Creating Life Cycle Models

This was a very fun filled STEAM activity! Our first graders are exploring the lifecycles of various plant and animals, so for this activity, we studied the lifecycles of a frog, a butterfly, a plant, and an apple.  I'm going to tell you how we  integrated technology, science and engineering all in one activity!

First I'll talk about how we integrated technology and science.  To start the activity, four stations were set up around the room; students were asked to scan  the QR code at their station. They were taken to either an online book or video which taught them about the lifecycle of the plant or animal at their station.

Engineering was easily integrated into this project… each student had their own play dough and were asked to construct each stage of the lifecycle for their plant or animal.Some students rushed through constructing each stage quickly in hope they would be able to “play” with the play dough, so I found it very helpful to continuously remind the class to take their time and to make each structure look as detailed as possibly.  Overall, this project was very successful, educational, and fun for the kids!

Animal Classification Scavenger Hunt

Lesson prepared and recap written by Jessica Yandell:

In order to help our second graders become more familiar with animal classifications, we did an animal classification QR scavenger hunt during STEAM.  What I liked most about this activity was that it allowed our students to actively learn through exploration and problem solving.  

There were thirteen QR codes and pictures of different animals placed around the room. Beside each picture was a QR code with an animal classification question. Students had to answer the questions correctly in order to proceed to the next QR code; if questions were answered incorrectly, they would not be able to get through the scavenger hunt.  Students worked in pairs to complete the scavenger hunt.  

Things I found helpful… In order to allow more space at each station, I set up two scavenger hunts, one on the right side of the room and one on the left; I split the class in half and told group A their hunt was located on the right side of the room and group B was located on the left side of the room. Each group were responsible for filling out a scavenger hunt question sheet, which I felt help the students to stay on task, as well as, ensure they had answered the questions correctly.  If students filled in the wrong answer, they would have to backtrack through the hunt to reattempt the question and figure out their next QR code destination.  

Full STEAM Ahead: Ozobot Community Helpers (first grade)

STEAM  1st Grade

Lesson Plan

Teacher: Mrs. Yandell

Date: 11/16/2016

Overview & Purpose

In this activity students will learn how to give commands to the Ozobots via Ozocodes, while exploring various community helpers in our community.  

Education Standards

1. SS:N:1.4 The students will describe how the work that people do (police officer, firefighter, soldier, mail carrier, baker, farmer, doctor, and teacher) benefits a neighborhood.
2. Robotics
3. Computer Science
4. 21 Century Collaboration Skills
5. 21 Century Communication Skills

Objectives

1. Give commands to the Ozobot by Ozocodes
2. Become more familiar with the Ozocodes
3. Recognize various community helpers in our community
4. Know how to use the QR code scanners

Materials Needed

1. Blue, Red, Green Stickers
2. Poster board & Black lines
3. Ozobots
4. I pads
5. QR codes

Verification

Steps to check for student understanding

1. Did your group work well together? Did you share ideas and listen to each other?
2. Did you take turns scanning the QR codes?
3. Was your group able to give the Ozobot correct commands from the ozocodes?
4. What community helpers did you observe after scanning the QR codes?
5. How do those community helpers benefit our community?

Activity

Describe activity that will reinforce the lesson

In this activity, students will work in groups of four or five.  Each group will have one Ipad, four QR codes, two Ozobots, a Ozobot command coding chart, and a “Ozobot command board”.

Prior to the activity, the teacher should have the Ozobot “command board” already drawn out and prepared for the students.  ( I suggest laminating if they are going to be used in multiple classes)  On the command board, there should be four places the Ozobot will come to a stop ( command code (greenred)).  At each stop there will be a QR code.  

The activity:

Part 1: Have the students spend time in their groups, and each person will choose two commands off of the ozobot code chart to place on the “command board.”  (We used color stickers for this activity, because we were able to peel them off and reuse the boards)  Encourage the students to use different commands, that way they can observe different behaviors and actions the ozobot will perform.

Part 2:  Students will then place their Ozobot on the “command board” and watch their robot interact with its environment.  They will observe its different behaviors depending on the code.  Each time a robot comes to a stop (at a QR code), students will use the Ipad to scan the QR code and determine what community helper their ozobot encountered.  Students should take turns scanning the QR codes.

This is an exciting way to learn about how community helpers benefit our community!