Creating STEM Lessons with the “Secret Ingredient”(7-12) Gail Dickinson

Notes Teachers/Gail Dickinson/SDE 2013

Stem’s Ingredient secret

Iron Chef Video

Session Focus Participants will Design a meaningful lesson plan using a “special ingredient”. Explore instructional strategies using “secret ingredients” as a focus. Present their work to the class.

How is this used in the classroom? Check for prior knowledge Assessment of understanding Engaging activity for learning Exploration

The Engineering Process

The Secret Ingredient is Cups This lesson is used after instruction as an assessment.

Task/Lesson – Along Came a Spider Participants will create an anatomically correct Arthropod using a plastic cup as the main ingredient. Participants may also use any of the items from the “junk’ box. Pre-assessment Explore Post-assessment

Instructions Students will work in groups of 3 – Design and build an Arthropod – Label the parts – Provide the function of each part – relating it to the survival to it’s environment – Present project to the class Explain the adaptations Answer questions

Now it is your turn!

Create a lesson to use in your classroom with your “secret ingredient”. Your team will create a lesson plan/activity that uses a “Secret Ingredient” as the main focus. Fill out the lesson plan sheet Share your lesson plan/activity. Shhhhh!

Secret Ingredient Gumballs

You will have 20 minutes to create a meaningful STEM related lesson for your students using “Gumballs” as the main ingredient. Fill out the lesson plan sheet. Share your lesson with the class.

Other Activities Secret Ingredient is - beads – Create a lesson using colored plastic beads Lesson: Water cycle bracelet (DI – write a poem, song, perform, take pictures or create a PowerPoint presentation.) Math lesson – calculate your bracelet Math/Technology – estimation lesson

Secret Ingredient is Crayons Science: Demonstrate erosion and the rock cycle. Math – Fractions – take out ? Number of crayons out of a box of 12 or 24

Secret Ingredient is cotton Create the 3 main types of clouds Demonstrate saturation with cotton

Other “Junk” Project-Based Lessons Design a simple machine Have the machine perform a simple task Join 2 or more simple machines together (from different groups) to make a compound machine.

Parody of “Survivor” TV show, students will be provided with opportunities to solve problems of various “survivor”scenarios. Examples: – Shelter – Make shift bedding – Tools – for eating, protection – Create a survival kit Survival of the Fittest

Now it is your turn!

Demonstrate one of Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion using “junk”. Pre-assessmentExplore Post-assessment

You will have 20 minutes to demonstrate one of Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion using items from the “Junk” box. DI- you may present your demonstration with- drawings, technology, song, poem, storytelling, movement, etc.

Questions/Comments