Bulldogger Tech Talk
November 26 - 30
Holiday Stem Activities!
1. Jingle All The Way - Create a sleigh for Santa with just a few common items!
2. Give the Gift of STEM - Students will construct marshmallow shooters with PVC pieces.
3. Newspaper Christmas Trees - Students construct Christmas trees out of newspaper, then determine which tree can hold the most ornaments without breaking or falling.
4. STEM Advent Calendar - Count down the days until Christmas with a new STEM activity each day!
5. Christmas Candy Chemistry - Try these engaging, delicious experiments with your kiddos!
6. Galaxy Christmas Ornaments - From failed experiment to beautiful STEM activity! Kids will love creating this gorgeous ornaments.
7. How Many Kids Can Santa Visit - STEM project perfect for math class!
What is Project Based Learning?
- Inter-Disciplinary - PBL focuses on gaining experience to solve real-world problems. Most often, real-world problems will not be solved with skills from a single subject. There will be a blending of language arts, science, history, math, and even visual and musical arts. PBL requires students to use inquiry, solution building, and product construction to solve the challenges presented to them.
- Rigorous - The biggest difference between PBL and projects comes is the rigor. PBL requires the application of knowledge and skill, not just recall or recognition. Students begin with the inquiry, then through the process dig deeper into their subject, not just the academic content, but also as it applies to real-world application.
- Student-Centered - PBL is student-centered. The teacher becomes more of a facilitator and mentor. The students become more responsible for their learning, using their own knowledge and ideas to solve the challenge they are given. The teacher is there to guide them in the right direction if they get stumped, but the teacher is not there to provide the solutions.
Although true PBL requires extra time and preparation, the rewards are truly worth the effort. There are numerous sources to help launch project-based learning in the classroom.
Brandi Williams and Jeannie Eutsler
Email: blwilliam@deweyk12.org
Website: www.deweyk12.org
Phone: (918) 534-2214