STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math. Here at Tuckahoe School our STEAM program is set up for grades three through five. There is a strong visual arts and technology integration into our grade level science and math curriculum through collaboratively designed, developed and delivered projects.
The projects are an alignment of the standards in the different areas of study giving the students multiple access points to the learnable knowledge and a way to test their own questions and answers. The theme or topic is delivered during a STEAM period with in their science schedule classes and then continues into their art, technology class periods.
The process for the students will begin with a design/creative process which is a near mirror to scientific method. This similarity is explore during their 5th grade science curriculum and built upon over the three years leading up to this parallel study. The student when first learning the design process experience open ending questions and learn how to define a problem. From there student work on brainstorming individually or within small groups. This leads the students to research the possible solutions and arrive at a chosen solution that must then be created and tested. At this stage the need of redesign or changes to the porotype are considered and achieved. Finally students will communicate or report out their findings or their mistakes leading to learning.
STEAM projects can be fast paced sprint or marathon run depending on the students and even the time of day or year. Each project is adjusted to the students and their need and where they are coming from with their own experiences. Each year the same project can appear very different.
3rd GRADE STEAM
Force & Motion Paper Airplane Design "Longest Flight Possible" -Design Process -Design in the round; 2D to 3D -Measurement -Aviation history Action Painting -Incline/decline -resistance/friction -Art History -Key pad control
4th GRADE STEAM
Engineering Chair Design "Van Gogh's Chair" -Design Process -Design from 2D to porotype to 3D (digitally printed of clay construction) -Measurement -Area & Perimeter -Art history Van Gogh and Gauguin -3D molding software Food Truck -Design for marketing; logo, poster, business card -Redesign of a menu; publisher program -Area & Perimeter -Scale -Shape vs Form (introduction of volume)
5th GRADE STEAM
Engineering Boat Design & Races -Design Process -Testing porotypes & redesign -Measurement -variables and effects -art history understand space
Native Plants -Research -Art history; Georgia O'Keeffe -Color Theory study -Zoom in / cropping -Shape vs Form (introduction of volume) -Power point/google sides
Abstract Microscope Magnification -microscopeusage -magnification -Watercolor painting -Art History; abstract art and is development