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

3. Creating STEM Lessons with the “Secret Ingredient”(7-12) Gail Dickinson gdickinson@madison-schools.com

4. Notes • www.GMSmavs.com • Teachers/Gail Dickinson/SDE 2013

5. secret Stem’s Ingredient

6. Iron Chef Video

7. 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.

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

9. The Engineering Process

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

12. 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. Explore Pre-assessment Post-assessment

13. 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

14. Now it is your turn!

15. 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!

16. Secret Ingredient Gumballs

17. 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.

18. 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

19. 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

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

21. 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.

22. Survival of the Fittest • 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

23. Now it is your turn!

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

25. 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.

26. Questions/Comments