McPherson's STEM LAB

Project Lead the Way

Kindergarten

Structure and Function: Human Body


Kinder students are learning how the structure of a body part is related to its function in the human body. They use models to infer how the structure of the lungs, the heart, the muscles, and bones relate to their function in the body.

1st Grade

Animal Adaptations


1st grade students are using knowledge of animal adaptations in a given environment to inform decisions about what humans need to do to adapt to that same environment.

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An adaptation is a way or organism's body helps it survive, or live, in its environment.

2nd Grade

The Changing Earth


2nd graders are exploring how the surface of the Earth is always changing. They can explain how the wind, water, and natural disasters can change the shape of the Earth.

3rd Grade

Variation of Traits


Students investigate the differences between genetic traits that are inherited and traits which are learned or influenced by the environment. They explore the phenomena that offspring may express different traits than parents as they learn about dominant and recessive genes.

4th Grade

Input/Output: Human Brain


Students have been introduced to the analogy of the brain as a computer. They know how signals passing from cell to cell allow us to receive stimuli from the outside world, get this information to the brain for processing, and then send out a signal to generate a response.

5th Grade

Infection: Detection


Students learn about transmission of disease through a simulation and compare communicable and non-communicable diseases. They also investigate how the body protects us from these germs to keep us healthy.

6th Grade

Design and Modeling


6th grade students learn to use the design process to solve problems and understand the influence of creativity and innovation in their lives. They work in teams and use tools such as mathematics software, computer-aided design programs, and engineering notebooks to design, model, and build objects.