STEAM Cycle 14

Kindergarten-
Structure & Function: Straw, Wood, & Bricks

After listening to the fable The Three Little Pigs, students retold the story including key details.  The students answered questions about the characters, major events in the story, and identified the materials used by each of the pigs in constructing their houses.  Students will continue to use the terms structure and function as they consider these important concepts in terms of the building materials the pigs chose.

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1st Grade-
Structure & Function: Build a Beanstalk

​After listening to Jack and the Beanstalk, the students retold key parts of the story.  As an introduction to the design process, the students used pipe cleaners to create the tallest model of a beanstalk possible.  After comparing the heights of the beanstalk models, the students tested the strength of the stalk by adding a golden egg to the top.  The students reviewed the terms: structure and function.  They were introduced to the Design Process and evaluation.

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2nd Grade-Pixel Pictures (cont.)

​The students learned that pixels are minute area of illumination on a display screen and that when they are placed strategically, they create the images we see.  After creating our own pixel pictures, we uploaded a snapshot to a Google Doc.

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3rd Grade-Speedometry 2

​Students began to explore how to increase the potential and kinetic energy of their Hot Wheels cars by building ramps.  Students determined that the slope of the ramp determines how far the car will travel.

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4th Grade-Maze: Sequence

​Navigating to and within code.org, joining our Code class, and beginning Course 1 were the focus of this cycle.  While completing a series of online puzzles, the students built on their understanding of algorithms.  Students developed sequential algorithms with familiar characters from Angry Birds.

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5th Grade-Build a Block Tower

​Working in groups, the students built the tallest Minecraft tower possible using the materials provided (paper blocks, scissors, and tape) and a time constraint.