Tying in the Standards

 In this series, I am sharing how I design my STEAM curriculum.   Post #1 - The introduction,  Post #2 - After the topic is chosen,  Post #3 - Wind tunnels, Post #4 - Recruiting an Expert, Post #5 - Preliminary plans for hosting a paper airplane contest, and this post I will share the Next Generation Science Standards that align with this curriculum. 

I have14 days of 50 minute periods to work with around 180 3rd through 5th-grade students. This unit will start at the beginning of the school year, so I need to plan time for everyone's reentry to school routines. I am fairly confident this unit will be highly motivational to most students. Students will be exposed to science, technology, engineering, art, and math through this integrated unit. Students will be exposed to the following fundamentals.

  • Science - scientific inquiry, properties of matter, motion and forces, fluid dynamics, transfer of energy. 
  • Technology - design process
  • Engineering - making models, fair tests
  • Art - paper folding
  • Math - problem-solving, reasoning, symmetry, measurement

Next Generation Science Standards
    
    Third Grade
    3.Forces and Interactions
1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence o the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
2. Make observations and/or measurements of an object's motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

    Fourth Grade Next Generation Science Standards     4.Energy
1. Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object. 
2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents. 
3. Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.
4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

    Fifth Grade Next Generation Science Standards
        5.Structure and Properties of Matter
1. Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen
    5.Space Systems: Stars and the Solar System
1. Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.

    3-5.Engineering Design
1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Once I identified the standards that would be covered in this unit, I teased out an initial plan. In the 50 minute period, students will engage in discussions about scientific principles for no longer than 15 minutes and then participate in a hands-on activity related to the principle.

Day 1 (9/1-3) - Introductions/Boomerangs and Frisbees

Day 2 (9/7-9) - States of matter/Blimps-Dirigibles-Zeppelins

Day 3 (9/10-14) - Air is a gas/Hot Air Balloons

Day 4 (9/15-17) - Air pressure/Windsocks-Barometer

Day 5 (9/20-22) - Bernoulli’s Principle/Wind tunnel

Day 6 (9/24-27) - Intro to Aerodynamics/Helicopters

Day 7 (9/28-30) - Aerodynamics (gravity)/Center of gravity

Day 8 (10/1-5) - Aerodynamics (Lift)/Kites

Day 9 (10/6-12) - Aerodynamics (Thrust)/Rockets

Day 10 (10/13-15) - Aerodynamics (Drag)/Parachutes

Day 11 (10/18-20) - Airplane Portfolio/Paper Airplane Constructions

Day 12 (10/21-25) - Airplane Portfolio/Paper Airplane Constructions

Day 13 (10/26-28) - Airplane Portfolio/Paper Airplane Constructions

Day 14 (10/29-11/2) - Airplane Portfolio/Paper Airplane Constructions

I am developing this curriculum on Google Slides. When I am finished with my notes, I will share them with you.

My next few posts will cover each day's lesson and activity. 

“Pilots are a rare kind of human. They leave the ordinary surface of the word, to purify their soul in the sky, and they come down to earth, only after receiving the communion of the infinite.” – Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra




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