Details
Pages
30 Pages
Subject
Mechanical Engineering, Seasonal
Languages
English
Product
Digital
Grade
3rd, 4th, 5th
Resource Type
Activities, GATE, Science Centers
Standard
Next Generation Science Standards
Description
This summer STEM activity is the perfect end of year STEM Challenge to keep your students engaged through the very last day of school!
The basic idea:
Individually or in partners/groups, students will design and build a summer-proof* case for a smartphone. (No actual smartphones will be harmed in this activity; they'll create weighted test phones!)
*Summer-proof = waterproof & retrievable when dropped in a body of water
📂 Resource includes:
✅ NGSS aligned standards, Grades 2 - 8
✅ Teacher Tips
- Links to STEM Challenge How-To videos
- Materials and timing
- Criteria & Constraints (including modifications to increase difficulty for older students)
- Measuring results
- Post-design extension activities list
- Link to a video walk-through of the challenge
✅ EDITABLE Student Handouts
- Criteria & Constraints List (in color and black & white)
- Design Analysis Handouts (2-page regular spacing and 4-page expanded spacing for primary students included) (color and black & white)
- Smartphone cut-outs (in color and black & white)
- Discussion Questions (in color and black & white)
✅ Extension templates
- Process Flow Map
- Create Math Problems Based on Designs
- Classifying Animals Activity Templates (editable)
- Under-the-Sea Writing Activity Templates
👉Sample/suggested materials for each student or group:
(Materials you'll need to do the activity are easily modified. )
- Bucket/bin filled with water for testing (at least 1 per class needed)
- Weights (4 " 6 oz. per group)
If weights aren't available, the following objects weigh approximately 4 -6 oz.:
• 112 " 168 paper clips
• 4 " 6 slices of bread
• 44 " 66 pennies
• 24 " 36 nickels
- Plastic wrap or fold-over sandwich bags (not Ziploc®)
- Scale (If no scale is available, remove weight constraint from challenge.)
- Cardboard scraps
- Envelopes (at least 3 x 5 in)
- Tape (12 in.)
- Scissors
- Yarn (36 " 48 inches)
- Rubber bands (3 " 5)
- Paper towels
- Phone cut-outs (included)
- Design analysis handouts (included)
Optional
• Balloons
• Stopwatch
• Pipe cleaners
• Cotton
• Foil
• A variety of tape (duct, shipping, scotch, masking)
The basic idea:
Individually or in partners/groups, students will design and build a summer-proof* case for a smartphone. (No actual smartphones will be harmed in this activity; they'll create weighted test phones!)
*Summer-proof = waterproof & retrievable when dropped in a body of water
📂 Resource includes:
✅ NGSS aligned standards, Grades 2 - 8
✅ Teacher Tips
- Links to STEM Challenge How-To videos
- Materials and timing
- Criteria & Constraints (including modifications to increase difficulty for older students)
- Measuring results
- Post-design extension activities list
- Link to a video walk-through of the challenge
✅ EDITABLE Student Handouts
- Criteria & Constraints List (in color and black & white)
- Design Analysis Handouts (2-page regular spacing and 4-page expanded spacing for primary students included) (color and black & white)
- Smartphone cut-outs (in color and black & white)
- Discussion Questions (in color and black & white)
✅ Extension templates
- Process Flow Map
- Create Math Problems Based on Designs
- Classifying Animals Activity Templates (editable)
- Under-the-Sea Writing Activity Templates
👉Sample/suggested materials for each student or group:
(Materials you'll need to do the activity are easily modified. )
- Bucket/bin filled with water for testing (at least 1 per class needed)
- Weights (4 " 6 oz. per group)
If weights aren't available, the following objects weigh approximately 4 -6 oz.:
• 112 " 168 paper clips
• 4 " 6 slices of bread
• 44 " 66 pennies
• 24 " 36 nickels
- Plastic wrap or fold-over sandwich bags (not Ziploc®)
- Scale (If no scale is available, remove weight constraint from challenge.)
- Cardboard scraps
- Envelopes (at least 3 x 5 in)
- Tape (12 in.)
- Scissors
- Yarn (36 " 48 inches)
- Rubber bands (3 " 5)
- Paper towels
- Phone cut-outs (included)
- Design analysis handouts (included)
Optional
• Balloons
• Stopwatch
• Pipe cleaners
• Cotton
• Foil
• A variety of tape (duct, shipping, scotch, masking)
This summer STEM activity is the perfect end of year STEM Challenge to keep your students engaged through the very last day of school! The basic idea: Individually or in partners/groups, students will design and build a summer-proof* case for... more
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