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Full STEAM Ahead in First Grade

The first graders’ study of mealworms provides an excellent opportunity to integrate STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Students began this unit in the BUILD space with a design thinking project: They asked questions to determine what mealworms need in their habitat, then drew their designs, learned the constraints of the project (they needed to use wood), and built prototypes out of construction paper. Once the prototypes were complete, first graders used saws, drills, screws, nails, and glue to build their final product. “As we study the metamorphosis of the mealworm, we are conducting experiments and learning about the scientific process,” explains teacher Nicole Schoentag. Students have been making predictions, conducting tests, gathering data, and making conclusions. Experiments have included determining which food (oatmeal, oat bran, or cereal) mealworms like best and what colors mealworms gravitate to (red, blue, yellow, or green).
 
Adds Ms. Schoentag, “Kicking off the mealworm unit with a design thinking project made the students really consider a mealworm's needs, and collaborating with BUILD took the habitats to a whole new level. We also integrated science, math, and art by creating story problems about our mealworms where students made their own addition story problems. And we will finish our mealworm unit with a lifecycle project using the iPads and the Explain Everything app.” MORE PHOTOS
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