Use STEAM challenge cards/activities with your classroom curriculum to practice problem solving skills utilizing the STEAM concepts.
Why
Not every challenge covers all of these objectives. As a teacher, you can decide which ones and how many to focus on.
Planning
• Finding out if it is necessary or helpful to plan ahead
• Looking at different methods of planning
Collaboration / Team Work / Communication
• Practicing listening by allowing others to speak
• Testing out if comments that are too positive or too negative hinder brainstorming
• Trying out different roles such as Captain, Maker, Architect, Tester, Reporter
Resourcefulness
• Working with limited items
• Not wasting or destroying materials without purpose
Creativity
• See items in different lights
• Pretending
Problem Solving
• Analyze the pieces and any clues
• Getting desired results
• Dealing with design failures
Reflection
• Reviewing as an individual, group, and/or class
• Learning from mistakes and celebrating successes
Short Duration
• Introducing a new topic or unit
• Assessing prior knowledge
• Mixing things up with a change of pace
• Providing self-guided centers
Time management
• Paying attention to overall time and pacing
• Accomplishing goals within time limits
Ideas Adaptable for any Subject
4 Engineering Challenges - cups, popsicle sticks, wooden cubes
Challenge Box Cards (found at bottom of the page)
Student Role Sheets (readable, printable version)
Make a Tall Hat (JK/K) - paper, scissors, tape; could be used as a pretest of fine motor skills such as using scissors to cut paper, ability to stay on task
Make something that is 3D (K/1/2) - paper, scissors, tape
Lego Builds
Could be simple challenges such as making a particular shape, a face, or a house.
Build with Pasta - pasta and hot glue, can use gluten free pasta; for example, after learning about ferris wheels, students needed to design their own
Marshmallow Challenge - marshmallows, spaghetti
Cardboard Challenge - open ended or funnel it into a topic with a specific goal
Challenges as optional at home projects - for reference if you want to take this type of approach or use one of their ideas
