The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project
STEM Tank! Part 3
STEM Tank! Part 3
A third grade STEM lesson
Danielle Van Derlaske
1/8/2024
Notes for teachers
For this unit, students will be designing and building their own invention to solve a problem. They will create a business plan, including the cost of their product based on the materials you provide and what they will sell their product for. You can change the materials to what you have available. Students get the chance to be creative with what you have but more important than what their end product looks like is the process they take to get there and their understanding of what goes into making your own product.
During Part 3 students will work on their business plan, marketing of their product, and presenting their product to their peers for review.
Part 1- Click here
Part 2- Click here
List of Materials for Part 3
Standards
Engineering:
STANDARD 2.0 CREATE ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS BY APPLYING A STRUCTURED PROBLEM-SOLVING/DECISION MAKING PROCESS
ELA:
3.SL.1-Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. d. Explain their own ideas and understanding based on the discussion.
3.SL.4-Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
3.SL.6-Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.
Technology::
3-5.1.c: Students, in collaboration with an educator, examine feedback from both people and the features embedded in digital tools, and use age appropriate technology to share learning
3-5.6.d. Students, in collaboration with an educator, learn about and consider the intended audience when creating and publishing digital artifacts and presentations
Standards
Math:
3.MD.A.1b-Solve word problems involving money through $20.00, using symbols $, ".", ₵.
Objective(s):
Students will go through the design process to come up with a product that will solve a real life problem. By the end of the unit, students will design their product, make their product, create a business plan, make a Google Slide Presentation and present their product to their classmates in the STEM Tank.
Agenda (Three/Four 30-45 minute sessions)
Session 1:
*Students will work through their business plan. This will include:
*product name
*purpose
*wholesale unit cost
*consumer cost
*slogan for product
Session 2:
*Students will create a google slidedeck to present their product to their peers.
*Their google slidedeck will include:
*slide with advertisement for their product, picture of product, and slogan.
*slide(s) including all the information from their business plan.
Session 3 and 4:
*Students will present their product to their peers in the STEM Tank.
*All students will complete an assessment form for each presented product and ranking.
*If time, students can give feedback to other students on their product in a discussion form.
*After all assessment forms have been completed, find out which products would be invested in by the STEM Tank.
Intro/Driving Question/Opening
What real life problem could you solve/make better with an invention?
STEM Tank Business Plan
Day 1
STEM Tank Business Plan-Required Parts
Day 1
STEM Tank Business Plan-Required Parts
Day 1
STEM Tank Business Plan-Required Parts
Day 1
What do you do in the STEM Tank?
Day 2
When you are in the STEM Tank…
Day 2
When you are in the STEM Tank…
Day 2
Plan your Sales Pitch-You and your partner will……
Day 2
STEM Tank!
How is your project assessed in the STEM Tank?
Day 3
*Will people want to buy it?
STEM Tank Assessment Form
Day 3
Assessment
How well did your product do in the STEM Tank?
Did you complete an accurate business plan?
Did you create a Google slidedeck to present your product?
Did you present your product and answer questions about your product?
Differentiation
*If students are having a hard time building their product, you can be their product builder and let them direct you. This may be necessary for some of your resource students.
*You can have different materials available, or if you do not want them to actually make the product, they can just design it and have a detailed drawing.
*If students need additional materials that you do not have, you can let them bring them in but give those materials a cost so they can add it to their total product cost.
Remediation
Extension/Enrichment
*Students who are fast finishers could research what solutions are already out there for the problem they have chosen.
*Students who work best on their own can design their own product instead of working in a team.