Thinking Outside the Box...Makedo

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

Investors

Thank you to the following investors for funding this grant.

Naples Luxury Builders, Inc. - $100.00

Naples Luxury Builders, Inc. - $45.35

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 900

It has been said that the things that we build, build us. At Vineyards Elementary our students are not only provided with the materials to build structures, they are provided with time to collaborate with their peers to build structures.

Our goal for the 2019-2020 school year was to provide a space for students to explore their creative side, a Makerspace. 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 first introduced to the tools to construct cardboard structures while reading connected texts. 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 structures including a contraption to trap a leprechaun. 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.

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.

What will be done with my students

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

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.

The cardboard for this project will be from donations of shipping boxes enabling students to also see that materials can be reused.

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

A children’s book along with Makedo materials 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 this year, but in the years to come as well.

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	Makedo Toolset	$125.00
2	Scru Add On	$10.00
3	The Cardboard Box Book: Make Robots, Princess Castles, Cities, and More	$10.35
	Total:	$145.35

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