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Notes for Teachers

Thrill Ride O’Love STEM challenge- Engineering a Shield Retrieval provides an exciting opportunity for students to exercise their creativity and engineering skills while connecting literature to real-world problem-solving. Encouraging open-ended thinking and collaboration throughout the process. Provide support as needed, ensuring students have access to relevant materials and technology for their designs. Emphasizing the importance of teamwork, iterative design, and reflection to foster a growth mindset. Celebrating the students' efforts and showcasing their innovative solutions to the rest of the class and school community. Have fun and inspire a lifelong passion for engineering and literature in your students!

Materials:

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Chapter 15)
Engineering design process posters or handouts
Writing and drawing materials
Craft and building materials (e.g., cardboard, tape, craft sticks, scissors, rulers)
Digital devices for research
Optional: Digital design software or 3D printing access for virtual or advanced projects

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Standards

English Language Arts (Grade 4-6):

Standard 4.RL.2: Determine the theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text.

Standard 4.RL.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama.

Standard 5.RL.3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama.

Standard 5.RL.5: Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fit together to provide an overall structure.

Standard 6.RL.3: Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds.

Mathematics (Grade 4-6):

Standard 4.G.1: Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines.

Physical Science (Grade 4-6):

Standard 4-PS3-2: Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.

Standard 4-PS3-4: Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

Engineering (Grade 4-6):

Standard ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems

Standard ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

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Objective(s):

Students will use the engineering design process to devise an alternative method for retrieving the shield of Ares from Hephaestus' trap, as depicted in Chapter 15 of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. They will apply critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills to construct a functional and creative solution.

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Agenda

Day 1

Reading and Discussion of Chapter 15 (30 minutes)
Overview of the Engineering Design Process (20 minutes)
Introduction to the STEM Challenge (15 minutes)

Day 2

Research and Brainstorming (30 minutes)
Planning and Designing (40 minutes)

Day 3

Building and Testing (60 minutes)

Day 4

Finalizing Designs and Presentations (40 minutes)

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

How can we engineer a different approach to safely retrieve the shield of Ares from Hephaestus' trap?

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Lesson Plans & Hands-on Activity Instructions

Day 1

Reading and Discussion of Chapter 15 (30 minutes)

Read the chapter "A God buys us cheeseburgers" and discuss the challenge of retrieving the shield of Ares from Hephaestus' trap.

Divide students into groups of 3-4
Overview of the Engineering Design Process (20 minutes)

Show students the Engineering Design Process steps
Have the students work in their groups to create a poster of the steps.
(Optional) show a video that describes the steps

Introduction to the STEM Challenge (15 minutes)

You have been hired by ARES to retrieve his shield from the Trill O’Love ride at the carnival. Your team is tasked with designing a device that will allow for the retrieval of the shield without setting off any traps.

Day 2

Research and Brainstorming (30 minutes)

Research:

- Have students work with their group and provide them with resources related to ancient Greek engineering, traps, and machinery.

Instruct students to research how ancient engineers may have designed traps similar to Hephaestus' and their potential solutions.

Brainstorming

Have groups brainstorm and discuss various creative ideas to retrieve the shield from the trap using the engineering design process.
Encourage them to consider safety, effectiveness, and practicality of their solutions.

Planning and Designing (40 minutes)

Instruct groups to choose their best solution and create detailed design plans for their retrieval method.

Day 3

Building and Testing (60 minutes)

Provide materials such as craft supplies, building blocks, and other resources to help students build their prototypes.
Have groups test their retrieval methods on the simulated trap setups.
Encourage iterative testing and refinement to improve their designs.

Day 4

Finalizing Designs and Presentations (40 minutes)

Each group will present their engineered retrieval method, explaining their design process and rationale.

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Assessment

Formative Assessment: Observations and feedback during brainstorming, planning, and building stages.

Summative Assessment: Evaluation of the final designs and presentations based on creativity, functionality, and adherence to the engineering design process.

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Differentiation

Provide scaffolding for struggling students during the brainstorming and planning stages.
Offer additional resources, such as videos or books on engineering concepts, to reinforce understanding.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Encourage students to research ancient Greek traps and engineering marvels for additional inspiration.
Challenge advanced students to consider how they might modify their design to incorporate modern technology.
Prompt students to write a short narrative or diary entry from the perspective of Percy Jackson, describing their engineering journey.

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