BY Kevin Tavares
Center School
Project Description
OHS STEAM Team
Our goal is expose students to hands-on opportunities that will get them excited about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and science) careers.This enrichment opportunity will supplement the existing curriculum where students investigate circuits, but will also support engineering practices in the classrooms allowing all students to design their own projects. Math will also be incorporated into every lesson, as well as art. Students will draw schematics to go along with their creations. Our hope is that the curriculum supplement will enrich the science curriculum with hands-on projects that can be used throughout the school year and activities linked to the engineering practices of the Next Generation Science Standards.
How will the project be evaluated (e.g. how will you gauge its success)
The project will be evaluated using multiple methods and modes. We will use observation and student feedback as our primary measure. Students will also be keeping journals as part of a writing component. Both structured and unstructured “free play” lessons will utilize rubrics to guide students.
End of year culminating activities will also be viewed by students, staff, and District administration.
Benefit to the students and the school
We will incorporate littleBits into the curriculum through both math and science. In science, students study forms of energy. In math, students incorporate the mathematical practice of making sense of problems and persevering in solving them and attending to precision. littleBits offers students the opportunities to engage, explore, experiment and create incorporating these standards.
Timeline of Project (when will you do the project, if applicable)
This project will extend throughout the school year once funding is secured. The TEAM will meet weekly with students in grades three through five. Students in grade six will use an existing robotic component that the school already has.
