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Notes for Teachers

This lesson is designed to accompany a story in the Open Court reading program. However, if you use a different program - this could be modified to a different story with similar elements or just done as a stand alone STEM activity.

The story is called The Mice Who Lived in a Shoe. and read alouds can be found on Youtube.

List of Materials

book or read aloud
cardboard / cardstock / tubes/ construction paper / polystyrene or other material to build with/ straws / tape / popsicle sticks/ scissors / plastic wrap
small fan
flashlight
squirt bottle
paper cut outs of pictures of mice (size to your requirements - I recommend about 1 in. x 2 in.)
rulers
(for design stage) paper and pencil or other design tech like autodraw.com or google slides/ shapes

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Standards

Math:

2.MD.A.1 Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools (e.g., ruler, meter stick, yardstick, measuring tape).

2.MD.A.3 Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.

Earth Science:

2.E1U2.6 Analyze patterns in weather conditions of various regions of the world and design, test, and refine solutions to protect humans from severe weather conditions.

ELA:

2.RL.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

2.RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. b. Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

ELA continued:

2.SL.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.a. 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).b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Science & Engineering Practices:

● develop and use models

● construct explanations and design solutions

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Objective(s):

Today we will:

Design and build a house that can withstand heat from the sun, wind, and rain. It will need to be sized appropriately for a mouse.
Test out our models to see how they hold up.
Evaluate and revise our design based on testing.
Use measurement to build an appropriately-sized house.

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Agenda (3 day lesson)

Day one - 90 minutes

Read the story The Mice Who Lived in a Shoe. Discuss all the problems the mice are having and how they could be fixed.
Display and discuss all building materials you have available. Tell the students they will need to design a house big enough to fit a mouse family and strong enough to withstand the elements.
Students should draw their design plan on their own, labeling the materials they are using and the measurement dimensions for doors, windows, walls and height.

Day two - 90 minutes

Reread the story in partners or groups of 3.
Students will share their design plans from day 1 with their partners and choose the best ideas out of the two or three plans to use for their project. When conflict can’t be resolved - use the tested and true rock/paper/scissors method to come to consensus.
Students will build their mice houses.

Day three - 90 minutes

Retell the story in partner groups from yesterday.
Revisit houses, make last minute adjustments or fixes.
Teacher will visit groups and test against the elements. (Put the paper mice pictures inside the house and blow the house with the fan, flash the flashlight all around to see if sunlight goes through, and spray the house from multiple angles to see if the mice get wet.)
Students will monitor and make note of how their houses did. Discuss any changes that they would make to improve the house.
Groups will present their findings to the class and discuss any changes they would make.

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

Read the story - The Mice Who Lived in a Shoe.

Teacher: These poor mice need a new home and you are going to help them build it! You have these materials (insert your chosen materials here and display for the class.) You need to include a door big enough for a mouse to fit through (recommend 1X2 inches) and windows to see out of. It needs to be strong enough to stand on its own without anyone holding it up. It also needs to be able to withstand sunlight, rain, and wind. (Recommend teacher modeling the flashlight, fan, and spray bottle here.) Before building, you need to come up with a plan. All builders start with a design plan or blueprint. Get your paper or electronic drawing tools and come up with your best design ideas. You will be sharing these ideas with a team tomorrow, so be prepared to explain your choices.

This will get the students interested because they are taking a story they read and applying real world solutions to the characters’ problems. They will be excited to get hands on with the materials and there’s the challenge of trying to make their house the best.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Recommend 2-3 students per group.
Students design their house on their own, but then collaborate with partners to come up with the best plan. There will be instances when the students don’t want to compromise or give up their ideas for the group - in these cases, I recommend rock paper scissors as a quick solution without fighting.
Students then build their collaborative design using materials you have provided. Be sure to remind them of the size requirement and remind them to measure as they go.
Teacher will go to groups with fan, flashlight, and spray bottle to see how the houses stand up to the elements.

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Assessment

Students create a recording sheet. I recommend simply folding a paper into thirds horizontally and vertically to create a 9 box chart. Use this sheet to assess how the project held up and what could be modified. As a tech enhanced alternative, students could complete a Google form the same way. On the back side of the paper, have students evaluate how well they worked with their group and give their overall project a score of 1-10 based on how well it held up to the requirements.

Wind	use this column to write how the project did when confronted with the elements	Use this column to write about how this could be improved upon (even if it did ok - how could it be EVEN better?)
rain
sunlight

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Differentiation

If students have trouble reading, they can use the read aloud technology and echo read the story.

All paper portions of this activity can be done electronically as an alternative. Students can use computer programs to design houses. They can also create a Google slide presentation to share results with the class instead of just talking.

Students are able to work with partners for help.

Students are allowed to modify projects after testing against the “elements”.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

As an extension - students can add a cat deterrent / alarm system to their “houses” or include furniture based on dimensions of the mice.

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