Are you getting excited for STEAM Week? Monday 15 – Friday 19 October 2018 (Term 4 Week 1) is Woodend’s celebration of all things STEAM. Our STEAM Week provides opportunities for students to enjoy and develop an understanding of important science, technological, engineering/art and mathematics concepts and processes and the applications in our lives. The students can engage in observing, noticing phenomena, identifying relationships and patterns, posing and answering questions, designing, investigating, experimenting, trialling and retrialling, hypothesising and/or constructing, creating and making applications to real life.
STEAM EXPO
STEAM Week is also about family engagement. One significant aspect of STEAM Week is the involvement of families in the STEAM Expo. This is a time for families to have fun with science! Families have the opportunity between now and Week 1 to investigate some aspect of science/technology/engineering/arts/maths of interest and investigate, research, explore and/or design together. Your family creation/investigation/product may be presented in the form of a:
- poster
- diorama
- display (photos/ description/labels with drawings/mixtures)
The displays may be interactive (students can trial your experiment/investigation) or just for viewing (students are not permitted to touch, just observe). With your poster, diorama or display, you can also have a digital demonstration. This is optional. If you are producing something digitally, we recommend you upload it on a Google slide so that we can run it as a loop. If this is not possible, we will convert whatever you provide.
Your child can bring their expo item to their class from Monday 15/10 – Thursday 18/10/18. We ask that families refrain from bringing the lava volcano experiment as this is a common and well-trialled activity.
The STEAM Expo takes place on Thursday 18 October from 6 – 7pm and all day on Friday 19 October 2018 in various rooms throughout the school. We will hold a launch of the Expo and opening of Woodend’s online Art Gallery on Thursday at 6pm in the gym. You would have received an invitation to our STEAM Week Expo and we hope you can attend some time on Thursday evening or Friday during the day.
HELP FOR FAMILIES WITH EXPO
Here are some links to some useful STEAM ideas:
- https://stemactivitiesforkids.com/
- http://preschoolpowolpackets.blogspot.com/2017/02/stem-activities-for-kids-unicorn-magic.html
- https://buggyandbuddy.com/science-kids-balancing-robot-free-printable/
- https://youvegotthismath.com/2016/02/24/3d-shapes-stem-robot-challenge/
- https://thestemlaboratory.com/stem-activities-for-kids/
- https://starportal.edu.au/
- http://www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/future-students/schools/
- https://www.ala.org.au/citizen-science-central/
We are excited for your family to share your fun and interest with us as a school community.
We ask that you start to put your STEAM hats on and be creative!
ACTIVITIES DURING STEAM WEEK
Additional to the Expo, we have networked with a number of experts and sourced their knowledge and inspiration to work with our students during STEAM Week. This includes:
- Scientist, Justin Chalker from SA’s Tall Poppy Scientist program, along with his University budding scientists
- Seaview High School’s Pedal Prix coordinator and students setting us some STEAM challenges all related to Pedal Prix (as well as trial runs in the cars!)
- Australian Science and Maths School teachers have been co-designing STEAM challenges with our Year 4/5 teachers in preparation for STEAM Week
- Hallett Cove R-12 students involved in the STEM program will also work with groups of our students.
- Opportunities for students to connect with Scientist/Artist, Erica Seccombe, based in Canberra who has won awards for Science and Photography
- Experiencing STEAM opportunities in Japanese lessons
- Students listening to and learning from Woodend parents/caregivers as they explain their STEAM occupation or interest. We hope that you can be one of these parents/caregivers willing to talk to students
- Students creating art works with Art teacher, Cate Ellis incorporating STEAM
If you have any questions about this week, please see your classroom teacher.
Not long to go until this week is here! We are very excited to engage in so many STEAM opportunities and we look forward to your involvement.
Here are some photos of student’s STEAM products from our recent visit to Myojo.