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STEAM at Atco Elementary: Shady Spot

This LibGuide will provide a description and importance of what STEAM is and what it looks like on our K-1 school. It will list different activities that we do in our school that involve our new STEAM enrichment.

Suggested Book

Annotated Bibliography: 

The book has a simple explanation of how a shadow is formed.

Additional books

Activity

Question

 

Can you create a tent that gives shade?    

      

Challenge Description: Students will design a simple model of a tent that provides a shaded area. They can use a paper plate for the base, construction paper for the tent, and unifix/linking cubes to prop up the tent. After the tents are constructed, they will take them outside to test. They will place one ice cube under their shaded tent and another ice cube in direct sunlight to observe the differences.

                

Suggested Materials: informational books about sunlight, paper plates, construction paper, unifix/linking cubes, ice cubes

Lesson Plan

Lesson plans                                                         

  1. Prime students’ background knowledge about sunlight by reading aloud an informational book of your choice.            

  2. Hold a class discussion about the difference between the shade and the sunlight. Have them write the words “cool” and “warm”/”hot” on the first page of their booklets. Brainstorm a list of ways that the sun is helpful and ways that it is harmful. Ask students to share what they already know about sunlight and what questions they have. Record their ideas on the provided teacher chart and have them add ideas to their individual booklets.        

  3. Introduce permitted materials and share the challenge. Allow students to share ideas for how the materials work and might fit together in different ways to create a shaded tent.        

  4. Allow students at least 30 minutes with partners or small groups to create and test a variety of designs, then bring them outside to test ice cubes under their tents and in direct sunlight. Allow them time to record observations in their STEM journals.    

  5. Hold a whole class closing discussion and reflection, allowing students to share what they created and what they learned about sunlight. Record their ideas on the provided teacher chart and have them finish their individual booklets.