Teacher Case Study: Ashley Flatebo

6th grade Science & Social Studies teacher Ashley Flatebo used the Prosthetics performance task.

A Defined STEM Learning Experience From:

Ashley Flatebo

6th Grade Science & Social Studies Teacher

Lincoln Intermediate (IA)


Performance Task:

Prosthetics


Here’s What We Did:

Sixth grade is focused on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). I worked with the literacy teacher to coordinate a project that incorporated one of her reading assignments along with science and art. The students read The Running Dream (by Wendeline Van Draanen) about a young track star who loses one of her legs in a car accident. She thinks she will never run again but is able to thanks to a prosthetic leg and a lot of determination. Using the Defined STEM task, students had the opportunity to build a prosthetic out of recycled materials. In the process, the students learned about force, motion and simple machines as well as exercised their creativity.


The students were totally into this project. They all worked at their own paces. Some students even took their work home so it became a family project. They were so excited to show me what they developed.


Why Defined STEM Was the Perfect Fit:

The Prosthetics Performance Task included most of what I wanted to cover with the lesson. I did edit it a bit, which is a nice thing about Defined STEM, and pulled in the 3-D model as part of the lesson.