Curious Minds LLC science through imagination and investigations! - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

S.T.E.M.(science, technology,

engineering, mathematics)

What’s all the excitement about?

Curious Minds LLC – science through imagination and investigations! www.curiousminds.info 612.232.4400 Amy Blaubach, Educator, CEO

Tennis Ball Lift

• National Science Ed Standards: Physics, science as

inquiry

• Word: Engineer
• Skills Set: problem solving, team work,

communication, recording observations,

• Challenge: Design and build a contraption that will

lift a tennis ball 50 cm in to the air. You may build using your hands however; the contraption must be set in motion and lift the ball without using your hands.

• Challenge: Design and build a contraption that will lift a tennis ball 50

cm in to the air. You may build using your hands however; the contraption must be set in motion and lift the ball without using your hands.

• Materials you may use (you may not need all of them but you may

NOT use any more than noted here):

• 1 dowel rod
• 2 cups
• 1 tennis ball
• 1 weight
• 4 ft string
• Scissors
• Tape as needed

The Engineering Design Process vs the Scientific Method

Benefits of the Engineering Design Process

• Invites the incorporation of instructional technology into

the curriculum

• Promotes higher order thinking skills

Benefits of the Engineering Design Process

• Engineering is differentiated: offers an “in” for

learners of all types

Students with unique needs Traditional classroom

Benefits of the Engineering Design Process

• Rich cross-curricular possibilities.
• Directly connected with improvement of living

conditions/safety/health and welfare of people.

Plate Tectonics and Land Forms

National Science Education Standards: earth and space science, geography, social Studies Materials: play-doh, foam squares, oranges, index cards, tubs for water Objective: Students will understand how landforms are made; in particular, lakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges and rivers. Vocab: Pangaea, fault lines-plate tectonics, magma

• 1. Inquiry questions:

What are some changes that happen to landforms in the world daily? Yearly? What changes have happened over millions of years? How have these changes made the Earth look as it does today?

Plate Tectonics and Landform continued…

• 2. Introduce layers of the Earth. Explain that the crust (our land and water)

is made up of pieces, like a puzzle called plates. (7 large and several small plates) The outer part of the mantle is a hot liquid. If solid, formations were laid over a liquid, what would happen?

• 3. Students will do experiment with a bucket and

foam squares. Have students write “tectonic plates”

• n a foam square.

Cut up the foam square in to at least 5 pieces. Lay it in a bucket of water and observe what will happen.

Plate Tectonics and Landform continued…

Think about it, if a single plate moves only 1/2 inch per year, that means it moves:

• 5" in 10 years
• 50" in 100 years
• 500" in 1,000 years
• 5,000" in 10,000 years
• 50,000" in 100,000 years
• 500,000" (or about 8 miles) in 1 million years

Orange activity

Plate Tectonics and Landform continued…

Salt Dough Landforms

Draw and label where the landforms mentioned above are located in the United States. Plateau

River Land Water Plain Land Water Lake Land Water Volcano Land Water Peninsula Land Water Mountain Land Water

Choose at least 3 types of landforms for your island:

• Mountain
• River
• Volcano
• Peninsula
• Lake
• Plain
• Desert
• Canyon

Location Landforms People Weather

Island Name

Disciplines incorporated into this project:

Earth science Art Mathematics Geography Social studies English May easily incorporate technology & engineering among

• thers.

Q & A

Curious Minds LLC – science through imagination and investigations! www.curiousminds.info 612.232.4400 Amy Blaubach, Educator, CEO