Investigations in class

Tonight we were able to investigate landing on the moon. We had to build a rocket that could drop a marble on a target as it was flying down a piece of string. My group decided to build a rocket using a cup and an index card as a wing and as a door. When the rocket flew down the string it would stop hard enough for the marble to push open the door and land on the target. When we tried on the first pass our marble landed too far away from the target. We were given some great advice from our classmates that helped revisit the drawing board and fix our rocket. We were able to land on the target on our second pass thanks to a revised wing on the back of the cup.

This lesson helped me realize that it is a great idea to always give students the ability to revisit their ideas in order to redesign. Trial and Error is a key element of STEM and allows for the students to really put their own ides to work and use their problem solving skills.

Earthquake Lesson

I decided to use my groups STEM problem to teach my students about earthquakes. We did this in two groups so that my students could work together and use team building skills in this lesson. My students really enjoyed this lesson and were engaged and asking higher-order questions during the lesson. They were debating each other and using great social skills in the lesson. (this is very important in 1st grade!)

Lesson Plan:

• Begin by telling students that their challenge is to create a building/structure using toothpicks/straws and marshmallows/twizzlers/string that they thought would be strong enough to survive an earthquake, just like real architects have to do.

• Next, it is time to put them to the test.

• Have students present their structure and show the class.
• Using aluminum trays filled with jello have students start to shake things up. Each group get a tray of jello. In pairs, they put their structures on the jello then shake it out for 10-15 seconds.Give students time to discuss what worked and what didn’t work.
• Some structures survive, others don't. The students learn the importance of building a strong base and how having one can help keep people and whole cities safer during an earthquake
• Extension: Allow students to fix their structure and try again!

Introducing students to STEM

How can I introduce my students to STEM?
 A great resource is to first start looking into why STEM is important and how it can affect the students in their future. Students in 1st grade begin looking at careers in the community and discussing what they want to do. It would be a great resource for students to start researching careers and seeing how they impact their lives using STEM. Here is a great link to use! http://stemcareer.com/students/

Inventing a backscratcher

Today, Katie taught a lesson in my 1st grade classroom. The students were inventing their very own backscratcher. Yes, 1st graders really enjoyed this lesson! The students began the lesson by brainstorming ideas in groups. Each group drew up a sketch of what they wanted their design to be like. They were extremely creative and used a lot of imagination to create. Katie and the students tested out the different designs and then decided as a class whose design was the best design.
Katie did a great job at teaching this lesson. The students really listened and were engaged in this lesson. She spent a lot of time instructing the students (1st graders need a lot of instruction).

STEM!

STEM!! I am so excited to start getting others excited about STEM. I have been discussing the idea of STEM with other teachers and staff at my school. It is a topic that I am relating to all of our subjects as much as possible. I am hoping that the more they hear about it they more they will want to know about it.
I am also looking into starting a STEM class in our after school care program next year. I really think that have a dedicated hour to STEM would get students wheels turning and get them excited about STEM!

Save the Animals Lesson

Today I taught a lesson on Save the Animals. This lesson centers around the idea of push and pull. The students used LEGO robots to help save stuffed animals from falling off of their desks. It was up to the students to determine whether they should push or pull the animals to safety. The robots that the students created were really creative and allowed for the students to put their own touch on this project. It took a few minutes at first for the students to grasp the concept of using the robots but once they mastered this skill they really enjoyed the lesson.
The students had a lot of energy on this day but were able to channel this energy into the lesson. The lesson was a success and allowed for me to incorporate a few of the STEM elements into my classroom.

Today I found out my school participates in the Elementary school Sci Oly. I am really excited to hear that my school is participating in this. I hope that one day my students can be excited and participate in this awesome experience. A few of the teachers take students every year to compete. A lot of the students seem to enjoy being able to create projects and do hands on experiments. I am hoping to start introducing my 1st graders to what Sci Oly is so that when they are old enough they can begin participating.

Sci Oly

Today, I participate as a volunteer at SciOly. I was assigned to work with Dr. Revelle in the A & P event as well as the anatomy event. This event was a simple test for middle school (Anatomy) and High School (A&P). The students were given 55 minutes to complete the examination. They were allowed to have one front and back paper with any information they chose. They were also able to work in pairs or individually.

The first test given was to high school students. Before we began Dr. Revelle informed us that their will be students who do not bring anything with them (no paper or writing utensils). During the high school test, two groups did not bring their allowed paper. Both of the groups were partner groups that consisted of both boys. One group seemed to take their time and really try while the other group seemed to be there to just play around. (They were putting answers that were not relevant to the topics) This group of students overall consisted of a good mixture of boys and girls and ethnicities. 

The second test was to middle school students. They had the same rules and procedures to follow. A few of these students came in late, with one student missing her partner until a few minutes after the test had already started. This group was the same as the first when it came to the amount of boys and girls testing. A few boys did not bring a pencil and had to ask to borrow one from the professor. All groups did bring a paper with information to help them with their test. The biggest difference I noticed was that there was more individual testers in this group.

Overall, the day was interesting to think about the data and statistics that we discuss in class and relate them to what was seen during this event. After grading the test, the winning group in each division was a partner team that consisted of both boys. I enjoyed being able to see STEM at work in such young students and seeing what our future will consist of when it comes to jobs in the STEM fields.