Teacher Case Study: Kimberly Corallo (5)

Dysart Unified School District (AZ)

A Defined STEM Learning Experience From:
Kimberly Corallo
Gifted Instructional Assistant
Dysart Unified School District (AZ)

Performance Task: 
Toy Designer

Here’s What We Did:
I created a ‘Shark Tank’ setting for my students where they had to pitch their creation of the newest and hottest toy on the market this Holiday season. Students had to develop a concept of the toy and figure out what materials they needed to make it. They researched cost analysis of how much their toy would cost to make, and how much they would sell their toy for. They dug deep researching the market and supply and demand of similar products. After researching students constructed a prototype of the toy and filmed a commercial to learn aspects of marketing their newly invented toy.

Why Defined STEM Was the Perfect Fit:
We did this project close to the holiday shopping season and students loved it! It gave them a chance to see the full circle of toy making and how an idea evolves into something they see on store shelves. Defined STEM does a great job of giving a project outline, but allowing room for individual creativity. Each toy was vastly different, but students came away from the project with similar ideas of how the process works.