K-2 Investigations in STEM
Every kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade class has INVESTIGATIONS TIME with a certified Advanced Academics teacher at least 5 times per quarter.
Let's look at what K- 2 George Watts students are doing during INVESTIGATIONS with Ms. deBlaquire?
What is the engineering design process we use in STEM lessons?
During STEM lessons, students will be read a story where they are presented with a problem. They will be guided through the engineering process to come up with a solution. During the ASK step students will identify the problem and define the constraints. Next the students will independently IMAGINE and brainstorm ideas for a solution. During the PLANing step students collaborate to come up with an agreed upon solution and design. They will have time to either draw and label a design or use the materials provided to CREATE their design and test it to see if it solves the problem. During the IMPROVE step they will either present a drawing to a group for feedback or test their new and improved design to see if thier adjustments worked.
This year our lessons will be focused more on STEM. Current K-2 students have gone through some PETS lesson while they were in preK-1st grade. We will use that prior knowledge to inhance understanding of the type of thinking they may need to use in the STEM lessons.
All of the lessons are based on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and include many opportunities for social emotional learning.
More about STEM and why it's great for ALL students.
Durham Public Schools Advanced Academics Department for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade lessons are problem based STEM lessons integrated with the P.E.T.S. curriculum which are based on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
What is the P.E.T.S. curriculum?
Meet the P.E.T.S. characters!
- Dudley the Detective! : Using CLUES to deduce and make a thoughtful conclusion!
- Sybil the Scientist! : Studying and analyzing the PARTS of things and situations to make a thoughtful conclusion!
- Max the Magician! : Analyzing PATTERNS to find one solution to a challenge!
- Yolanda the Yarnspinner! : Using IMAGINATION to weave wonderful, creative stories!
- Isabel the Inventor! : BRAINSTORMING to find lots of different answers!
- Jordan the Judge! : Using CONSIDERATIONS to make the best choices!
P.E.T.S. is the Primary Education Thinking Skills curriculum. It uses stories and interactive lessons while using animal characters that teach and integrate thinking skills.
Each P.E.T.S. character helps introduce students to different types of critical thinking in developmentally appropriate stories with accompanying lessons based on these higher order thinking skills: convergent, divergent, creative, inventive, deductive, analytical, visual/spatial and evaluative.
