First Day of School - STEM Challenge Saving Fred
Students were challenged to save Fred the worm who was in trouble. Fred was out on Lake Erie enjoying a day of boating, but he was not wearing his life preserver. Since Fred is a worm with a very small brain, he didn't think about how important it is to make sure you are safe on the water. When a big wave came, his boat capsized, and Fred was caught on top of the upside-down boat while his life preserver was floating under the boat. The students worked in groups to plan how they could get the life preserver to Fred using only 4 paperclips. They were not allowed to touch the cup (boat), Fred, or the life preserver with their hands. By working together, each team saved Fred! Whew!
STEM Cup Challenge |
![Picture](/uploads/6/6/2/6/6626378/1123356.jpg?473)
Students were given 6 cups with three in a row. The bottom 3 cups were facing down on the table and on each down facing cup was another cup facing up to make three in a row stacked 2 high. Students were challenged to use a rubber band and four pieces of string about 24 inches long to stack the cups in a pyramid formation. They were not allowed to touch the cups with their hands. Once they figured out how to create a pyramid, they had to then use their materials to put the cups back in then original formation. They did great!
Testing Our Hypothesis
Will objects of different weights hit the ground at different times?
Fourth and fifth graders teamed up to test their hypothesis. The conclusion? GRAVITY ALWAYS WINS!
Week 2 - Puzzle Challenge
This challenge was so fun to watch! The students were given a puzzle with 50-60 pieces. The constraints were they were not allowed to talk; they had to communicate in some other way, and they did not have a picture of what the completed puzzle would look like. It was interesting to see the different forms of communication the students used, and the different strategies they used to build the puzzle. Students raced against the clock to be the first group done. The kids liked it so much that after a discussion of what worked and what didn't work, they wanted to try again using 100 piece puzzles.
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Week 3 - Index Card Tower Challenge
For this week's challenge, the students had to construct an index card tower that would hold a small stuffed animal. The constraints were that they were given 12 inches of scotch tape and 100 index cards. They could fold or cut the cards in way they wanted. The index card tower had to be at least 24 inches tall. A great discussion emerged from this challenge about the engineering needed to build tall towers. Students learned that they needed a wide base and that using layers helped strengthen the towers. They also discovered that circular structures are also very strong. It was a great day of learning!
Week 4 - Small Cup Tower ChallengeThis week student teams were challenged to use 48 small cups to create the tallest structure they could in 20 minutes. The groups learned valuable lessons today about the value of teamwork...along with not bumping their tables in order to achieve success. Our tallest structure was 23 inches with several others close behind. This design challenge lead to a great conversation about the construction and engineering behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris, as well as the pyramids in Egypt.
Week 5 - 100 Toothpick Tower ChallengeThis week's challenge was...well, challenging. Several students were very frustrated with this challenge. However, there were also some shining moments. The group that struggled to work together last week turned themselves around and worked together fabulously to be successful this week. We also learned that it is okay to fail. It is okay to get frustrated. But it is not okay to quit! The constraints for this challenge were the students only had 100 toothpicks and 2-3 handfuls of marshmallows to build the largest freestanding tower they could. We had some very interesting ideas...too bad the marshmallows got so sticky!
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Week 6 - Peppermint Racers Challenge
This week students were given the challenge to build a car that would go the farthest down a ramp. Their constraints were they had to have at least 2 wheels that spun, and they could only use the materials provided. Students were given peppermint and candy life savors. They were also given 2 different sized straws and popsicle sticks. The use of small dixie cups was optional. From this challenge, the students learned the heavier an object is, the more friction comes into play. They also learned that they would need more wheels for heavier cars. It was a fun challenge that led to discussions about gravity, friction, and even how semi trucks are constructed.
Week 7 - Mystery TubesThis week's lesson was all about making careful observations. Students spent time observing how the strings moved in the sample mystery tube (see example below). Students were required to make at least three detailed observations about what they noticed while I pulled on the various strings. It was also a good lesson on cause and effect. When one string was pulled, what was the effect on another string? Students then used their observations to make a hypothesis about how the tube worked. Students used toilet paper rolls and string to work on designing their own mystery tubes. Several students were successful, and several others took their tubes home to continue to work on a solution. Great minds at work!
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Week 8 - Solving Our Own Problem
This week students worked with their new table groups to solve a real life problem that we face in our classroom every day. We are messy! The challenge was for students to design a way to keep their books, folders, notebooks, and supplies neat. They had to find a system of organization that they believed would work for each member of their group. The major constraint was they had to fit all their materials into the two crates that are attached to the leg of their table. Each group used the design process to plan a system and then organize their materials. When all the groups were done, each group shared their method of organization. We decided to try it out for a few weeks, and then the groups to could redesign their crates by trying another group's idea if their method was not working for them. At first, students didn't understand why this was a "STEM Challenge," but after we used the design process to solve our problem, they understood how STEM is in everything we do. Nice work!
Week 9 - Experimenting with Candy
Since it was Halloween week this week, it was the perfect time to use candy to investigate the scientific method. It was also a perfect time to learn about the science behind candy making. First, students made a hypothesis about what they thought would happen when we dropped water on Gobstoppers. Then students had the chance to try it out and record their observations at 3, 5, and 8 minutes. Students realized that, at first, the colors ran into distinct sections, but then as more time passed, the colors started to run into each other. This led to a discussion on how Gobstoppers are made; layers upon layers of sugar that is also different colors. We also talked about the waxy covering that needed to dissolve first in order for the colors to begin to mix. We also discussed that the more time the candy had to sit in the water, the more the sugar dissolved. After the Gobstoppers, students were able to choose between different types of hard coated candy to design an experiment on their own. Most groups chose to use Skittles and vinegar. Because students changed the candy type and the liquid, after the second experiment, we discussed the importance of having a control in an experiment. Students understood that in order to truly test whether the liquid or the type of candy would change the results, they needed to redesign their experiment keeping either the candy or the liquid as the control. This was a great introductory lesson on designing and experiment.
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