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3rd-5th Grade
​STEM

Try these STEM enriched learning activities
​online and at home.

Secret Messages

4/13/2020

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Welcome back from Spring Break! This week, we are going to tackle chemical changes. Students in upper grades are asked to plan and carry out investigations to determine if a chemical change has occurred based on observable evidence (S5P1.c). Students are also asked to generate and analyze patterns- which is PERFECT for writing and deciphering secret messages (MGSE4.OA.5).

Materials you will need: paper, markers, lemon juice, baking soda, grape juice, milk, Q-tips, and a flame-less heat source like a hair dryer or a lamp without a lampshade.
Optional items: ingredients for baking cookies, bread, or any other baked good


We would normally begin with a video of a read aloud that's connected to our subject, but this one can be a little tricky! Here's a great short video clip that summarizes all you need to know about physical and chemical changes. 
Here's an interactive game that will test your knowledge of physical and chemical changes. Give it a try! It will check your answers as you go along. Click the photo to visit the site. (Note: game requires Adobe Flash Player)
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Here's an optional bonus activity - spend some time with a family member as you bake something together.  When you bake, you are chemically changing the ingredients to become a tasty treat! 

Once you feel confident that you can determine the difference and physical and chemical changes, it's time to take on your STEM challenge!  Ask yourself, how can I use household items to try and create secret messages that can only be revealed with heat?  Give your messages one additional level of security by creating an alphabetic code that uses patterns to write your messages.  Brainstorm some ideas and do some materials testing.  Which type of chemical works the best? Create your secret code and give it to a family member to decipher.  Evaluate: Could I try another material or combination of liquids to get better results?  Can you improve your messages?

If you're stuck on how to create your code, check out this video and try out the Pigpen Cipher!
click here to download this lesson
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How is Sound Produced and Changed?

3/30/2020

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This week, we will be exploring the science of sound to help us figure out the best way to create musical instruments! In secondary grades, students are asked to obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how sound is produced and changed and how sound can be used to communicate (S4P2). Students are also asked to solve real world and mathematical problems involving volume (MGSE5.MD.5), so we will take this challenge one step further and evaluate whether or not changing the volume of the instruments' body changes the sound. 

Materials: Paper, Coloring Tools, String or Rubber Bands, Home Building Materials (boxes, empty paper towel or toilet paper rolls, whatever you can find to build with!)

Here's a great book to get you thinking about how you perceive sound!
When studying sound, it can be helpful to consider ways that we may try and SEE what we normally only hear. Check out this awesome video that shows how an amazing composer has created a music video to show what his sounds look like! This phenomenon is a great jumping off point for studying sound. If you're able, answer the questions that follow the video or chat with your child about their thoughts!
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Now that we've made the connection between vibration and sound, we can take what we know and apply it to the construction of some home instruments! 

Ask your child, can you use materials found around your home to create a playable musical instrument with a hollow body and strings?

This challenge will have to be done in a few parts. First, students will brainstorm a design for their musical instrument. Through this process, they will learn that their instrument will have a large hollow body with strings stretched across it. During the planning process, encourage students to try out instrument bodies with 2 different volumes. To do this, students will have to estimate the volume of at least 2 different containers. Click here if you're unsure of how to find the volume of a rectangular prism. Students should consider how each volume changes the sound of their instrument and evaluate which is best. After considering the different sounds, students will create their instrument with their favorite container. Are there any other ways they could improve their instruments? See the ideas in the photos below if you're stuck!
Click here to download this lesson
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3-5 STEM Enrichment Choice Board - March 28-April 3

3/26/2020

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stem_enrichment_chart_-_grades_3-5.pdf
File Size: 259 kb
File Type: pdf
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    These activities are being compiled by your STEMCobb team. ​

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