The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Balloons Over Broadway Mapping

Thanksgiving Day Parade- Buildings and Balloons over Broadway

A 3rd grade STEM lesson

Andrea Hurst

11/16/2023

Notes for teachers

-This lesson takes place in a classroom. Students will need time to create the buildings for the parade route and or map as well as their balloon for the parade. Could take two+ days.

-Maps can be done in small groups (2-5)

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Possible Materials

• Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
• Sphero or Bee-Bot
• iPad or any device that supports Sphero
• Balloons
• Solo Cups
• Tape (clear and masking)
• Straws
• Googly eyes
• Construction paper
• 1 inch square graph paper
• Dice
• Scissors, glue sticks, markers, pencils
• Large butcher paper or masking tape to make map
• Any additional crafting supplies

NGSS Standards

3-5.4.b. Students, in collaboration with an educator, use digital and/or non-digital tools to plan and manage a design process.

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3-5-ETS1-3.

Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

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Arizona Standards

3.MD.C Geometric measurement: Understand concepts of area and perimeter.

3.RL.10 By the end of the year, proficiently and independently read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in a text complexity range determined by qualitative and quantitative measures appropriate to grade 3.

3.AP.A.1 Recognize and compare multiple algorithms for the same task and determine which are effective.

3.AP.C.1 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and/or conditionals.

Objectives:

Students will be able to read and respond to the story Balloons over Broadway.

Students will be able to use the engineering design process to plan and create an balloon for the parade.

Students will be able to create a building along the map using area.

Students will collaborate and communicate effectively with our peers to complete an engineering design challenge.

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Students will be able to test, share, and improve their designs.

Agenda

Day 1:

10 mins - Intro to lesson, read aloud

40 mins- Students build a map using area

• Students can be grouped in teams. Building buildings with their teams colors.

10 mins - Plan and glue buildings down along the parade route ( as a whole class parade or small group)

Day 2

5 mins - Plan a design for a balloon

25 mins - Students build balloon

10 mins - Test construction and improve design

5 mins - Connect to bots and line up to go down the parade route

15 mins - Parade (as a whole class or in small groups)

Read Aloud:

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https://youtu.be/dLPXOdZRyLI

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Have you ever seen a parade?

What did you notice and what did you see?

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Do you think you could design a balloon for the Thanksgiving Day Parade?

What kind of balloon would you make?

City Planning Instructions

• In small groups
• Teacher is the foreperson and students are the builders.
• Students will roll two dice (6, 10, 12 sided based on level) and they will have to correctly solve to find the area using a model and equation.
• Once done students will get work checked by foreperson (Teacher).
• If correct get stamp of approval to build- if incorrect can seek help from same team builders.
• Once build time is complete - students will collaboratively determine how to build their street with the buildings
• Maps will be used to create their parade route.

Balloon Instructions

• Individual students will plan and design a balloon for the parade
• Students can then blow balloon up and design their balloon using craft materials.
• Students will need to determine how to attach the straws to the balloon in order for it to stand up.
• If using Sphero students will need a solo cup
• If using Bee-Bot students need to find a way to attach to the Bot using the straw.
• Students will test their designs and make improvements as necessary.
• Students will need to code and program the bot to go the path of the parade.
• At the end students will run the parade.

Assessment

Test your balloon and then reflect:

-Did it stay lifted up going down the parade route?

-Did you make changes to your balloon when testing it?

Differentiation

Parent volunteers or buddy classes can assist struggling students to create their balloon.

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Use a beebot/mousebot with physical button directions instead of a Sphero with block based coding directions.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

• Students can create their own parade route using maps of their own home town. Labeling streets and writing down directions to see if their friends can follow their parade route

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• Students can use cardinal directions to find their way on a parade route.

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• Green Screen and record their small group as they send their balloons down the parade route and they can make a video of the parade.

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