National Science Week: Game Changers & Change Makers

Wow, what a massive week Science Week turned out to be! This year was the first time our school has hosted a community after school STEAM Fair and it was sensational to have so many people come along to learn and play.  This event celebrated "Game Changers and Change Makers" and showcased some of the wonderful STEM/STEAM projects our students have been working on. 

We were lucky enough to receive generous funding through the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA) school grants for Science week; without this support we would not have been able to have as many interactive activities for our families to get involved in.

The day started early with some student representatitives invited to talk on live radio about what Science Week means to them. The students handled the pressure of live interviewing well and I was so proud of them. For part of the interview they were asked what they liked the most about Science:

"I like the hands-on part of learning, getting to put things together to make something, building, creating ... We started making a game for younger kids. We've animated a fridge and it's got to run around and collect the good food and not collect the bad food." - William

"I love Science because you get to do things that you normally wouldn't get to do if you were just at home, and you get to do things that are different and really fun. You get to do hands-on learning and it's not just sitting back to watch, you get to play with it as well." - Edie

"I love STEM and STEAM because you get to do hands on stuff instead of just normal school, you get to make stuff." - Georginia

"I really love Science because you get to step out of your comfort zone and you get to help the world with the real life issues, and as everyone has said the hands-on learning is really the best part." - Bella

It's not every day a Makey-Makey appears on live radio!

After school we had our STEAM Fair, which was open to the wider school community with the aim of promoting the value of hands-on learning activities and inquiry-based learning. It was amazing to have so many families (and people from the broader community) come along to get a first-hand glimpse at the technology and activities that our students are engaging with in their classrooms.

This term we have had the opportunity to borrow Spheros from CSER Digital Technologies Lending Library, and they were certainly a hit at the fair! Here are a few snaps of some Sphero soccer fun:

We also had plenty of buzzing around the Bee Bots we had borrowed from Launceston NGN STEAM Room, and our Ozobot towns and tracks. Some students had created straw mazes and simple arcade games out of recyled materials, which people enjoyed testing:

 

Year 3s used their visual art skills to share "Inventions that were Game Changers and Change Makers":

There were Makey-Makey arcade games to play, and we also had a few interesting game controllers to test out! Rain clouds in a jar was one of the simple science experiments we had set up to explore:

Here's a slide with other simple STEAM activities we had set up for people to enjoy:


By the end of the day I'd clocked up a fair few steps on my fitbit ... I wonder if I can beat it next year!

For more Science Week fun see National Science Week - Part 2

Protostorming

What a fantastic start to the year! My colleagues and I decided to try something new for our STEM/STEAM lessons. Our primary classrooms are grouped as double units; each pair of classrooms is joined by a large glass double door. We decided to join two classes at a time, so that means over 50 students all working together. 

I was a bit worried that it might be a bit ambitious at the start of the school year, but our students really stepped up and I was suprised by how calm it was despite the large numbers! 

To kick off the year, we had a quick recap on what STEM is, and then we were straight into creating. The learning intentions were to practice working as a team and using our resilience strategies when things didn't go as planned. 

As part of starting off the school year smoothly, students had already been tuned into what resilience looks, sounds and feels like with their class teachers:

By Year 3 Students

By Year 3 Students

Each table group had a different material and they had a short amount of time to brainstorm some words to describe the properties of their item. The items included straws, stockings, paper napkins, cotton balls, icy pole sticks, toothpicks, rubber bands and string. They then needed to quickly draw and write some ideas for what they could make using that item as the main (not sole) ingredient.

I then introduced the concept of protostorming (inspired and taken from Questacon's makerspace sessions during STEM X Academy). Students were instructed to use any available materials to rapidly build lots of rough, unfinished prototypes or models. The focus was on quantity not quality, and the goal was just to get them creating.  They loved it and came up with so many fantastic ideas!   

Team Challenges

As we're wrapping up the school year we are tackling a few shorter team work challenges including parachutes in 20 minutes, stacking cups using rubber bands and no hands, and sleighs that can slide down ramps of varying angles.

Parachutes

Using the materials provided, can your team design a parachute that can help a 'passenger' land on the ground safely?

Which design elements contribute to a parachute taking longer to reach the ground?

We also had a few quick team-work challenge found on Pinterest:

Christmas Design Challenge:

Can you design a sleigh that will safely carry a bag of marbles down ramps of varying angles?

Stacking Cups

Can your team stack the cups into a pyramid using string tied to a rubber band?

The Most Magnificent Thing

My Prep (Foundation) students loved this STEM themed library lesson! 

Lesson outcomes

·         Record ideas with a labelled drawing

·         Make a model using different materials

·        Share ideas and creations with others

Lesson Steps

1. Read The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spiers

2. Present Open Ended Challenge – to design and build your most magnificent thing.  If you could make or create anything, what would it be? What could it be used for?

3.  Discuss learning intentions: “We are learning to…”

4. Provide opportunity for students to explore materials available to them.  Brainstorm during whole group the kinds of things they might create.

5. Sketch and label a plan of their ‘most magnificent thing’ as well as a list or drawings of the materials they will need.

6. Choose from a variety of supplied materials to create and build their model.

7. Share their most magnificent things and reflect on learning. 

They were all so proud of their magnificent things!

“When we allow children to experiment, take risks, and play with their own ideas, we give them permission to trust themselves. They begin to see themselves as learners who have good ideas and can transform their own ideas into reality” (Martinez & Stager, 2013, p. 36). 

Australian Curriculum Links:

Design and Technologies: Foundation – Year 2: Generate, develop and record design ideas through describing, drawing and modelling (ACTDEP006)

Arts – Visual Arts: Foundation – Year 2: Create and display artworks to communicate ideas to an audience (ACAVAM108)

General Capabilities - Critical and Creative Thinking: Imagine possibilities and connect ideas