Gr3 STEAM Unit: Inventions
Dragon Drop Stories May 29, 2023
As we head into the last two weeks of the school year at TCIS, our community is in various stages of finishing well. Our Grade 3 class recently completed their final STEM unit of the school year with two major events: The Grade 3 Invention Convention and the Invention Center Science Museum Trip
The Inventions unit in Grade 3 is one of the first formal, in-depth, and comprehensive introductions to the Design Cycle students receive at TCIS. After investigating a selection of inventions and inventors, students are guided through an invention process of their own – and it directly follows the Design Cycle that will influence their learning at TCIS for the next nine years!
Students began by identifying a problem they thought needed a solution and brainstormed ways the problem might be solved with a machine/tool. They researched, designed, and eventually built a representative model of their invention. Students received feedback, reflected on their process, and wrote about potential changes they might make in a 2.0 version. Finally, these Grade 3 students compiled their process narratives, data, research, sketches, promotional video, and finished creations into a comprehensive display.
The Invention Convention was held on Thursday and was well-attended by parents, faculty, and the rest of the elementary classes. Guests walked around, and students presented their prepared words, demonstrated their inventions, and answered questions about the project.
While the invention ideas definitely showed the expansive imagination of the Grade 3 mind, these were sophisticated projects in the way they were created. Students showed high-level thinking and had a mature and advanced experience in STEAM studies!