Project Lead The Way

This week we were engineers.  We are so incredibly lucky at Eagle Cliffs Elementary to be implementing Project Lead the Way.  PLTW is an amazing science resource that focuses on developing and integrating S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills.  When I look ahead at our Project Lead the Way modules, I am so incredibly excited to watch our students experience these quality lessons that will encourage creativity and critical thinking.  Here is a preview of Project Lead the Way:

For our first PLTW experiences we studied structure and function.  Ask your child about structure and function, see if they can tell you more.  We talked about the structure and function of many everyday objects.  We also discussed the role of engineering in our lives and how an engineer studies structure and function to design things.  We also talked about the engineering design process and how engineers must perserve because sometimes things don't always work as planned.  Engineers learn from their mistakes and make adjustments.

For our engineering lesson, we listened to the story Jack and the Beanstalk.  As a class, we discussed the structure and function of the beanstalk.  Our ask was to design a beanstalk with 10 pipe cleaners that would stand as tall as possible. We explored in our science journals to develop possible plans for building the beanstalk.  Then, the first grade engineers got to work modeling and adjusting their designs.

We learned a lot!  For example, your first idea isn't always your best idea.  Engineers don't give up, they make adjustments.  The students were very creative and worked hard.  I can't wait to see what these smarties will do next!