Fourth Grade pictures from the STEAM Lab

In the above pictures, fourth graders are rotating to stations to learn about different forms of energy such as solar, electrical, mechanical, chemical and heat.  

Even Mrs. Dixon demonstrated how electrical energy heated hair rollers and then the heat energy from the rollers allowed her to curl her hair. Awesome!

Undoubtedly, this was Mrs. Dixon's favorite lesson!  Her son, an aeronautical engineer with a plane manufacturing company, shared his real life experience using the Engineering Design Process when he was in college. The project he shared with the class was how he and his team used the process to design an airplane for a competition.

One of fourth grade students' favorite project was using 20 bendable straws and tape to make a bridge. Note all the various designs!  Going through the Engineering Design Process ultimately enables us to produce solid solutions, but it can be frustrating at points when strategies don't work as expected.  

At the end of the class period, groups used weights to test the strength of their bridges.  Look at the sketches groups made before starting construction and how some groups even used scissors and tape dispensers to test their bridges' strength before Mrs. Dixon brought around the weights.

We definitely have scientists and engineers at Plain!

By the way, our students learned the power in duct tape!

These pictures show students using foam coffee cups and lids, 3oz medicine cups, a straw, scissors and stapler to construct a model of a water wheel. This activity is part of their unit on energy. Specifically, they were learning about alternate forms of energy.  Ask your student how wind turbines and water wheels are alike and different.

From making models of a water wheel to learning about the Scientific Method, our fourth graders have been busy! In this science investigation, their purpose was to learn which brand of sponge absorbs the most water.  We not only went through the Scientific Method, we also learned how to be wise consumers when seeing or hearing an advertisement.

We used graduated cylinders, medicine syringes and magnifying glasses.

These pictures show stations of engineering activities. Notice how every student is involved and creating.