Teaching STEAM

During the last unit of the year, each third through fifth-grade class is making a movie. The students picked if they wanted to be on the cast or crew. Each class picked the play they wanted to perform from a list I gave them. There are about 8-12 acting parts in each script. Starting tomorrow, students will begin filming their movie. Instead of spending a lot of time making backdrops or rearranging the classroom furniture, the groups will use an app on the iPad called Veescope to record the acting in front of a green screen. I have tried to use a green screen in the past but did not have much success. One time the material was wrinkly, another time the green paper was too small, no matter what I tried I could not get a green screen that would show a solid backdrop. I had a green double bed top-sheet I tried to use in the past. For this project, I decided to sew pockets on two ends and put the sheet in a PVC pipe frame. I took the sheet home along with four lengths of pipe and fo...

At the end of the third quarter, I did a major remodel of my classroom in order to partition off a section for the "Moon Base." This meant that I boxed up a lot of my equipment that I wouldn't be using for a while and stored it in the school basement (I call it the dungeon for fun). One thing slated for the dungeon was a nail loom my students used last year. The nail loom is used to weave rag rugs. The warp was already on the loom, so instead of taking it to the dungeon, I decided to bring it home. Yesterday I put the weft on and then crocheted the edges off the loom. One of the teacher's at the school is having her baby soon. I am going to give her this rug on Monday.

On Thursday before work, I ran into WalMart to get some Loctite for the bolts on the CNC machine some students and I are putting together. On my way past the craft section, I noticed some new storage containers for a little over $12. The clear plastic box has 16 smaller plastic boxes in a rainbow of colors. I grabbed one thinking I could use it for my small LEGO pieces. After thinking about the container and my small LEGO pieces, I went back to WalMart on Friday to get two more boxes. Previously my LEGO pieces were inventoried into the LEGO Mindstorm kits I purchased from a grant I was awarded from the Quest Foundation (now Century Link) about seven years ago. Inventorying the kits was a huge job and the student groups did not have equal abilities to complete the task. This meant that the kits did not all have the parts they needed. In addition to the lack of quality during inventory time, students would spill the kits at least once while using them. So I gave up trying to keep the ...

Today I drove my pickup around town looking for pallets. I collected three truck loads from Moscow Building Supply. The people in the lumberyard were kind and helped me load a couple of difficult pieces. The truck bed still had more room so I stopped next at Dutch Brothers. I purchased a Vanilla Latte for the music teacher who took all the students to practice for the Spring Concert. After my third load, I was going to call it a day when I noticed a nice bunch of pallets in the back of the Mallory Paint Store. I'm glad I stopped because the load I picked up from the paint store had the nicest boards.  Picking up the pallets was one step in a spring project I planned for the students at the school. In a few weeks, the school will have a family STEAM event with a theme of recycling. The reclaimed pallet wood will be used to engrave student designed work on a square piece.  Students also learn about the manufacturing process. I still have a lot of work to do to get the boards ...

Some of the fourth-grade students expressed interest in becoming self-sustainable if going on a mission in outer space, specifically the Moon. They thought that chickens would provide important nutrition for astronauts and asked if they could get some. I have never raised chickens before, but how hard can it be? I said yes if they would take care of them. One student particularly interested in getting the chicks did her homework and brought me a list of all the things I would need for our chickens. I scrounged around and found an old rabbit cage in the school storage room. I already had a heat lamp we used for an experiment about the transfer of light energy depending on a container's color. I also visited my neighbors, who raise a few chickens, and I borrowed a feeder and a watering container from them. The chicks were a big hit with almost everyone. A handful of students visit the STEAM room during their recess time so they can get a few more moments with the chicks. Last...

Since the beginning of the school year, a group of fourth-grade students prepared to go on a mission to the moon. Three studied to be biological engineers, two robotic engineers, two electrical engineers, one a programming engineer, two communication engineers, and one a social engineer. Each student picked an area of interest to pursue. At the beginning of the school's fourth quarter, these students could turn in an application to participate in a mission. If the application was accepted the student would receive their 'space suit' and an American Flag to go on their left shoulder. These are the first recruits.  As the recruits accomplish goals they earn points which move them up in rank. At each new rank, the recruits get to put a new sticker on their 'space suit.' Our first mission was launched on Monday. Three student 'astronauts' received their assignment through Google Docs and took our 'space vehicle' out for a ride. After complet...

On Tuesday mornings before school, a group of students starts their day in the STEAM room playing Minecraft. These students join in groups up to five to build villages, mine items and protect themselves from attack. Each group huddles together and talks about their plan.  "I'll build this section of our house if you go mine some Redstone." I hear some students say. I watch them talk, type messages and collaborate while working in their Minecraft World. Some of these students have been working in the same world for about three years. Minecraft is a sandbox video game, meaning that the game provides the materials but what you do with them is left up to your imagination. The students who play work together toward a common goal. The goal is typically decided by the group. The learning environment may seem chaotic to an outside observer but micro-conversations are taking place amongst the groups. "I found peace in creative," says one student. ...

For the past four years, I have been organizing a special celebration for our school community called STEAM Day. Along with my other responsibilities for the day, I write a grant to the Idaho STEM Action Center to purchase some equipment to introduce to the students. I try to select something to inspire the students to pursue making, inventing, and using their STEAM skills outside the classroom. This year I chose to purchase two CNC machines to demonstrate ways people fabricate things in industry. Fortunately, the Idaho STEM Action Center, along with visionary companies in Idaho such as Cable One, provide funding for about 60 STEM awareness events across the state. I found out in mid-March that I received about $1000 funding to purchase two CNC machines. CNC stands for computer numeric control. This means a person can create a design on the computer and using compatible software, transfer the design into a code that the CNC machine reads to engrave the design into some material...

Thursday morning I started teaching a group of fourth grade students how to share a file they created on Easal, an app used to design things to be printed using a CNC machine. I turned to see one of my students with a look of amazement on her face. She didn’t say anything, and I didn’t have a clue what was going on, so I kept teaching. It’s difficult to know when to ask, “What’s up?” I could get a range of answers from, “The booger Jamie picked is huge.” to, “The butterflies are hatching.” Seconds later someone exclaimed, “There’s a butterfly coming out of its cocoon!” “Hey, everyone!” I shouted. “The butterflies are emerging.” Almost everyone gathered around. I had an iPad in my hand which I was using to give instructions. I pressed down the home button and switched to the camera app. I set the app to video and handed it to a nearby student saying, “Will you please record the butterflies for us?” Two of the five chrysalises opened to reveal their monarch butterflies. Crazy as th...