STEM + Art event

Working with the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Library, I created a STEM plus Art event. The event was teaching design concepts with an emphasis on Leonardo Da Vinci. The activity was for 5th-6th grade students and 45 minutes long. 

Visual Communication: I gave each student who participated a composition notebook to use as an engineer's notebook. I started off by demonstrating the importance of visual communication by having one student describe aloud the contents of a very detailed robot sketch. The other students were suppose to draw what they thought the robot looked like. In the end some of the students showed the group their sketches and we all had a few laughs because non were even close to the initial design. The students were then shown the robot after being manufactured and the students saw how similar it was to the original sketch thus learning the importance of visual communication during the design process. 

Engineering Notebooks: I then went on to explain the importance of engineering notebooks throughout the design and patenting  process. I tied this information with how Da Vinci used notebooks to document his observations, research, and designs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math disciplines.  We also discussed the difference between inventions and innovations. 

Design Task: The next activity was for the students to use their new engineer's notebooks to solve a real-world design challenge. I asked the students to raise their hands if they enjoyed riding the bus...no one raised their hands. Great, we had our problem and the challenge for the students was to design a new transportation system to get students to and from school. 

Students began using their notebooks to write down a problem statement, criteria, constraints, what they don't like about the bus system and what they would like in a new system. In teams in three or four, students worked together to sketch and prototype their designs. Prototypes were built out of recyclables such as egg cartons, tin cans, cardboard, and bottles that the library had in a storage closet. After completion of the activity, each team presented their design to the group.  

Since this was a library program, I used Leonardo da Vinci : artist, inventor, and scientist of the renaissance by Francesca Romei as a reference and visual aid.