First graders ace their STEM project - and save the bears!

Students in Maria Gabrell’s first grade class recently worked on “The Floor Is Lava” STEM challenge with wonderful results!

Two first grade girls stand near a table and work on a project balancing little bears on sticks and cups.

The students learned about the engineering design process. Then, our little engineers worked together in groups to design and build a structure to save as many bears as they could from the lava.

Two first-grade students work on putting little bears on top of cups with sticks and index cards.

They were given just a few materials to build – four cups, three index cards and five popsicle sticks. They had to first make a plan, then build and test their design. They recorded the number of bears they saved. One group saved 29 bears!

Three first graders smile at their project, which has four cups with sticks on top and index cards with little bears balanced on top.

When they finished building, we did a gallery walk to discuss each structure. The students were then asked to reflect on their design and discuss how to improve their structure. There were so many creative designs and great teamwork.

Three first-grade students smile with their STEM project on the table in front of them.

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First graders ace their STEM project – and save the bears!