Saturday, July 23, 2016

Start Your Engines: STEM race cars


Our school system has an amazing STEM program for students in grades 6-12.  Next year, we are going to STEAM.  The arts will become part of the curriculum and it will start in fifth grade.  I am beyond excited.  We kicked off STEAM with a week of school wide activities.  

Vel O'City showed up to teach science.  My student love when I dress up and even come up with ideas for me.  I ordered a black men's work jumpsuit from Amazon and striped it with checkered duct tape.  Cheaper than buying a costume.

The kids had a list of items that each had money values.  I gave them a budget and they had to design their car with their team.  Keep your groups no more than three!
I used the sheet from this amazing website, Teach Engineering.  It has the lesson, powerpoint and sheets.  The only thing I would change is add a little more money in the suggested budget.  I had some kids drop cars and break all their lifesaver wheels.  

Do not use Elmer's glue.  Use a glue gun.
Link
Here are my students creating their designs.
We brainstormed how this lesson is STEAM.  We created the poster before we started.  I am so impressed with their knowledge.
The next day we started building.
Here are kids testing and redesigning.
I forgot to take pictures on race day.  It was a little crazy the last week of school...LOL!

Here are a few videos from last year.  My husband made my tracks out of coil stock for siding houses.  The website suggests gutters.  


Now it is time to start your engines!

1 comment:

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