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!

Catapults for Kids

I just love using STEM in my science and math classes.  We had just finished learning about simple machines and went into building a catapult.  The students had their supply list and were given a limited amount of time to research on the computer.  They had to sketch out their designs and were not allowed to look back at the computer the next day.

Here is the list of materials that they were allowed to use:

• Large and small craft sticks 10 altogether
• Rubber bands 6 or less
• Plastic spoon 1
• Binder clip 1
• Plastic cup 1
• Clothespin 1
• glue gun and masking tape

Grouping Tip:  No more than 3 in a group!!!  It cuts down on problems.  All kids have a chance to use materials and have a say.

Here is a video I like to show my students before we start.

Link to a recording sheet on Scholastic

Great resource and engineering website with sheets: Teach Engineering

Day One:  Imagine and Design

Here are my students researching designs.  I love listening to their ideas.

 Day 2: Building

The next day we started building.  My students really had to work together and collaborate to make their designs come to life!  I had one group that wanted to give up but they persevered and got the catapult to work.  Problem solving in action.

Building Tip:  Have a glue gun on hand!!!

 I found this design on the internet with zip ties!

 Day 3: Test and Rebuild

The students have a chance to test their catapult and make adjustments as necessary.  You might want to limit the amount of times they can test.  Hint for kids: I do tell the kids that the plastic spoon will bend and lose its strength and some will break,  they really need to support it. (I learned from last year)

 Day 4-5: Test for Distance and for Accuracy (Target)

Each group had three trials for distance.  We recorded on a table.  Then ranked in order.  Great place to reinforce some math.  Record in ft/in or m/cm.  Put on a graph.

Each group also had three trials for accuracy.  I made a target with points.  We added the totals of the three.

 Here is how you can bring the A into STEM.

Have the students decorate their catapults.

Building Materials & Simple Machines (Freebie)

Simple Machines & Engineering Unit

I had my husband put together bags of building materials:

nails

screws

piece of wood

piece of plastic

piece of pipe

wire

nuts and bolt

bracket

cardboard

zip tie

etc.

The students had to pick eight things that they would use to build a house from the bags.  They had to name the item, what it was made out of and identify purpose.  

  Love my fun-loving fifth graders!

 I had each group share one item and continued around the room until everything was shared.

Simple Machines

We watched a few video clips and read about the 6 simple machines.  I broke my two classes into six groups.  They created posters and shared them with their class.

Poster Requirements:

definition

facts

examples

illustration or diagram

I have the wooden models of the machines that my students love to use.

Click for Freebie Foldable