CFES 1st Grade STEM Video.mp41st Grade PBL
Mosquitoes - We’ve got problems!
What stage of the Engineering Design Process are you currently working on? IMPROVE
Unit Driving Question
How can we manage mosquitoes around our school so that our environment is more enjoyable?
Unit Overview
Our school had a lot of mosquitoes in and around our building at the beginning of the year. Mosquitos were biting children during recess which created a problem. In the first half of the year, we began studying mosquitoes and what environment/weather they like best. The students researched and discussed ways to help with the mosquito problem. They decided that creating a bat box would be a good solution. The 2nd half of the year, we are beginning to discuss how to attract bats to the bat box they created. Through previous learning, students know that bats are pollinators and decided to learn and research different kinds of plants that will attract bats and repel mosquitoes. We will use this information to plant a garden to help solve our mosquito problem.
1st Grade MTV.mp4
Imagine - Students imagined ways to alter and improve our playground environment to minimize the number of mosquitoes on the playground. After learning about mosquito predators, students decided that the best way to address our mosquito problems would be to attract bats to our playground.
Plan - After deciding we needed to attract more bats to help manage our mosquito population, children began using what they had learned about both bats and shapes to begin planning/designing bat house prototypes that might be able to attract bats to our playground.
Create - After creating bat house prototypes, we were able to install a viable design in January. First grade students worked with a local boy scout to bring their prototypes to life.
Improve - After monitoring and observing the bat box for evidence of bats, students devised a plan to attract bats to the box. Students researched different ways to attract bats and chose the best solution. After researching and voting, students decided to create a bat garden.
