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6 Characteristics of Great STE(A)M Lessons 1. Focus on real-world issues and problems 2. Guided by the engineering design process 3. Immerse students in hands-on inquiry and open ended exploration 4. Involve students in productive teamwork 5. Apply rigorous math and science content and hopefully the arts! 6. Allow for multiple right answers and reframe failure as a necessary part of learning

Characteristics of Great STE(A)M Lessons

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6 Characteristics of Great STE(A)M Lessons

1. Focus on real-world issues and problems 2. Guided by the engineering design process 3. Immerse students in hands-on inquiry and open ended

exploration 4. Involve students in productive teamwork 5. Apply rigorous math and science content and hopefully

the arts! 6. Allow for multiple right answers and reframe failure as

a necessary part of learning

STEM lessons focus on real-world issues and problems Consider how you can apply what students

are learning to a real-world situation

http://bigshantystem.weebly.com/

STEM lessons are guided by the engineering design process

STEM lessons immerse students in hands-on inquiry and open-ended exploration

The path to learning is open ended, within constraints

Work is hands-on and collaborative Decisions about solutions are student-

generated Students communicate to share ideas and

redesign their prototypes as needed.

STEM lessons involve students in productive teamworkTeach collaboration and teamwork!

STEM lessons apply rigorous math and science content your students are learning (and hopefully integrate the arts, too!)

Purposely connect and integrate content from math and science courses

Show that science and math are not isolated subjects, but work together to solve problems

The arts play a critical role in product design and presentation

STEM lessons allow for multiple right answers and reframe failure as a necessary part of learning

Let’s Give This A Try!Your best friend lives right next door and even though you hang out practically all the time, you wish you could talk even more. You aren’t allowed to have a cell phone, so you decide to create a “phone” using string and cups. Your bedroom windows are so close together (only 2 yards apart!), you could easily stretch the string between your houses.

Now you need to design and build the best phone you can using the materials you have available.

Identify the ProblemYour best friend lives right next door and even though you hang out practically all the time, you wish you could talk even more. You aren’t allowed to have a cell phone, so you decide to create a “phone” using string and cups. Your bedroom windows are so close together (only 2 yards apart!), you could easily stretch the string between your houses.

Now you need to design and build the best phone you can using the materials you have available.

Brainstorm What are some possible

solutions to the problem that you are trying to solve? After you brainstorm, draw and label your ideas on paper.

Labels MUST be clearly defined

Build, Test, and Improve Criteria:

The phone must span a distance of 2 yards.

The listener must be able to hear the message clearly.

Constraints: You may only use the materials

provided. Complete the challenge within the

time allotted.

Explore Test the phones created by each group.

Which phone allows the speaker to be heard most clearly?