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McPherson's STEM Lab

Project Lead the Way

McPherson'sSTEM LabProject Lead the Way

Kindergarten

Structure and Function: Human Body


Kinder students are acting as scientists to learn more about the structure and function of their hands and fingers. They work in teams to ask questions, and make predictions before collecting data. Then they share their findings with their classmates and make conclusions.

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Why So Many Bones?

Students worked in teams to see how many pegs they could place in the board in 20 seconds. They learned their fingers have important bones so they can bend and do different things.
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Scientists!

Kinder students know that scientists perform experiments over and over making important changes each time that can be analyzed.
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Design a Cast

Students followed the design process to sketch, build, test, and reflect on a cast for a student with a broken wrist. The cast had to be strong, light, comfortable, and water resistant.

1st Grade

Animal Adaptations


First grade students are learning how plants and animals adapt to be able to survive in five different environments. Their final task for this module includes collaborating to decide how to best prepare a fictional traveler for a trip of a lifetime into different environments.

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World Traveler

Students worked in teams to create posters describing their environment. The posters included plants and animals they have explored so far.
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Human Adaptations

Students apply their knowledge of plants and animal adaptations to guide them on how to prepare travelers to extreme environments.
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Traveling Shoes

1st graders then had to design a unique shoe a traveler could wear in a specific environment. The shoe had to be able to help camouflage the traveler as well as keep him/her protected and able to move around safely.

2nd Grade

Materials Science: Properties of Matter


Second graders are investigating different kinds of materials by their observable properties, including color, texture, and heat conduction. They know that engineers and designers create new products or improve existing products and technology to meet human needs and wants.

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States of Matter

Students observed and described reversible and non-reversible changes in leaves they collected as a result of temperature change.
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The Heat is On

Students tested a variety of materials and classified the materials either as good or poor at conducting heat.
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Save the Ice Pops!

Students designed and then tested prototypes that would insulate a frozen dessert. While testing their designs under a heat lamp, they documented the design challenge with photos of before and after.

3rd Grade

Stability and Motion: Science of Flight


Third grade students are learning all about the forces involved in flight as well as Newton's Laws of Motion. They can describe how the major parts of a glider affect the overall balance of an airplane during flight.

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Parts of a Glider

The three main parts of the glider include the fuselage, wing, and stabilizer. Students had the opportunity to assemble their own gliders, and then to draw their gliders in their Launch Logs.
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Experimentally Gliding

Students investigated how Newton's laws apply to flight. Groups conducted several test flights with their gliders and different modifications.
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Collaboration

In groups of 3, students discovered how adding weight changed the flight of the gliders, and the benefits of different types of wings.

4th Grade

Input/Output: Computer Systems


Fourth grade students are comparing the computer system to a human brain by focusing on input, processing, and output. Students are collecting data and will learn how to represent it visually using programming.

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Pass the Input

Students played several rounds of an "unplugged" game to test how they processed input and produced output while being part of a human chain.
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Input, Processing, and Output

4th graders learned that computers can only store 0s and 1s. They enjoyed decoding messages, and then writing their own secret messages in binary.
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Alien Tilt Game

Students built an interactive game using the Tynker app that collects data and represents it visually.

5th Grade

Infection: Modeling and Simulation


Fifth grade students are discovering how modeling and simulation provide powerful insight into complex systems. They are diving into computer programming while building a game on the iPads, and learning that technology makes it possible for humans to accomplish things that would be impossible or very time consuming without the help of computers.
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Collaboration

Students collaborated to build a game using the Tynker app. They learned what is involved in giving instructions to a computer.
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Pair Programming

Students took turns in the roles of driver and navigator. The driver controls the tablet while the navigator watches closely and gives directions, making suggestions and answering questions.
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Dodgeball Game

The object of the game is to collect treasure chests and avoid getting hit by several flying dodgeballs. Students persevered using the cycle of testing, finding, and fixing problems in the program.

6th Grade

Design and Modeling


6th grade students are using 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.



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Sketching

Students explored different types of sketches and their importance in communicating ideas and designs effectively.
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Accuracy and Precision

Students had a chance to practice their measuring skills by following directions to create a skimmer that will slide across the floor with ease.
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Building Blocks

Using the design process as a guide, students had the opportunity to be creative and collaborate with a team to design a 3 dimensional puzzle system from wooden cubes.