A Defined STEM Learning Experience From:

Melinda White

Grade 5 Math and Science

Kilhei Public Charter Elementary School

Performance Task:

Garden Space Colony - Dietitian

Here’s What We Did:

I have spent a great deal of time identifying videos from other services and all over the internet. Defined STEM has videos and tasks in one place that apply to 21st learners

For this task in particular, we had been working on a Project Lead The Way lesson on rovers and Island Energy Inquiry Lessons on renewable energy along with growing our own school garden, so creating a garden in space worked very well to connect all of these ideas. There is a lot of math specific connections in this task particularly around the surface are and perimeter. There were many conversations in the classroom around the size and measurement. This is truly a cross curricular task, in addition to the math, there are many science concepts as well. The thing I really enjoyed was the authentic real world nature of the content which helped the students make the intended connections.

My students worked in groups of "dietitians" their goal was to create a garden that fed the most people with the least amount of space. The critical thinking and problem solving is evident throughout this performance task.

For example, my students realized that rice too up too much surface area and they would not be able to feed many people. Students did the necessary research and found that quinoa took up less surface area and is a better source of nutrition. The students also understood the real challenges of growing their own food.

The students are extremely engaged. The tasks support students at all levels of learning and really assists in differentiating instruction.

Why Defined STEM Was the Perfect Fit:

The ability to modify and edit content is great as I can modify content around my classroom.

The structure and organization of Defined STEM made it easy for my students to find what they needed. This really helped to streamline the process for the students.