Merging STEAM/STEM with Reading - Novel Engineering

This. Will. Change. Your. Life.

Merging STEAM/STEM with Reading...

by Engineering Solutions for Books!

So, you're students are already superstars at identifying the main problem of a story...but have they have had the chance to actually DESIGN & CREATE different solutions for those problems!? You need to do this with your kiddos.

      

This can be done with picture books like these....










or novels  (even during literature circles!) like these...














With this easy-to-use guide, your students will be identifying problems, brainstorming solutions, working collaboratively, MAKING, giving feedback, and improving their designs using the 5 EASY STEPS OF ENGINEERING DESIGN:

1. Ask
2. Imagine
3. Plan
4. Create
5. Improve

Check out some of the creations that students came up!

An under-ground storage area!

A hover board!

A way to prevent forest fires!

The nitty gritty of it...

Merging STEAM/STEM with Social Studies

In our Social Studies curriculum students learn about the different Native American Cultural Regions, but students had a hard time internalizing and understanding the big ideas. To help students empathize with Native Americans and better understand how Native Americans relied on resources and adapted to their environments, they really needed a hands-on experience.

This is the Native American STEAM/STEM Lesson I used! 

Here's how it went! 

We defined natural resources and I showed them a map of the United States. We discussed what we knew about the natural resources that can be found in these areas as well as possible environmental challenges. 

I then revealed that we were going to be designing a house to withstand these environmental challenges using only natural resources available. 

Cue the party music.

I split students into each Native American Cultural Region group and allowed them to read about what resources they would have available to them as well as which environmental challenges they would have to learn to adapt to. 

Purchase HERE!

I showed them the spread of goodies they would get to use: 

Please note that some of the materials don't resemble the natural resource (ie. tape = soil). The reason is that Native Americans used soil as an adhesive.   Also, if resources were "scarce," there was a limit to how much they could take, otherwise I did not limit them. 

AND...Cue the frustrations.

"WHAT?! We don't even get SOIL?!" 

"HEY! That group gets more resources than we do!!" 

Keep calm and use this as a teachable moment. 

Through this students will learn that based on where these Native Americans lived, they were limited to their surroundings. This helped them develop their culture. Plus, once students get to creating and problem-solving, they'll be all smiles. 

After students have ample amount of time to build, let them test! You can either have students come up with appropriate ways to test environmental challenges, or you can have tests pre-made. I had all materials sitting out which made testing pretty self-explanatory. 

After testing, provide students with time to share their designs with the class and reflect. Allow students to share feedback. An important part to the process is letting students actually make changes to their original design. Students should then go back and redesign then retest. I had students retest a different day. 

This lesson was not only a blast to do and watch, but students really did get the big ideas. We went to the museum later that month to see the Native American exhibit, and the connections made.....well...

SPARK Students' Interests by Bringing in Community Members

What better way to spark student interests than bringing in parents and community members!? 

We did just that at our school. I have always been inspired by Ted Talks, like these:

The Key To Success: Grit by Angela Lee Duckworth

Do Schools Kill Creativity? by Ken Robinson

• Success Through Effort (Okay-Not a Ted Talk but still great!)
• Why You Need to Fail

I was inspired by Ignite Chicago's version of Ted Talks where people are tasked with the following:

I decided to bring it to our school. The plan was to have parents and community members come share short presentations (20 slides that advanced automatically every 15 seconds) to spark new interests in our students (see what I did there?) for Genius Hour! Andddd....it was AMAZING! We had 11 volunteers come share their passions, hobbies, and/or careers with our students. After about an hourlong presentation, I heard gaggles of students (and teachers!) say things like, "I want to be a pilot!" and "Maybe I should be a rock star?" and "That was SO cool!"...and it was! The plan is to turn it around and have some of our students do the SAME thing after their genius hour projects. Not only is it engaging, but it's incredibly challenging!

Our SPARK event was even featured in the Chicago Tribune! Check it out here: 5 Minute Lectures Highlight Careers

Here's the quick how-to:

• Check with your principal and teachers. (We did 3rd-5th grade at our school.)
• Create a quick poster like this:

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• Share it EVERYWHERE: Twitter, School newsletters, and more! I searched local businesses and even our local mayor's office (Yes! He came!) for contact information and sent out the flyer. We had a great response!

• Make sure that all schedule changes (for Specials/etc.) are made.

• Check with secretary about signing in procedures.

• Get all the tech ready, including microphones and projectors!

• It's SHOWTIME!

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• Have kids write thank you notes afterwards.

• After students complete their Genius Hour projects, look for volunteers who are ready for the challenge of presenting this way!