Paper Towers (1st Grade) In this introduction to making activity, 1st grade students build paper towers using limited resources and design constraints. This project can follow an ELA fairy tales unit, with stories about strong structures or towers, like The Three Little Pigs or Rapunzel. Guiding Questions: What makes a building strong? What [...]
Make a Chase Game with Scratch 3.0 - 4th & 5th Grade In this introductory Scratch activity, students are guided through the Scratch 3.0 tutorial called, "Make a Chase Game." This activity is designed for students who have little to no experience using Scratch. As an extension, have 4th/5th grade [...]
Design Furniture for a Stuffed Animal - 4th & 5th Grade NGSS Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science Performance Tasks: 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria [...]
Name Your Makerspace & Decorate Promote a Maker Mindset F - first A - attempt I - in L - learning Cardboard Connections More Cardboard Connections 3D Paper Techniques for Decorating Projects The Sticko-Meter - Which glue is best?
Design a Multiplication Game using Micro:bit (4th/5th Grade) Use the Google Site link below to guide students through the unit. Introduction to Micro:bit Programming & Multiplication Game Design (Google Site) CA Computer Science Standards 3-5.AP.11: Variables are used to store and modify data. Students use variables in programs they create. [...]
Create quilt squares & classroom quilt - Kindergarten / 1st Grade Lesson Plan and Rubric PDF CA Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Reading Standards for Literature K–5 Kindergarten 1. With prompting and support, ask and [...]
Build a Balanced Forces Robot (3rd Grade) Use the Google Site link below to guide students through the unit. Balanced Forces Robot Unit (Google Site) NGSS Performance Expectation. 3-PS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an [...]
Build a Seed Dispersal Animal Robot (2nd Grade) Use the Google Site link below to guide students through the unit. https://sites.google.com/view/grade2legowedointrounit/home Performance Expectation. 2-PS1-3: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new [...]
STEAM Vision and K-5 Progression Nothing is more important in a public school district than a clear vision for how instructional programs will impact student achievement. The same reasoning applies to subsegments of a district vision, like the vision for a STEAM program. When designing a K-5 STEAM program, vision comes first. Here, I'd like [...]
Create characters with Move! by Steve Jenkins using Kibo Robots. (Kindergarten / 1st Grade) Students read Move! with their teacher. The teacher facilitates a discussion to chart animals from the story and their movements. Then, students choose an animal, make a sketch on 8 1/2" x 11" paper, and program Kibo robots to [...]