STEM Concepts

Resources/ Suggested Lesson(s) Energy at Your School- Students will identify the energy sources for their schools and homes. They will construct a plan to conserve energy at school and at home. Objective- Design an object, tool, or process that minimizes or maximizes heat energy transfer. Identify criteria and constraints, develop a prototype for interactive testing, analyze data from testing, and propose modifcations for optimizing the design solution. Emphasize by demonstrating how the structure of different materials allows them to function as either conductors or insulators. Performance Expectations- Students will analyze and interpret data to determine the energy effciency of their school. Students will ask questions about their own home’s energy effciency construct explanations, and design solutions for their homes. Objectives- Students will develop models to show that molecules are made of different kinds, proportions, and quantities of atoms. They will emphasize the understanding that there are differences between atoms and molecules and that certain combinations of atoms form specifc molecules. Examples of simple molecules could include water (H2O), atmospheric oxygen (O2), and carbon dioxide (CO2). Next, students will construct an explanation for how the availability of natural resources, the occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate affect human activity. Examples of natural resources could include access to fresh water, clean air, or regions of fertile soil. Examples of factors that affect human activity could include that rising sea levels cause humans to move farther from the coast, or that humans build railroads to transport mineral resources from one location to another. Smoke in a Bottle- How are complete and incomplete combustion different? How do the products affect us?

Performance Expectations- Students should ask questions and analyze data related to the use