I Can't Create a Circuit...YET!

School:: Vineyards Elementary
Subject:: Stem
Teacher:: Julie Kelly
Students Impacted:: 900
Grade:: K-5
Date:: July 20, 2019

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

Michael Schroeder - $221.55

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 900

Thomas A. Edison must have been in the Vineyards Elementary Media Center when he said, “What you are will show in what you do”. Obviously he was observing all of our electrical engineers in action.

A Makerspace section of the Media Center was added this year. This is a space designed for students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics in conjunction with corresponding literature. Over nine hundred students had access to these materials!

Students were introduced to circuitry while reading about the life of Thomas Edison. This guided experience allowed students to learn about the materials and how they could be used. After the initial interaction, the materials were left out for students to explore. After they checked out their reading material, they could work with the materials and create their own circuits. Students at first worked individually but then decided to team up and problem solve with peers. The power of their combined thinking was evident in their final products.

It may seem shocking to some, but not to us at Vineyards Elementary. Our students are electrifying!

grant photo

Original Grant Overview

Goal

Our goal is to provide materials for students to foster a love and desire to think critically through experimentation and exploration while integrating literature.

What will be done with my students

Students will be provided children’s literature along with related materials, which supports the theme of this project. The students will read the picture books and be provided time and opportunity to create their own circuits. They will explain their circuits, capture an image of it, and write a brief description. These pictures and descriptions will be displayed in the Media Center for all to see.

Benefits to my students

Students will be able to develop their personal “Power of Yet”. Rather than saying “this can’t be done”. Their attitude will shift towards “this can’t be done…yet.”

Through this transformation, students will also be able to see failure as an opportunity rather than an end. They will be able to elaborate, refine, analyze, and evaluate their ideas. In addition, they will be able to develop communication skills as they communicate their ideas clearly and effectively to others. Students will be risk takers not only in their ideas, but also in their openness to constructive feedback from peers and adults.

Problem solving and the creation of a new idea or innovative product will be the heart of this project. Students will be able to trial a new idea and see it as potential initial failure, persevere through the task by finding alternate solutions until they are able to reach final success.

Students will also be able to explore electricity and its related fields as a possibility for a future career. This initiative supports Language Arts Florida Standards (LAFS) Anchor Standard 10 that states that students will “read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.”

Budget Narrative

Children’s books along with materials to create circuits will be purchased to be used in a “Makerspace” in the Vineyards Elementary Media Center. These materials will be available to be used not only in this year, but in the years to come as well.

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	Snap Circuits Extreme SC-750 Electronics Exploration Kit \| Over 750 STEM Projects \| 4-Color Project Manual \| 80+ Snap Modules	$87.49
2	Squishy Circuits Deluxe Kit	$74.95
3	Snap Circuits Arcade	$44.50
4	Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities (For Kids series)	$14.61
	Total:	$221.55

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