The Compelling Question and the Journey
How can STEM integration support and enhance literacy instruction within the classroom?
Our integrated STEM and literacy unit begins with the students exploring numerous versions of the childhood classic story, The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf. While utilizing our Engineering Design Process, students began by asking themselves what the problem was in the story. Within collaborative teams, the students discovered that the problem in the story was that the pigs did not build their houses out of strong enough materials. Following the process, they then imagined how they can help solve the problem. The students used their STEM notebooks and developed a plan of action (examples are listed below). As they developed their plans students integrated their recently mastered shape objectives by implementing newly learned math vocabulary and knowledge.
After students developed a plan of action with their team, they were challenged to utilize Voki to record and share their plans, ideas and materials listed with their peers.
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Students worked to build fluency and improve comprehension of the story by integrating a reader's theater performance. Half of the class performed the original version of The Three Little Pigs while the other half performed The Three Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig. Together we compared the different versions of the story while dramatizing the characters. Students continued to explore other versions of the story by scanning QR codes with an iPod which directed them to videos, online books and plays of the story.
Students worked together in teams of 3. They followed their plan of actions, used 21st century skills while communicating and collaboratively working together to create a solution to the problem in the story. They used recyclable materials and developed a solution that was expected to withstand the wind that a box fan produces which signified the huffs and puffs of the wolf.
Students gathered in our library for our testing day. Each group of students came up and placed their creation on a table. The Big Bad Wolf (a teacher) turned on the box fan which symbolizes the huffs and puffs of the wolf. The students then witnessed whether their creation was successful during our STEM challenge.
After the conclusion of our testing day, the students spent time self reflecting on the strengths and areas of improvements for their structure. The students wrote reflections on how they can improve their creation and what changes they would make in order to make their houses successful.