The EngrTEAMS Project: STEM Integration Curricula for Grades 4-8 (Curriculum Exchange)

Tamara J. Moore; S. Selcen Guzey; Aran W. Glancy

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Conference: 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Publication Date: June 15, 2014
Start Date: June 15, 2014
End Date: June 18, 2014
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: K-12 and Pre-College Engineering Division Curriculum Exchange
Tagged Division: K-12 & Pre-College Engineering
Page Count: 2
Page Numbers: 24.1212.1 - 24.1212.2
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--23145
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/23145
Download Count: 343

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Paper Authors

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Tamara J. Moore Purdue University orcid.org/0000-0002-7956-4479

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Tamara J. Moore, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Dr. Moore’s research is centered on the integration of STEM concepts in K-12 and higher education mathematics, science, and engineering classrooms in order to help students make connections among the STEM disciplines and achieve deep understanding. Her research agenda focuses on defining STEM integration and investigating its power for student learning. She is creating and testing innovative, interdisciplinary curricular approaches that engage students in developing models of real world problems and their solutions. Her research also involves working with educators to shift their expectations and instructional practice to facilitate effective STEM integration. Tamara is the recipient of a 2012 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her work on STEM integration with underrepresented minority and underprivileged urban K-12 students.

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S. Selcen Guzey University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

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Dr. Guzey is a Research Associate at the STEM Education Center at the University of Minnesota. Her research and teaching focus on integrated STEM education.

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Aran W. Glancy University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

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Aran W. Glancy is a Ph.D. Candidate in STEM Education with an emphasis in Mathematics Education at the University of Minnesota. He is a former high school mathematics and physics teacher, and he has experience both using and teaching a variety of educational technologies. His research interests include mathematical modeling, computational thinking, and STEM integration. Specifically, he is interested in the ways in which integrating engineering or computer science into mathematics and science classes can support and enhance learning within and across the STEM disciplines.

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Abstract

The EngrTEAMS Project: STEM Integration Curricula for Grades 4-‐8 (Curriculum Exchange) Description of the ProjectThe Engineering to Transform the Education of Analysis, Measurement, & Science (EngrTEAMS) project is an engineering, design-‐based approach to teacher professional development that has 50 teachers per year designing curricular units for science topic areas related to the Next Generation Science Standards. The project includes summer professional development and curriculum writing workshops, paired with coaching, to allow teams of teachers to design engineering curricular units focused on science concepts, meaningful data analysis, and measurement. Each unit goes through an extensive design research cycle to ensure its quality and is published in an online format for use across the United States and beyond. Description of the ResourcesThe presenters will provide access to the twenty-nine units that were created in year one of theEngrTEAMS project. Three units will be highlighted in detail, where attendees will be able tolook through the lesson plans, play with the manipulatives, and see student designs.For earth science, the Rockin’ Good Times unit will be highlighted. In this unit, students select a site to safely build and anchor an amusement park ride in an earthquake prone area and build, test, and redesign a prototype of an anchoring system. The STEM integration activities include using shake tables to show how earthquakes change the surface of the earth, testing earth materials for stability while measuring movement of structures anchored in them, measuring the forces created by the shake tables, analyzing survey data using range, mean, and rational number operations, and presenting data using appropriate graphing techniques. For physical science, the Rehash Your Trash unit will be highlighted. In this unit, students are faced with an engineering design challenge in which they must develop an automated sorting process for a recycling company that is transitioning from manual sort to single-‐stream, automated sorting. To develop the tools necessary for this challenge, students must learn about intrinsic and extrinsic physical properties as well as chemical properties. Specifically, students learn how density can be used to separate different types of materials, and while investigating this concept, students collect and analyze real data and apply their knowledge of proportional relationships. For life science, the Floating Islands unit will be highlighted. This unit has students designartificial floating islands for the purpose of habitat restoration. The unit introduces the context ofa polluted lake. Through activities regarding water quality (a field trip – if possible), studentsexplore the sources of pollution and pollutants for the lake system. Measurement and dataanalysis are used to collect and analyze the data for the field trip. Students design a prototypefloating island with a predetermined perimeter that has maximum area, test it for its ability toclean the water and fit the predetermined criteria, and redesign based on the results of the test.

Citation
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Moore, T. J., & Guzey, S. S., & Glancy, A. W. (2014, June), The EngrTEAMS Project: STEM Integration Curricula for Grades 4-8 (Curriculum Exchange) Paper presented at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--23145

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -                The  EngrTEAMS  Project:  STEM  Integration  Curricula  for  Grades  4-‐8                                          (Curriculum  Exchange)  Description of the ProjectThe  Engineering  to  Transform  the  Education  of  Analysis,  Measurement,  &amp;  Science  (EngrTEAMS)  project  is  an  engineering,  design-‐based  approach  to  teacher  professional  development  that  has  50  teachers  per  year  designing  curricular  units  for  science  topic  areas  related  to  the  Next  Generation  Science  Standards.  The  project  includes  summer  professional  development  and  curriculum  writing  workshops,  paired  with  coaching,  to  allow  teams  of  teachers  to  design  engineering  curricular  units  focused  on  science  concepts,  meaningful  data  analysis,  and  measurement.  Each  unit  goes  through  an  extensive  design  research  cycle  to  ensure  its  quality  and  is  published  in  an  online  format  for  use  across  the  United  States  and  beyond.    Description of the ResourcesThe presenters will provide access to the twenty-nine units that were created in year one of theEngrTEAMS project. Three units will be highlighted in detail, where attendees will be able tolook through the lesson plans, play with the manipulatives, and see student designs.For earth science, the Rockin’ Good Times unit will be highlighted. In this unit, students  select  a  site  to  safely  build  and  anchor  an  amusement  park  ride  in  an  earthquake  prone  area  and  build,  test,  and  redesign  a  prototype  of  an  anchoring  system.  The  STEM  integration  activities  include  using  shake  tables  to  show  how  earthquakes  change  the  surface  of  the  earth,  testing  earth  materials  for  stability  while  measuring  movement  of  structures  anchored  in  them,  measuring  the  forces  created  by  the  shake  tables,  analyzing  survey  data  using  range,  mean,  and  rational  number  operations,  and  presenting  data  using  appropriate  graphing  techniques.    For  physical  science,  the  Rehash  Your  Trash  unit  will  be  highlighted.  In  this  unit,  students  are  faced  with  an  engineering  design  challenge  in  which  they  must  develop  an  automated  sorting  process  for  a  recycling  company  that  is  transitioning  from  manual  sort  to  single-‐stream,  automated  sorting.  To  develop  the  tools  necessary  for  this  challenge,  students  must  learn  about  intrinsic  and  extrinsic  physical  properties  as  well  as  chemical  properties.  Specifically,  students  learn  how  density  can  be  used  to  separate  different  types  of  materials,  and  while  investigating  this  concept,  students  collect  and  analyze  real  data  and  apply  their  knowledge  of  proportional  relationships.  For life science, the Floating Islands unit will be highlighted. This unit has students designartificial floating islands for the purpose of habitat restoration. The unit introduces the context ofa polluted lake. Through activities regarding water quality (a field trip – if possible), studentsexplore the sources of pollution and pollutants for the lake system. Measurement and dataanalysis are used to collect and analyze the data for the field trip. Students design a prototypefloating island with a predetermined perimeter that has maximum area, test it for its ability toclean the water and fit the predetermined criteria, and redesign based on the results of the test.
AU  - Tamara J. Moore
AU  - S. Selcen Guzey
AU  - Aran W. Glancy
CY  - Indianapolis, Indiana
DA  - 2014/06/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The EngrTEAMS Project: STEM Integration Curricula for Grades 4-8 (Curriculum Exchange)
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/23145
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--23145
ER  -