Issue link: https://trevordayschool.uberflip.com/i/1315612
Working in a STREAM Lab provides hands-on learning, helps students develop critical thinking skills, and even boosts self-confidence and independence. ey also created a picture of something that they wanted to do in the future, and then used felt and other materials to make a tile design of that image. Fourth graders used the STREAM Lab for their simple machines unit in science; they created elaborate Rube Goldberg-style inventions, using wood, pulleys, levers, and other materials. Fourth and 5th graders especially loved a STREAM Lab-oriented MiniTerm class: the Mars Rover Challenge! It was, indeed, a challenge: Working in small collaborative groups, students were asked to construct a vehicle for discovery on Mars, using only STREAM Lab materials. e rovers had to be designed so that they could ride over two-inch high rocks and move at least two feet! As part of their curriculum, 4th and 5th graders were also introduced to Computer-aided Design (CAD) software on their Chromebooks. ey learned how to create their own unique 3-D objects, which were then fabricated with the school's 3-D printers. Fifth graders also created carnival games that tied to their probability unit in math. We have had great success introducing the STREAM Lab to the Lower School— in fact, the program has been so successful that we moved the lab to a larger space in September 2019 to accommodate bigger groups. Going forward, our goal is to expand the use of the space to offer even more opportunities for our younger students. Every grade level will create at least one project in the STREAM Lab that directly connects to a unit in their curriculum. In addition to augmenting classroom lessons in a vivid and meaningful way, integrating the hands-on technology of our STREAM Lab with the Lower School curriculum will also build students' computational thinking skills. In the future, we also hope to collaborate on maker projects with the Upper School, which will enhance the experience for students in both divisions. n 1 9 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n WINTER 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 2 0