching Google SketchUp

1. Exploration2. Review basic tools3. Tutorials (simple – advanced)

Simple house Chair Dog house Pencil Circle house

Google SketchUp Activities

Design your own Dream HouseBetween 3,000 to 5,000 square feet

Must include:• living room• bed rooms• Kitchen• 2 bathrooms• Garage, carport• Landscape• Furnishings

Google SketchUp Activities

Design an Art MuseumApproximately 10,000 square feet

Must include:• Polygon/Octagon shape• Front door / Translucent• 10 paintings (Walter Anderson)• People• Furnished• Carpet/flooring• Wall color/texture• At least 2 rooms• Name on building• Landscape outside of building

Jump Start Activities

• Collaboration• Observation• Trial and Error• Brainstorming• Creativity• Communication• Problem Solving

• Measurement• Planning• Reflection• Learning from Others• Time Constraints• Goal Oriented• Competition

These type of activities help students work on:

Jump Start Activities

Let’s Have Some Fun!• Index Card Tower• Airplane Loops• Catapult• Kinetic Sculpturehttp://www-tc.pbskids.org/designsquad/pdf/parentseducators/ds_pe_event_guide_kinetic_sculpt.pdf

Other Activities

• Robot Hand • Art Robot

More Activities

• Design an iPhone Case

More Activities

• Improve Park Design

More Activities

Snack Bag AssemblyTeams of students in grades 6 to 8 learn about the field of industrial engineering and efficiency by creating an assembly line to pack as many snack bags in 2 minutes as possible. They then see if they can improve their process.

http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/snack-bag-assembly/

More Activities

1. Mental attitude2. Oxygen3. Shelter4. Warmth5. Rest6. Water7. Food

• 10 essentials in a coffee can

Survivor

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/uphamwoods/programs/documents/outdoorsurvivallessonplan.pdf

Students will practice basic outdoor survival concepts.

Tips

Provide a lot of guidance but few instructions.Mistakes and design failures are good methods

of learning.The STEM process may not be linear – the

sequence of events may change.Include Literacy & Art when possible.

Resource http://www.middleweb.com/4328/12-steps-to-great-stem-lessons/

Resources

Try Engineeringhttp://www.tryengineering.org/lesson-plans

Teach Engineeringhttp://www.teachengineering.org/

Engineering, Go For Ithttp://teachers.egfi-k12.org/category/lessons/

www.gmsmavs.com

Questions/Comments?

Gail Dickinson - gdickinson@madison-schools.com