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- Herausgeber: Crown House Publishing
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018
From caring for our environment to the digital revolution, the demand for STEM skills is huge and is only set to grow. STEM is therefore an important priority area in modern education, leaving many teachers and parents asking questions such as 'How do I fit STEM education into my day?' and 'What kind of activities should I be exploring?' Enter 15-Minute STEM with the answers This innovative resource has been designed to reassure teachers and parents that they don't need to be experts to deliver high-quality STEM education. Each of the 40 activities includes step-by-step instructions, takes just 15 minutes to complete and can be resourced from everyday materials found in the classroom or at home. This means that, with minimal preparation, teachers can slot these cross-curricular activities into an otherwise busy day, broadening their pupils' learning at no cost to their focus on core curriculum areas. The activities make connections to real-world scenarios, helping children to understand how their learning is relevant to their future, and have been linked to conceptually similar STEM-related careers all of which are individually profiled in a glossary at the back of the book. The practical, problem-solving element of each activity offers a great way for children to develop important soft skills such as creativity, critical thinking and spatial awareness. Accompanying instructions are framed and phrased in a way that encourages the children to lead the learning and exploration allowing the supervising adult to take a more hands-off, facilitative approach and opportunities for further investigation are provided in order to broaden the learning focus and extend the tasks beyond 15 minutes. Hand-drawn illustrations and full colour photographs are also included alongside each activity to give an idea of what the end results might look like. Suitable for both teachers and parents. Activities include: Arctic Engineering: Why are igloos built in a dome shape? Fireworks in a Jar: What happens when we mix fluids of different densities? Marble Run Mayhem: What happens to a marble as it moves through a marble run? Rainbow Walking Water: How does water get from the roots of plants to the leaves? Spoon Sound Waves: How can we change the pitch of sound? Left-handed pupils: five quick-win support tips STEM: Building early foundations Click here to view 15-Minute STEM featured in Love Reading 4 Schools books of the month.
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PRAISE FOR 15-MINUTE STEM
15-Minute STEM is brilliant! It is packed full of fun and exciting science- and engineering-based activities that will engage and inspire children, helping them to develop enquiring minds through practical application. With its clear illustrations and step-by-step instructions, the book is great for parents to use with children at home – as well as for teachers who want to introduce more practical activities in the classroom. Fantastic!
Lynda Mann, Head of Education Programmes, Royal Academy of Engineering
I love this book! 15-Minute STEM is crammed full of engaging practical ideas that are quick to do yet also inspire longer-term engagement. It’s equally suitable for teachers and parents – definitely one of the best resources I have read in a long while.
Professor Bill Lucas, co-author of Educating Ruby and Thinking Like an Engineer
15-Minute STEM is full of activities that can be used to enhance current learning and provide hooks to get children thinking about new concepts. The tasks excite both adults and children alike, and naturally lead learners to explore and discuss ideas at their own pace.
A real treasure trove of creative learning opportunities that you can dip into time and time again.
Gilly Tyree-Milner, Forest School/Outdoor/Nurture Lead Practitioner, Worsbrough Common Primary School
Complete with easy-to-use instructions, 15-Minute STEM offers an impressive collection of imaginative, interactive activities which encourage children to question, deduce and hypothesise as they learn. The book’s format is simple to follow, with photos provided to illustrate a range of engaging tasks, and each activity is introduced with a question that stimulates children’s interest and curiosity in STEM.
Our pupils absolutely love it!
Jo Lancett, Head Teacher, Darton Primary School
15-Minute STEM is a fantastic resource to get children of all abilities hands on with STEM, both in school and at home. The activities are easy to comprehend, are effective in quickly conveying complex concepts and can be done with accessible materials. I especially like how the learning helps develop a growth mindset and relates to real-life jobs – and I believe that this can inspire the scientists of the future.
Joanne Fitton, environmental scientist and parent governor
15-Minute STEM is an inviting, teacher-friendly resource packed full of tried-and-tested activities to help develop children’s STEM skills, and is well suited to the teacher who is less experienced in teaching STEM subjects.
Each activity is explained clearly and concisely, and the eye-catching icons tagged on to the activities make it easy to prepare the ideal learning environment for each task. The links to the variety of related jobs also provide children with a useful introduction to possible STEM careers.
A great resource for teachers who are taking their first steps in creating a STEM-rich classroom.
Tanya Shields, Primary STEM Lead, STEM Learning Ltd
15-Minute STEM is a fantastic handbook for anyone looking to cram STEM activities into a busy timetable. Each activity is presented using child-friendly language, along with pictures and easy-to-follow instructions, and is set out in such a way that children will be able to pick up the aim of the task quickly.
The book features dozens of STEM ideas I have never come across before, and I can instantly see how they would be applicable in any classroom – either as stand-alone nuggets or as part of existing schemes of work.
STEM-sational.
Ben Connor, Teacher, St Maxentius CE Primary School
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks go to the many people who have made possible the creation of 15-Minute STEM. Thanks to the fantastic team at Crown House Publishing for sharing my enthusiasm for STEM education and for their guidance throughout the process.
Thanks also to Jane Hewitt for bringing the activities to life with her beautiful photographs, and to the school communities – of Darton Primary and Worsbrough Common Primary – who feature in those photos. The book is filled with images of excited, happy children, and this never fails to make me smile as I flick through its pages.
A final thank you goes to my family for always being there to offer a listening ear or a word of encouragement when needed, and to my husband Edmund. Time and time again I have been grateful for his scientific expertise and insight, which has helped me to develop my ideas into the finished product that you see before you today.
INTRODUCTION: THE CASE FOR 15-MINUTE STEM
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These disciplines have an impact that can be seen in all aspects of our lives. From construction to space exploration, from caring for our environment to the digital revolution; the demand for STEM skills is massive and is only set to grow.
STEM education is a cross-discipline approach to teaching these interrelated subjects, with problem solving at its heart. Great STEM education works through activities with real-world applications, helping children to understand how their learning is relevant and how they could use it in the future. It is an important tool in breaking down stereotypes and encouraging more children to pursue STEM careers. There is a notable under-representation of women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds in STEM careers, so it is important that all children can realise their own capabilities first-hand.
But then again, if you’ve picked up this book, the chances are you already know all of that. Most teachers and parents recognise STEM to be an important priority area for modern education. However, you may be looking for answers to one or all of the following questions:
How do I fit STEM education into my day?
What kind of STEM activities should I be exploring?
How can I deliver STEM education when I’m not an expert myself?
Is STEM education just for the classroom?
This book is intended to reassure you that you don’t need to be an expert to deliver high-quality STEM education. It contains 40 quick, easy-to-resource STEM activities for primary school teachers, and is also ideal for parents to use at home with their children.
How do I fit STEM education into my day?
15-minute STEM activities really do take just 15 minutes
Each activity has been tested to ensure that it can be delivered quickly. This means that with minimal preparation you can slot a 15-minute STEM activity into those spare moments in an otherwise busy day. Of course, it is up to you how much time you spend preparing the children and discussing their findings afterwards.
15-minute STEM is easy to resource
Many of the activities in this book can be resourced from everyday materials found at home or in the classroom, allowing you to deliver them at short notice. Phew! The ‘You will need’ boxes list the resources you will need to complete each activity once. You will need a set of resources for each child or group undertaking the activity.
It doesn’t need to match the curriculum
That’s the charm of these 15-minute activities. They can be presented independently of other learning, giving you greater flexibility to slot them in as stand-alone projects. You will find that the children naturally draw upon a range of prior knowledge to complete each activity.
What kind of STEM activities should I be exploring?
STEM activities should make real-world connections
In my experience, children respond best to activities with obvious real-world relevance. Therefore, each activity starts with a question they might ask themselves. It’s then up to the children to investigate! I’ve also linked each activity to STEM careers that engage with conceptually similar tasks, a glossary of which is included at the back of the book. Research shows that the perceptions children have about certain jobs and careers are formed at a young age and that gender stereotyping exists from the age of 7.1 By introducing children to relevant STEM careers we can challenge these early perceptions and stereotypes and widen their career aspirations.
How can I deliver STEM education when I’m not an expert myself?
Follow the explanation of the learning
Each activity is written as a script that can be delivered directly to children. A helpful ‘What are we learning?’ box accompanies each activity, which outlines the key learning points. These explanations are targeted towards the primary school age range, equipping you with the key facts you’ll need in order to summarise the task.
Less structure, more action
I’ve kept the activity instructions on the lighter side, and would encourage you to be hands-off with the children. Instead of outlining exactly what the task entails, start with the question, expose the children to the resources and allow them to lead the exploration – supporting them when needed with the step-by-step instructions.
Is STEM education just for the classroom?
STEM education is for both teachers and parents
These activities can be done at home, as well as in school. In fact, reinforcing STEM principles across these two settings helps to embed the learning in real-life contexts and fosters an interest in these disciplines from a young age.
15-minute STEM is deliberately adaptable
Each activity can be made suitable for specific age groups within the 5–11 range with a little bit of adaptation. Stick to the basic structure of the activity with younger children, and use the ‘Investigate’ cues to extend the task with older children. This can also be used to extend the activity beyond 15 minutes, depending on the children’s engagement with the task. If a whole class is completing the activity there is plenty of scope to discuss and compare results afterwards. Many of the tasks could also be completed in small groups to encourage collaborative problem solving and teamwork.
Oh, and another thing …
15-minute STEM develops soft skills
Problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, communication, confidence, spatial awareness … the list goes on! These hands-on activities are designed to encourage curiosity and creativity, along with a wide range of other important soft skills, which are crucial to success in STEM and other careers.
Now, let’s get started!
1 See Nick Chambers, Elnaz T. Kashefpakdel, Jordan Rehill and Christian Percy, Drawing the Future: Exploring the Career Aspirations of Primary School Children from Around the World (London: Education and Employers, 2018). Available at: https://www.educationandemployers.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/DrawingTheFuture.pdf.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND A FEW OTHER BITS
Some activities come with templates or resources for you to copy (e.g. activity 35, Spinning Helicopters), but you might want to have a go at making your own instead.
Some of the activities are seasonal. For example, activity 13, Leaf Shape Sorting, works best in the autumn when there are lots of fallen leaves. Save these activities for the right time of year.
Some of the activities are messy! It’s a good idea to try them outside and to make sure that you are wearing suitable clothing. This is indicated at the start of these activities – see the key below.
Some of the activities need to be returned to throughout the day (e.g. activity 5, Chasing Shadows). Again, this is noted at the start of these activities.
Some of the activities involve the use of single-use plastics such as drinking straws. Where possible, reuse these plastics for other activities.
Some important guidelines to share with the children:
When working with warm water, take it from the hot tap rather than a boiling kettle.
When doing outdoor activities, remember to stay within sight of an adult.
Take care with sharp objects, such as scissors.
Never taste any of the products of the experiments.
Wash your hands after completing each experiment and be careful not to touch your eyes.
Be respectful of the natural environment, being careful not to disturb it.
When working with living creatures, such as minibeasts, make sure they are returned to where they are found.
Throughout the book you’ll find different icons next to the activities. Here’s what they mean:
1. AIR-POWERED CAR
How can we power a vehicle using a balloon?
You will need
A balloonCardboardStraws x3Wooden dowels x2Wheels x4 (e.g. cardboard circles, plastic bottle lids, old CDs)Sticky tapeScissorsA measuring tapeHow to do it
Note: You will need an adult to pierce the holes for the dowels to go through if you are using plastic bottle lids for your wheels.
Create the base of your car from a piece of cardboard.Tape two straws across the base’s underside to create the axles (an axle is a rod that connects two wheels).Thread the wooden dowels through the straw axles and attach wheels onto the ends.Tape the third straw to the top of the cardboard base and insert one end into the opening of a balloon, securing with sticky tape.Blow through the other end of the straw to inflate the balloon. Then pinch the end of the straw to keep the air in until you are ready to test it.Place your car on a flat surface and watch it go! Measure the distance that it travels.Optional: Experiment with using different materials or sizes for the wheels. What works best? Can you think of reasons why? Can you increase the distance that your car travels?
Investigate
Now adapt your design to see if you can create an air-powered boat. You will need to use a waterproof material for the base of your boat, such as a sponge or a plastic tray.
What are we learning?
The air escaping from the balloon propels the car in the opposite direction. This is an example of Newton’s third law of motion (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction).
The same physics occurs in the launch of space rockets, which burn fuel and eject gases behind them, propelling them upwards. Check out activity 31, Rocket Racers!
2. ARCTIC ENGINEERING
Why are igloos built in a dome shape?
