A Defined STEM Learning Experience From:

Ashley Duchein

1st-8th Grade Gifted Program

Ashton Ranch Elementary School, Thompson Ranch Elementary School, & Dysart Elementary School (AZ)

Performance Task: Producer & Consumer

Here’s What We Did:

I worked with my 1st graders on the "Producer & Consumer" project. They first read about the guidelines and expectations of the project and then watched the videos. They then researched deeper to learn about producers, consumers, and decomposers. They loved watching the videos and researching more in depth.

To finish the project, they made their own parks showing several examples of producers, consumers, and decomposers. They had a lot of fun with this task. It gave students an opportunity to both demonstrate what they’d learned and use their creativity.

At the beginning of the project, none of the students had any idea what producers, consumers, or decomposers even were. By the end of the project, they were able to give me several examples of each and explain why they fit into each category. Students were highly engaged throughout the entire project. I was very impressed with their learning and growth throughout this project.