Build a Boat STEM Challenge

Description

When it’s the end of the school year, your summer activities need to be on-point to keep kids engaged! This summer STEM / STEAM Challenge brings the joy back to your classroom with collaborative, hands-on, brain-busting work (disguised as fun)!

The basic premise: 
Individually, or in partners/groups, students work against a criteria and constraints list to build a boat that is designed for capacity and/or speed. You can choose to run the challenge as a single 20-30 minute fun building task to do on a rainy day, or select from multiple options to add layers of depth and rigor. (Please see the preview to get an idea of your options.)

 

 

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Note: If you are in a 1:1 classroom, you may prefer the digital format, compatible with Google Slides ™.

**Boat Building is also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.

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Resource includes:

• NGSS aligned standards, Grades 2 – 8

• Teacher Tips:
  • Links to my 5-part video series on getting started with STEM challenges
  • Materials and timing
  • Criteria & Constraints (including modifications to increase difficulty for older students)
  • Measuring results
  • Universal STEM Challenge Notes & How to Use Student Handouts
  • Post-design extension activities list
  • Link to a video walk-through of the challenge

• Student Handouts:
  • Criteria & Constraints List (in color and B&W; editable version provided)
  • Results and Design Analysis (3-page regular spacing and 5-page expanded) spacing for primary students included in color and and B&W)
  • Smartphone cut-outs (in color and B&W)
  • Discussion Questions (color and B&W)

• Extension templates
  • Class-wide Data Analysis Activity (editable)
  • Graph Class Data (editable)
  • Calculate Boat Speed (editable)
  • Design Your Own Sailboat experiment (editable & with sample answers)
  • Design Report
  • Create Your Own Word Problems
  • Process Flow Maps

• Detailed Teacher Guide

 

• The Thanksgiving MINI MAYFLOWER version of this challenge is included as part of this purchase! 

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Sample/suggested materials for each student or group:

Materials you’ll need to do the activity are easily modified. You don’t need to provide all of the following materials. Select a subset and/or add in your own ideas.

• • Note: The links below are Amazon Affiliate links. Find out more on the disclosure page.
• At least one per class, if not one per student or group:
  • Container filled with water to test the boats (be sure to choose a container with appropriate dimensions, or constrain students on length, width, height accordingly. For sailing tests, stream tables, under-bed-storage bins, or kiddie pools work well).
  • Set of uniform objects to measure capacity (pennies, base-ten blocks, paperclips, balance weights, bouncy balls, etc.)
• For each student or group:
  • Clay, foil and/or wax paper sheets
  • 3×5 cards, paper, coffee filters, etc.
  • Tape (masking tape or packing tape perform best, constrain to 12 in. or less)
  • Scissors

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Benefits of this STEM Design Challenge:

• Focus on critical thinking, problem solving, and application of learning
• Helps students develop growth mindset traits like persistence and resilience
• High levels of student engagement
• The potential to hit upon all NGSS ETS standards depending on the depth and number of iterations you choose to implement in your classroom (modifications included)
• Highly flexible and differentiated for materials, timing, grade levels, and rigor.

Each design iteration should be planned for ~60 min. if you are including data gathering and analysis rather than just building for fun. If you add extension activities, you will need to adjust timing accordingly.

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This resource is available is also available in the Mega Bundle, as well as in a digital 1:1 format, compatible with Google Slides(TM).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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If you prefer to purchase on TpT, click here.
Note: any coupon/promo codes for this site will only work on this site. 

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Preview Music Credit:

“Carefree” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/