The students are continuing to work on their homes during the building process of our homes unit. They also practiced using Flipgrid during their library periods last week. Reflection and the final building process will begin today!
After carefully planning and designing a home on paper students were put to the task of creating a model of their design. You could see the "STEAM" coming out of their ears as they shopped for materials and started to construct their homes.
It takes a great deal of "brain power" to come up with a design and plan for building a model of a home! This week students did a little house research to get a look at what a house could look like and who might live in their home.
Then, we set them loose to design and draw their vision of a home they might like to create a model of.
The excitement was palpable in the room as student came in and sat in the circle. Students shared what the letters of STEAM stood for. They quickly figured it out:
Science Technology Engineering Art Math
There were lots of discussions about whether items like watches and glasses are technology. The kids settled on technology as being something that makes life better for people.
Students watched this video of Molly and her chore-working creations. They looked for elements of STEAM within this video.
Then students were given a challenge to create the highest house possible with playing cards. No other rules!
They went right to it.
And we are off and running. And we discovered the only rules of STEAM time:
1. Use the material and tools to make things
2. If you can imagine it you can make it.
3. Use failure as an opportunity.
We are going to use these design elements for our STEAM challenges. Thanks for helping us meet the Donor's Choose goal and for your support!
(post by Katy Farber, working with the STEAM team here at OQS as a professional development coordinator at Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education at UVM).
