Third graders in Mrs. Lauri Myer’s class at Perdido School were recently involved in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) project, and this particular project tied directly into our Literature Unit on the book, Soft Rain. The students were involved in a Literature circle study on the book, which is about a 9 year old Cherokee Indian girl, told by her perspective, of their lives prior to the Trail of Tears. After the students had completed the story, they were divided into groups of four. Each group had to design their own Indian shelter with the following criteria, (which utilizes all components of STEM): It was to be waterproof, windproof, stand on its own, and have an entrance. The students filmed and recorded, by groups, their process and the results of the experiment. Their testing involved: whether it was windproof (use a fan) and waterproof. The STEM projects that the students will work on this year are part of PBL (Project Based Learning) grouping within our classroom. The purpose of this method is to; inspire, provoke higher thinking skills, inquiry, and challenge the students. These are open ended experiences which will require the students to generate ideas and work with their peers.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 21:40:50 +0000