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We recently presented a workshop on Integrating Fairy Tales and Engineering at the Richmond NSTA Conference. We also did a guest article on this topic on the Minds in Bloom blog. In our article we included ideas for creating lessons that integrate STEM and literature.
http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2014/10/stem-i-fying-classroom-finding-room-on.html
Wendy
www.getcaughtengineering.com
https://www.facebook.com/GetCaughtEngineering
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Thank you for this post! I can't wait to try this in the classroom.
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Thank you for the post! I love this idea. I am currently going to school for elementary education and we are learning all about how to integrate subjects. I think this is an amazing way to get students excited about literature and science at the same time while high order thinking is taking place. Not only is it integrating the subjects but it also helping the students make the connection between the two. I can't wait to use this in my classroom!
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This is really cool! A partner of mine and I taught an engineering lesson that was based on a similar concept. We taught third graders through an engineering problem based on The Three Little Pigs. The students were allowed to select their own materials to build a structure that could withstand a certain weight and under specific constraints. The students seemed to be really engaged and enjoy the activity. We also got to discuss effective foundations and materials, which ones the students used for their own building, why they chose those materials, and how effective they worked.
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Thank you so much for this post! This is a great idea and love how you integrated it. I would love to hear more about how you thought of this! Thanks again.
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I love the integration of literature into other subjects (especially as as literacy minor). In my opinion, it is one of the easiest subjects to integrate, as there are so many different things you can do. I particularly think the integration of fairy tales is a wonderful idea, especially for those in younger elementary grades. Cute/great ideas!
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This is amazing! I love all the ideas on how to bring literature into science instruction!
Thanks
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I am so glad that I read this post! I would not have thought about this at all, because I often separate fantastical literature from science. I think many others, including students, do, too, and we should definitely avoid this mindset with these wonderful, integrative experiments! Bringing fairy tales to real life can be a powerful motivator for young children!
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I think this is an amazing idea. I can see students at first thinking how could fairytales connect with engineering and then be surprised when they see how it can be connected. I found a link that connects fairytales with other subjects as well. I can see myself using this as a unit.
http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/misc/fairytales.html
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I love this concept of bringing literature and STEM together. I also enjoy the part about asking student "what if" questions. I feel these questions force students to think outside the box and really give their minds a workout.
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I am so happy I found this as I am a lover of fairy tales. This is such a great way to incorporate science into literature. It looks like a great way to get children involved as well. I will definitely use this in the future when I become a teacher. Excellent resource!
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Fairy tales are so much fun! I am presenting an early childhood webinar Wednesday afternoon an we discuss Engineering and the Three Little Pigs. One of my co=presenters was a K teacher and the other teaches preschool.
Early Education Webinars: Born Explorers! Young Children & Next Generation Science Standards (Part II)
Audience: Early Educators
How might Next Generation Science Standards support early childhood programs? In this second of two webinars, Lynn Talamini, Kathy Renfrew, and Pat Fitzsimmons will provide examples about how early educators might use NGSS to guide practice. This webinar is a collaborative effort between the Vermont Higher Ed. Collaborative (VT-HEC) and the Agency. It will take place on November 19th from 3:30 to 4:30. Please register at vthec.webex.com. A one-hour certificate of attendance, contingent on responding to follow-up questions, will be available. Additionally, the archived version of the first webinar is available on the registration site.
Early Education Webinars: Born Explorers! Young Children & Next Generation Science Standards (Part II)
Audience: Early Educators
How might Next Generation Science Standards support early childhood programs? In this second of two webinars, Lynn Talamini, Kathy Renfrew, and Pat Fitzsimmons will provide examples about how early educators might use NGSS to guide practice. This webinar is a collaborative effort between the Vermont Higher Ed. Collaborative (VT-HEC) and the Agency. It will take place on November 19th from 3:30 to 4:30.
https://vthec.webex.com/mw0401l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=vthec
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I am so glad that I stumbled upon this forum post! These resources are extremely helpful. I specially love the use of fairy tales that students are familiar with and love. Students use higher-order thinking skills to create and engineer. I look forward to incorporating these ideas in my future classroom.
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I recently observed a lesson designed around this idea! My second graders partnered up with sixth-graders to solve a Fairy-Tale Problem: Cinderella's carriage has broken and she needs to get to the ball. Using what little materials she has (remember, she is quite poor), students were asked to design and build a carriage for her so she can make it to the ball on time.
The students were given straws, skewer-sticks, tape, bottle caps, newspaper, and tape to create a carriage that could not only move, but transport Cinderella in (she is represented by a nut). The students had a blast building their carriages, and the results were quite varied. I think it was a successful project because all the students could relate to the story of Cinderella and were able to have fun with it.
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I love what captures a child's imagination. I think it is one reason I love blending STEM and theater...we have lovely conversations about what is possible and not (physics or magic) and how can we make it look like something it is not - constrained by safety, budget and physics.
As I read this thread I appreciated the joy and excitement --
On an aside as an example of fairies and inquiry is a video about Lydia the Fairy Scientist. The application of reason she puts on her fairy search makes for amazing discussions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akk5EvTMGKo
Teach on;
Wendi
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