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STEM
Our STEM program includes units developed by the Boston Museum of Science, Engineering is Elementary (EiE), as well as Technology in Action units that integrate engineering design, technology, robotics, and coding. Our curriculum was created using standards from the following areas: Science (Next Generation Science Standards, include engineering practices), Technology Education, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Computer Science, Math, and Career. Our vision is to support students as they learn and apply the engineering design process within STEM and across all content areas. The engineering design process includes the following actions: ask, imagine, plan, create, improve, and use empathy.
Kindergarten
Unit Title and Description
Standards
Across All Units
Career Standards
13.1.3G Explain why education and training plans are important to careers.
13.1.3H Explain how workers in their careers use what is learned in the classroom.
13.3.3B Identify how to cooperate at both home and school.
Engineering Design
3.4.3.C2. Explain why the design process requires creativity and consideration of all ideas.
ISTE Standards
1a Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
4a Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
Technology in Action
During this unit students will approach problems with a logical process by collaborating, communicating, creating, and critically thinking using coding resources and robotics to teach sequencing and decomposing programs.
Technology Education Standards
Design Attributes
3.4.3.C1. Recognize design is a creative process and everyone can design solutions to problems.
3.4.4.C1. Understand that there is no perfect design.
Research & Development, Invention, Innovation, Experimentation/Problem Solving and Troubleshooting
3.4.3.C3. Recognize that all products and systems are subject to failure; many products and systems can be fixed.
3.4.4.C3. Explain how asking questions and making observations help a person understand how things work and can be repaired.
Applying the Design Process
3.4.4.D1. Investigate how things are made and how they can be improved.
Computer Science Standards
1A-AP-08 Model daily processes by creating and following algorithms (sets of step-by-step instructions) to complete tasks.
1A-AP-10 Develop programs with sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.
1A-AP-11 Decompose (break down) the steps needed to solve a problem into a precise sequence of instructions.
Designing Trash Collectors
Science and Engineering Standards
K-ESS3-3 Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.*
K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing of physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
3.4.4.C2. Describe the engineering design process: Define a problem. Generate ideas. Select a solution and test it. Make the item. Evaluate the item. Communicate the solution with others. Present the results.
Math Standards
CC.K.CC.C.6 Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by using matching and counting strategies.
CC.K.MD.B3 Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count.
Raising the Roof
Science and Engineering Standards
K-PS3-2 Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area.*
K-ESS3-2 Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather.*
K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing of physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
3.4.4.C2. Describe the engineering design process: Define a problem. Generate ideas. Select a solution and test it. Make the item. Evaluate the item. Communicate the solution with others. Present the results.
Math Standards
CC.K.MD.A.2 Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of/less of” the attribute, and describe the difference.
CC.K.MD.B3 Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count.
First Grade
Unit Title and Description
Standards
Across All Units
Career Standards
13.1.3G Explain why education and training plans are important to careers.
13.1.3H Explain how workers in their careers use what is learned in the classroom.
13.3.3B Identify how to cooperate at both home and school.
Technology Education Standards
Engineering Design
3.4.3.C2. Explain why the design process requires creativity and consideration of all ideas.
3.4.4.C2. Describe the engineering design process: Define a problem. Generate ideas. Select a solution and test it. Make the item. Evaluate the item. Communicate the solution with others. Present the results.
Design Attributes
3.4.3.C1. Recognize design is a creative process and everyone can design solutions to problems.
3.4.4.C1. Understand that there is no perfect design.
Applying the Design Process
3.4.4.D1. Investigate how things are made and how they can be improved.
ISTE Standards
1a Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
4a Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
Technology In Action
During this unit students will approach problems with a logical process by collaborating, communicating, creating, and critically thinking using coding resources and robotics to teach simple loops, decomposing, and debugging programs.
Technology Education Standards
Research & Development, Invention, Innovation, Experimentation/Problem Solving and Troubleshooting
3.4.3.C3. Recognize that all products and systems are subject to failure; many products and systems can be fixed.
3.4.4.C3. Explain how asking questions and making observations help a person understand how things work and can be repaired.
Computer Science Standards
1A-AP-08 Model daily processing by creating and following algorithms (sets of step-by-step instructions) to complete tasks.
1A-AP-10 Develop programs with sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.
1A-AP-11 Decompose (break down) the steps needed to solve a problem into a precise sequence of instructions.
1A-AP-14 Debug (identify and fix) errors in an algorithm or program that includes sequences and simple loops.
The Best of Bugs: Designing Hand Pollinators
Insects pollinate many kinds of plants. What if the right insects aren’t around to do the work? The storybook Mariana Becomes a Butterfly shows how one girl solves a pollination problem. In this unit, students become agricultural engineers. They’ll apply their knowledge of insects, insect life cycles, pollination, and natural systems as they test a variety of materials, then engineer their own technologies for pollinating plants by hand.
Science and Engineering Standards
1-LS1-1 Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.*
PA Design a model that replicates the function of an organism’s structure. (also in science)
K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing of physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
Math Standards
CC.2.2.1.A.1 Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction within 20.
CC.2.4.1.A.1 Order lengths and measure them both indirectly and by repeating length units.
CC.2.4.1.A.4 Represent and interpret data using tables/charts.
Sounds Like Fun: Seeing Animal Sounds
This unit brings new excitement to the study of sound. The storybook, Kwame’s Sound introduces a young drummer from Ghana who is blind; his father, an acoustical engineer, shows Kwame that sound is vibration and can be represented with both visual symbols (such as musical notation and spectrograms) and tactile symbols. Hands-on activities in this unit lead students to explore the properties of volume and pitch, investigate ways to damp sound, and develop their own novel way to represent the key elements of sound.
Science and Engineering Standards
1-PS4-4 Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.*
K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing of physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
Math Standards
CC.2.1.1.B.1 Extend the counting sequence to read and write numerals to represent objects.
CC.2.4.1.A.1 Order lengths and measure them both indirectly and by repeating length units.
CC.2.4.1.A.4 Represent and interpret data using tables/charts.
Second Grade
Unit Title
Standards
Across All Units
Career Standards
13.1.3G Explain why education and training plans are important to careers.
13.1.3H Explain how workers in their careers use what is learned in the classroom.
13.3.3B Identify how to cooperate at both home and school.
ISTE Standards
1a Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
4a Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.Technology Education Standards
Engineering Design
3.4.3.C2. Explain why the design process requires creativity and consideration of all ideas.
3.4.4.C2. Describe the engineering design process: Define a problem. Generate ideas. Select a solution and test it. Make the item. Evaluate the item. Communicate the solution with others. Present the results.
Applying the Design Process
3.4.4.D1. Investigate how things are made and how they can be improved
Technology in Action
During this unit students will approach problems with a logical process by collaborating, communicating, creating, and critically thinking using coding resources and robotics to teach sequencing, simple loops, events, decomposing, and debugging programs.
Technology Education Standards
Effects of Technology
3.4.3.B1. Describe how using technology can be good or bad.
Design Attributes
3.4.3.C1. Recognize design is a creative process and everyone can design solutions to problems.
Research & Development, Invention, Innovation, Experimentation/Problem Solving and Troubleshooting
3.4.4.C3. Explain how asking questions and making observations help a person understand how things work and can be repaired.
Medical Technologies
3.4.3.E1. Identify the technologies that support and improve quality of life.
Computer Science Standards
1A-AP-10 Develop programs with sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.
1A-IC-17 Work respectfully and responsibly with others online. (Also included in our Digital Citizenship lessons.)
1A-IC-18 Keep login information private, and log off of devices appropriately. (Also included in our Digital Citizenship lessons.)
A Work in Process: Designing a Playdough Process
If you’ve ever followed a recipe, you know that the amount of each ingredient and the order in which you mix them matters. Chemical engineers use these same principles when designing processes. When students read the storybook Michelle’s MVP Award, they learn about a girl who designs a better way to make play dough. The activities in this unit reinforce the science concepts “solid” and “liquid” as students explore the properties of different materials—and the properties of mixtures of materials. The final engineering design challenge? Design a process for making high-quality play dough.Science and Engineering Standards
2-PS1-2 Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.* (also in science)
K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing of physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
Math Standards
CC.2.2.2.A.2 Use mental strategies to add and subtract within 20.
Thinking Inside the Box: Designing Plant Packages
Just look at the shelves in any store: almost everything you buy comes in a package that keeps it fresh or safe from damage, or gives information for consumers. This unit introduces students to the field of package engineering. The storybook A Gift from Fadil sets the scene by introducing two children in Jordan who want to give their older sister a plant from their garden as a wedding gift. Students will use their knowledge of plants, their problem-solving skills, and their creativity to design a package that can keep a plant alive and healthy for several days.
Science and Engineering Standards
2-LS2-2 Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.*
K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing of physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
Math Standards
CC.2.1.2.B.3 Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract within 1000.
Third Grade
Unit Title
Standards
Across All Units
Career Standards
13.1.3G Explain why education and training plans are important to careers.
13.1.3H Explain how workers in their careers use what is learned in the classroom.
13.3.3B Identify how to cooperate at both home and school.
ISTE Standards
4a Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
1a Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
Technology Education Standards
Engineering Design
3.4.3.C2. Explain why the design process requires creativity and consideration of all ideas.
3.4.4.C2. Describe the engineering design process: Define a problem. Generate ideas. Select a solution and test it. Make the item. Evaluate the item. Communicate the solution with others. Present the results.
Applying the Design Process
3.4.4.D1. Investigate how things are made and how they can be improved.
Technology in Action
During this unit students will approach problems with a logical process by collaborating, communicating, creating, and critically thinking using coding resources and robotics to teach sequencing, complex loops, events, and debugging algorithms.
Technology Education Standards
Design Attributes
3.4.3.C1. Recognize design is a creative process and everyone can design solutions to problems.
Research & Development, Invention, Innovation, Experimentation/Problem Solving and Troubleshooting
3.4.3.C3. Recognize that all products and systems are subject to failure; many products and systems can be fixed.
3.4.4.C3. Explain how asking questions and making observations help a person understand how things work and can be repaired.
Computer Science Standards
1B-AP-08: Compare and refine multiple algorithms (sets of step-by-step instructions) for the same task and determine which is the most appropriate. (by the end of grade 5)
1B-AP-10: Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals. (by the end of Grade 5)
1B-AP-15: Test and debug (identify and fix errors) a program or algorithm (sets of step-by-step instructions) to ensure it runs as intended. (by the end of Grade 5)
Just Passing Through: Designing Model Membranes
Membranes are thin layers that let helpful substances pass through and keep harmful substances out. In this unit, students learn to think like bioengineers as they design a model membrane to mimic the properties of real membranes in live organisms. The storybook Juan Daniel’s Futbol Frog sets the scene, as students read about a boy who engineers a membrane to keep a frog alive. Students learn how membranes function and apply their knowledge of the basic needs of living organisms to the engineering design challenge: designing a frog habitat with a model membrane that delivers just the right amount of water.
Science and Engineering Standards
3-LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.* (also in science)
4-PS4-2 Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.
PA Investigate and provide evidence that the color people see depends on the color of the available light sources as well as the properties of the surface of the object reflecting the light.
3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a wan that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a prototype that can be improved.
Technology Education Standards
Core Concepts of Technology
3.4.3.A2. Identify that some systems are found in nature and some systems are made by humans.
Medical Technologies
3.4.3.E1. Identify the technologies that support and improve quality of life.
Math Standards
CC.2.2.3.A.4 Solve problems involving the four operations, and identify and explain patterns in arithmetic.
CC.2.4.3.A.1 Solve problems involving measurement and estimation of temperature, liquid volume, mass or length.
CC.2.3.3.A.2 Use the understanding of fractions to partition shapes into parts with equal areas and express the area of each part as a unit fraction of the whole.
The Attraction is Obvious: Designing Maglev Systems
Innovative “maglev” or magnetic levitation trains move by using magnets instead of wheels. The technological innovation behind these trains comes alive for students in this transportation engineering unit. Students will send magnets sailing, help magnets hover, and poke around magnetic fields. With their new insights into the science of magnets, students will use the engineering design process to design, test, and improve their own tabletop maglev transportation systems—just like the character in the storybook Hikaru’s Toy Troubles.
Science and Engineering Standards
3-PS2-4 Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.* (also in science)
3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a wan that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a prototype that can be improved.
Technology Education Standards
Transportation Technologies
3.4.3.E5. Understand that transportation has many parts that work together to help people travel.
Math Standards
CC.2.4.3.A.4 Represent and interpret data using tally charts, tables, pictographs, line plots, and bar graphs.
Fourth Grade
Unit Title
Standards
Across All Units
Career Standards
13.1.5C Relate the impact of change to both traditional and nontraditional careers.
13.3.5 B Explain the importance of working cooperatively with others at both home and school to complete a task.
ISTE Standards
1a Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
4a Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
6a Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
Technology Education Standards
Engineering Design
3.4.4.C2. Describe the engineering design process: Define a problem. Generate ideas. Select a solution and test it. Make the item. Evaluate the item. Communicate the solution with others. Present the results.
Design Attributes
3.4.4.C1. Understand that there is no perfect design.
Research & Development, Invention, Innovation, Experimentation/Problem Solving and Troubleshooting
3.4.4.C3. Explain how asking questions and making observations help a person understand how things work and can be repaired.
Applying the Design Process
3.4.4.D1. Investigate how things are made and how they can be improved.
Assessing Impact of Products and Systems
3.4.4.D3. Investigate and assess the influence of a specific technology or system on the individual, family, community, and environment.
An Alarming Idea: Designing Alarm Circuits
Science and Engineering Standards
4-PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.
4-PS3-2 Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a prototype that can be improved.
Technology Education Standards
Energy and Power Technologies
3.4.4.E3. Identify types of energy and the importance of energy
Conservation.Technology in Action
During this unit students will approach problems with a logical process to invent and innovate. By collaborating and working as a team to fulfill multiple team roles the students will communicate, create, and think critically using coding resources and robotics to teach variables, sequencing, conditionals, and debugging algorithms.
Technology Education Standards
Society and Development of Technology
3.4.4.B3. Explain why new technologies are developed and old
ones are improved in terms of needs and wants.Information and Communication Technologies
3.4.4.E4. Explain how information and communication systems allow information to be transferred from human to human.
Computer Science
1B-AP-08: Compare and refine multiple algorithms for the same task and determine which is the most appropriate. (by the end of grade 5)
1B-AP-09: Create programs that use variables to store and modify data. (by the end of grade 5)
1B-AP-10: Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals. (by the end of Grade 5)
1B-AP-15: Test and debug (identify and fix errors) a program or algorithm to ensure it runs as intended. (by the end of Grade 5)
1B-AP-16: Take on varying roles, with teacher guidance, when collaborating with peers during the design, implementation, and review stages of program development. (by the end of grade 5)
A Stick in the Mud: Evaluating a Landscape
The storybook that anchors this unit, Suman Crosses the Karnali River, takes students to Nepal, where people rely on innovative cable bridges called TarPuls to cross flooded rivers during monsoon season. Digging into the role of geotechnical engineers, students must select a safe, flood-proof, and erosion-proof location for a new TarPul. Working with a model riverbank, they study soil properties, examine maps to assess the potential for erosion at different sites along the river, and factor in the villagers’ preferences for a TarPul location.
Science and Engineering Standards
4-ESS3-2 Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.
3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a wan that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a prototype that can be improved.
Technology Education Standards
Construction Technologies
3.4.4.E7. Understand that structures rest on foundations and that some structures are temporary, while others are permanent.
Math Standards
CC.2.1.4.B.2 Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.
CC.2.4.4.A.2 Translate information from one type of data display to another.
Fifth Grade
Unit Title
Standards
Across All Units
Career Standards
13.1.5C Relate the impact of change to both traditional and nontraditional careers.
13.3.5 B Explain the importance of working cooperatively with others at both home and school to complete a task.
ISTE Standards
2b: Engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices. (Also in our Digital Citizenship Lessons)
2c: Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property (Also in our Digital Citizenship Lessons)
3d: Build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
6b: Create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
7b: Use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.
Lighten Up: Designing Lighting Systems
Optical engineers design all kinds of devices that use light to do something useful—from lasers and telescopes to fiber-optic communication systems. In the storybook that introduces this unit, an Egyptian boy uses what he learns from optical engineers working inside ancient tombs to develop an ingenious system for lighting the dancers in a school performance. This unit gets students thinking like optical engineers as they explore how light interacts with different materials. They’ll use what they’ve learned about the properties of light as they design a system to illuminate hieroglyphics in a model tomb.
Science and Engineering Standards
5-PS1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a prototype that can be improved.
Technology in Action
During this unit students will approach problems with a logical process to invent, innovate or remix. By collaborating and working as a team to fulfill multiple team roles the students will communicate, create, and think critically using coding resources and robotics to teach variables, sequencing, conditionals, and debugging algorithms.
Technology Education Standards
3.4.5.A1 Explain how people use tools and techniques to help them do things
3.4.5.A2 Understand that a subsystem is a system that operates as part of a larger system
3.4.5. A3 Describe how technologies are often combined
3.4.5.C1 Explain how the design process is a purposeful method of planning practical solutions to problems.
3.4.5.C2.Describe how design, as a dynamic process of steps, can be performed in different sequences and repeated.
3.4.5.C3 Identify how Invention and innovation are creative ways to turn ideas into real things.
3.4.5.D1 Identify ways to improve a design solution.
Computer Science Standards
CSTA 1B-DA-07 Use data to highlight or propose cause-and-effect relationships, predict outcomes, or communicate an idea
CSTA 1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals
CSTA 1B-AP-17 Describe choices made during program development using code comments, presentations, and demonstrations
CSTA 1B-IC-21 Use public domain or creative commons media, and refrain from copying or using material created by others without permission (Digital Citizenship)
Slick Solution: Cleaning an Oil Spill
An oil spill can be deadly for fish, plants, and other organisms in the river ecosystem.. Through the storybook Tehya’s Pollution Solution, students learn about a spill on the Elwha River in the Pacific Northwest. Applying their knowledge of ecosystems and food webs, students will test water quality and also the oil-absorbing properties of different materials as they engineer a process for cleaning up an oil spill. This unit introduces students to the field of environmental engineering.
Science and Engineering Standards
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a prototype that can be improved.
5-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
Technology Education Standards
3.4.5. B1 Explain how the use of technology can have unintended consequences
3.4.5. B2 Describe how waste may be appropriately recycled or disposed of to prevent unnecessary harm to the environment
3.4.5. D3 Determine if the human use of a product or system creates positive or negative results.
3.4.5.E2 Understand that there are many different tools necessary to maintain an ecosystem, whether natural or man-made.
Math Standards
CC.2.1.5.B.1 Apply place value concepts to show an understanding of operations and rounding as they pertain to whole numbers and decimals.