Hilton Grade 1

In our first class, we leaned all about what STEAM is and attempted a STEAM challenge. Students worked in teams to create the tallest tower possible out of either paper or plastic cups. They used various methods of stacking and compared their results with other teams in the end. The students had some great ideas about which properties made for better towers!

During the second class, the students are learning all about the design process. After reading the story Rosie Revere, Engineer, we discussed empathy towards others and how Rosie showed empathy while inventing new tools for her family members. Then, the class brainstormed different problems they might have around their own homes that they could try to solve. There were some interesting ones including: messy bedrooms, spilled LEGOS, really dirty pans in the kitchen sink, and pesky leaves and snow. The students came up with some great ideas to try and solve these problems. They sketched designs, then selected materials to build with.

This week, we have been talking about different types of engineers and the work that they do. We talked about how they use the design process to solve problems. We learned that the good thing about having a problem is that every problem has the opportunity for something good to come from it. You just have to look for it! We read the story "What to to Do with a Problem", to gain that helpful insight! Students also had the chance to make an engineering design decision. They were given the problem of choosing which building material was best for building something: 1. tall 2. strong 3. spinny 4. that can roll. They used various building sets to try to solve the problem and had to explain what worked best for their design at the end.

All grades at Hilton took part in the annual Jingle Bell Jog. They also spent some time with a mini STEAM activity. We learned about snowflakes and their patterns, sides, and shapes. Each student designed a snowflake from a hexagon and we combined them into one, big, snowy collage. We talked about how we are all different like snowflakes! Each snowflake they made is as unique as every one of our students!

1st and 2nd Grade at Hilton read the story "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. They talked about Max, the main character from the story, and his journey to the island of the wild things. They were challenged to build a boat that could carry Max and some pretty heavy cargo back from the island without sinking. Students worked with partners to plan, sketch and then build their boats. Then the boats were tested to see how much they could hold before sinking. The next step will be to evaluate their designs and rebuild their boats for a second try!

We had a lot of fun with STEAM at Hilton! Here are some hi-lights from our last couple lessons:

Race Cars

Roller Coasters

Coding and Programming with Ozobot Robots!