EPS Newsletter

STEAM update

It's in our genes...




Leanne Williams - Learning Specialist Engagement


leanne.williams2@education.vic.gov.au 

Before we jump into Term 2's plan, here is a quick overview of STEAM in Term 1:

  • no one was injured during the rocket launch 😉
  • we have secured a Federal Government Grant to cover Term 3’s Lego Soccer Cup (for Years 5/6)
  • we have been asked to speak at The National Education Summit about our STEAM journey so far
  • we have hosted a STEAM Teacher Cluster meeting to showcase our amazing resources
  • we have 64 students working at least two lunchtimes a week towards the Lego Spike Prime Challenge (due 9th June)  Big thank you to Heather Britton (Frankie Hyde's grandma) for helping out every Wednesday  
  • we have been asked by an engineering firm (Arcadis) to co-create a primary school program to inspire young people to become engineers
  • we are in the process of developing a primary school incursion with Box Wars
  • another massive secret that will be amazing, but I can't tell you just yet... stay tuned! 

Term 2

 

This term will see a transdisciplinary approach, whereby STEAM will link in with what the students are doing in their Big Question and in their Literacy lessons. This approach will enable us to immerse students in real-life experiences, and for their writing to be authentic and based on their interests. 

Incursion with Matt from Marine Mammals Foundation
Mr Ray's son (starting early)
Creating a design solution
Listening to Matt from Marine Mammals Foundation
Incursion with Matt from Marine Mammals Foundation
Mr Ray's son (starting early)
Creating a design solution
Listening to Matt from Marine Mammals Foundation
Year level Big QuestionSTEAM focus
FoundationHow does our body work and how do we take care of ourselves?We will be immersing students with various body system models to collect their wonderings and initial questions. 
Year 1How do you get to know a place?

Focusing on the science element (biodiversity) ‘recognising that different living things live in different places’  through the use of design thinking, the problem will be, how can we care for the garden beds outside our classroom?  

 

Very hands on and dirty!

Year 2How do you get to know a place?

Introducing Minecraft EDU to create an environment for their chosen animal. What will happen if something in the food chain changes? What is an ecosystem?

 

Prior to the work in Minecraft EDU, students will undertake a series of lessons on cyber safety.

Year 3/4 The land – what lies above and below?

Students will be creating Mars rovers using cardboard engineering that must travel over more than one of the craters. Crater terrains (to simulate different areas of Mars) will be created behind the cricket nets.

 

Year 5/6Change: Other living things 

Students use design thinking to create solutions to solve real-world environmental problems. We will be using the brand-new LEGO Rebuild the World with STEM Solutions resources. 

 

The Marine Mammals Foundation kicked off the unit and sparked a lot of curiosity within the students.

Prep Scientists
Prep Scientists
Prep Scientists
Prep Scientists
Prep Scientists
Prep Scientists

Happy Term 2!