STEAM: 60-Minute Design Challenges

STEAM: 60-Minute Design Challenges

60-minute STEAM challenge series invites students to put their engineering and problem-solving skills to the test through a variety of hands-on design activities. Working in small teams, participants will race against the clock to construct innovative solutions to a range of science and technology-based problems. From building towers out of everyday materials to programming simple robots, each challenge will spark creativity, critical thinking, and collaborative learning. With an emphasis on the engineering design process, this fast-paced session will engage students in the thrill of rapid prototyping, testing, and redesigning their creations. Whether tasked with creating a catapult, designing a wind turbine, or navigating a marble maze, students will develop crucial STEM skills while having fun in the process. This STEM challenge extravaganza is sure to inspire the next generation of inventors, innovators, and problem-solvers.

Rapid Prototyping Rumble: 60-Minute STEM Design Challenges

Get ready for an action-packed hour of rapid prototyping and scientific problem-solving! In this STEM challenge series, students will work in small teams to tackle a variety of design-based tasks, ranging from constructing bridges out of spaghetti to engineering self-sorting machines. With the clock ticking, participants will engage in the thrill of the engineering design process, quickly ideating, building, testing, and refining their creations. Whether tasked with launching the farthest catapult projectile or designing a wind turbine to generate electricity, students will apply their STEM knowledge and creativity to devise innovative solutions. This fast-paced challenge experience is sure to cultivate skills in collaboration, critical thinking, and perseverance - key ingredients for future scientists, engineers, and problem-solvers. So gear up for an hour of hands-on, minds-on STEM excitement!

60-minute timeframe for rapid, hands-on STEM challenges

- Emphasis on the engineering design process (identify, brainstorm, build, test, refine)

- Opportunities for teamwork, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving

- Engaging, competitive, and fun learning environment to inspire the next generation of STEM innovators1. Design a catapult or trebuchet that can launch a projectile the farthest distance.

2. Build a self-propelled vehicle powered by a chemical reaction (e.g. baking soda and vinegar).

3. Engineer a structure made only from paper and tape that can support the most weight.

4. Create a marble run or roller coaster using only recycled materials like cardboard tubes, popsicle sticks, and pool noodles.

5. Design and build a simple water filtration system using everyday household items.

6. Engineer a bridge using only spaghetti noodles and marshmallows that can span the largest gap.

7. Build a mechanism that can sort different objects (e.g. different sized balls, blocks, or coins) into separate containers.

8. Design and build a small-scale model of a wind turbine that can generate the most electricity when exposed to a fan.

9. Create a simple robotics challenge where a remote-controlled or autonomous vehicle has to navigate a maze or course.

10. Engineer a structure out of straws and clay that can withstand an "earthquake" (simulated with a vibrating platform).

The key for these types of STEM challenges is to encourage creative problem-solving, teamwork, and rapid prototyping within a set time frame. Emphasizing the process and hands-on experimentation is often more important than the final result.

Here are comprehensive lesson plans for the 10 STEM challenge ideas, designed for groups of 4 students using a Kagan Cooperative Learning structure:

1. Catapult/Trebuchet Challenge

   - Objectives: Students will design, build, and test a catapult or trebuchet to launch a projectile the farthest distance.

   - Materials: Craft sticks, rubber bands, tape, pom poms or small balls.

   - Kagan Structure: Rally Coach - Students work in pairs to design and build their catapult, then take turns testing and recording distances.

   - Testing: Each team will have 3 trials to launch their projectile. The team with the longest total distance wins.

2. Self-Propelled Vehicle Challenge  

   - Objectives: Students will construct a vehicle powered by a chemical reaction that can travel the farthest distance.

   - Materials: Plastic bottles, baking soda, vinegar, tape, straws, wheels.

   - Kagan Structure: Numbered Heads Together - Each team member is assigned a number and must be prepared to explain their vehicle design.

   - Testing: Teams race their vehicles on a marked course. The vehicle traveling the farthest distance wins.

3. Paper and Tape Structure Challenge

   - Objectives: Teams will engineer a structure made only from paper and tape that can support the most weight.

   - Materials: Sheets of paper, rolls of tape.

   - Kagan Structure: Pairs Check - Students work in pairs to design and build their structure, then test and provide feedback to another pair. 

   - Testing: Structures are tested by adding weights until they collapse. The structure holding the most weight wins.

4. Marble Run Challenge

   - Objectives: Teams will design and build an elaborate marble run using only recycled materials.

   - Materials: Cardboard tubes, popsicle sticks, pool noodles, tape, other recycled items.

   - Kagan Structure: Simultaneous Roundtable - Each team member contributes an idea or component to the overall marble run design.

   - Testing: Teams take turns testing their marble runs and timing how long it takes the marble to reach the end.

5. Water Filtration Challenge

   - Objectives: Students will engineer a water filtration system using common household items to remove the most impurities.

   - Materials: Containers, coffee filters, gravel, sand, charcoal, etc.

   - Kagan Structure: Timed Pair Share - Partners collaborate to design and build their filtration system, then share their process with another pair.

   - Testing: Teams test their filters by pouring in dirty water and analyzing the clarity and purity of the filtered water.

6. Spaghetti and Marshmallow Bridge Challenge

   - Objectives: Teams will construct a bridge using only spaghetti noodles and marshmallows that can span the widest gap.

   - Materials: Spaghetti noodles, marshmallows.

   - Kagan Structure: Find Someone Who - Students circulate and share bridge design ideas with their classmates.

   - Testing: Teams test the span of their bridges by placing them between two desks/tables and adding weights until the bridge collapses.

7. Sorting Mechanism Challenge

   - Objectives: Teams will engineer a mechanism that can automatically sort different objects into separate containers.

   - Materials: Cardboard, tubes, funnels, containers, various objects to sort.

   - Kagan Structure: Sage and Scribe - One student is the "sage" who oversees the design, while the other is the "scribe" who documents the process.

   - Testing: Teams demonstrate their sorting mechanisms by pouring in a mix of objects and observing how effectively they are separated.

8. Wind Turbine Challenge

   - Objectives: Students will design and build a small-scale wind turbine model that can generate the most electricity.

   - Materials: Cardboard, straws, craft sticks, wire, small electric motor.

   - Kagan Structure: Teams Tournament - Teams compete head-to-head, with the winning team advancing to the next round.

   - Testing: Teams test their turbines by exposing them to a fan and measuring the voltage/current generated.

9. Robotics Maze Challenge

   - Objectives: Teams will create a remote-controlled or autonomous vehicle to navigate a maze or obstacle course.

   - Materials: Cardboard, craft supplies, battery-powered motors, basic robotics components.

   - Kagan Structure: Jigsaw - Each team member becomes an "expert" on one aspect of the robot design and teaching it to the rest of the team.

   - Testing: Teams take turns navigating their robots through the maze, with the fastest time or most obstacles cleared being the winner.

10. Earthquake-Resistant Structure Challenge

    - Objectives: Teams will engineer a structure made of straws and clay that can withstand simulated earthquake vibrations.

    - Materials: Straws, clay, cardboard for base.

    - Kagan Structure: Three-Step Interview - Team members interview each other about their structure design and construction process.

    - Testing: Structures are placed on a vibrating platform and judged on how long they can withstand the "earthquake" before collapsing.

The key aspects of these lesson plans are the clear learning objectives, the Kagan Cooperative Learning structures to foster teamwork and accountability, and the well-defined testing procedures to assess the success of each STEM challenge. This format provides an engaging and structured learning experience for students.