The Bee Bots made a surprise visit to the principal's office today!

"STEM"ific Science

The S in STEM stands for Science! So what happens when science lessons take on a STEM twist? They become "STEM"ific.

The fifth grade students have been very busy learning about energy. What better way to study sound energy than to complete a STEM challenge! Could you design a musical instrument that could produce three different tones using simple supplies. These fifth graders could!

Check out some of the explorations these students completed to learn about the various types and forms of energy.

The force of gravity is amazing!

What happens if we lower the ramp?

Does the car have energy now?

This position gives the car potential energy!

Good thing we have safety glasses!

Waiting for that potential energy to turn into kinetic energy.

WOW - There is goes!

Getting ready to tap into some chemical energy!

"STEM"ified Math

The M in STEM stands for Math, so it's no wonder that STEM has found its way into the math classrooms at BES.

The fourth grade students found that the Engineering Design Process helped them complete the cup stacking challenge. The students were challenged to create the tallest freestanding tower that they could using 25 solo cups in one minute. Each partnership  measured the height of their structure to the nearest centimeter. The class then determined the minimum and maximum values of the data set, as well as the range, median, mode, and mean. So what happens when a data collection lesson turns into a STEM lesson? Lots of excitement, problem solving, and new learning takes place. Just check out the level of student engagement present on the faces of their students as they completed their math lesson.

"STEM"ology!

The T in STEM stands for Technology. Technology is anything man made that was created to solve a problem. so it is no wonder that technology is such an integral part of STEM.

The students at BES are learning the basics of computer programming as they learn to write lines of code for their Bee-Bots. Take a moment to watch this video which explains why computer programming is so important in elementary school. It is worth watching!

What does STEM stand for?

What in the world  is STEM? The acronym stands for the four STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

It's important to note that STEM education is not equal

to its separate parts. Rather, it is an interdisciplinary

approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts

are coupled with real world problem based and

performance-based lessons. STEM education exemplifies

the axiom, "the whole is more than the sum of the parts.”

The Bee-Bot Programming Challenge

The fourth grade students are very excited that the Bee-Bots have arrived at BES. These little bees are actually small computers that are capable of following basic commands, such as forward, backward, left, right, turn, and pause. The students are learning the basics of computer programming and will be writing lines of code that will enable their Bee-Bots to accomplish various tasks. I can't wait to see what they can do with them.

Are YOU a Follower?

The Anemometer Challenge

September

During the month of September, the fourth grade students were challenged to design and build a working anemometer that could be used to identify the best location at B.E.S. to build a future wind turbine.

Their anemometers were tested at several different "wind" speeds generated by a fan in the classroom. It proved to be a very difficult task to create an anemometer that was remained intact and worked properly throughout all of the tests; so you can just imagine the cheers and smiles that ensued when groups of engineers to were able to accomplish this task.

October - The MagLev Challenge

The fifth grade students have been applying all that they have learned about force, motion, and energy to create a prototype of a magnetic levitation (maglev) transportation system. Maglev is fairly new mode of transportation that has unique advantages over earlier modes of transportation. Many transportation engineers believe Maglev transportation systems will radically transform society and the world economy in the 21^st century, as they are more cost efficient, energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and safer than traditional trains, planes, and cars.  The students were challenged to create a transportation system using magnetic levitation to carry a load weighing 6 grams a total distance of 12 inches. Each engineering team has gone through numerous iterations in design as they have worked through the Engineering Design Process. I can't wait to see the final products.

September - The Aid Drop Challenge

During the month of September, the fifth grade students were busy assisting FEMA as the disaster relief agency prepared for this year's hurricane season. The young engineers were challenged to develop a prototype of a parachute that could be used to drop necessary supplies into areas devastated by a hurricane. The criteria for the project required that the parachute slow the descent of the package so that the supplies could reach the ground safely, the parachute stay intact for the entire descent, and that the prototype cost under $5.00 to build. It was exciting to watch the students apply what they had learned about force and motion in their science classrooms as they planned, designed, created, and improved their parachutes.

October Challenges

October has brought about an entirely new set of challenges for the members of the STEM Club. The students have been fully immersed in the process of building LEGO Robots. I can't wait to see what they can do!

September Challenges

Structural Engineering at its best. Could you build a free standing structure out of nothing but a set of index cards? It's trickier than it looks!

Meeting a Project Engineer!

On Tuesday, the BES students had the opportunity to meet Lauren Simone, the project engineer who is overseeing the construction of Crossroads Elementary School. Ms. Simone spoke about how she utilized the five steps of the Engineering Design Process to make Crossroads go from simply an idea to a completed project. She also highlighted the important roles that the structural, mechanical, civil, and and safety engineers played in the project. The presentation ended with a lively Question and Answer session, during which the students asked thoughtful questions about engineering. We are very thankful that Ms. Simone was willing to take time out of her busy schedule to share her expertise with us!

What do you think about STEM?

The October Family Challenge Has Been Extended!

The October Family Challenge has been extended into November. Hopefully, the additional time will provide each Burrows Bulldog time to collect the 20 toilet paper rolls necessary to complete the challenge. Please plan to complete the challenge and submit your photos by Thanksgiving break. Have fun!

The October STEM Dog Family Home Challenge (Extended until November 21st)

Meet Bee-Bot

Bee-Bot

The fourth grade students are very excited that the Bee-Bots have arrived at B.E.S. These little bees are actually small computers capable of following basic commands, such as forward, backwards, left turn, right, turn, and pause. The students are learning the basics of computer programming and will be writing lines of code that will enable their Bee-Bots to accomplish various tasks. I can't wait to see what they can do with them. Be sure to check out additional information about the Bee-Bots on the Technology Extensions page!