The 8th grade class at Lewis Cass will be embarking on their second year incorporating STEM in the classroom.  We are excited and want our students to be excited about STEM as well.  The goal for the year is to learn about:

How have people used innovation to change the way they travel?

First semester, students participate in mini projects such as building penny boats and STEM cars that will educate them on such science concepts as water travel, and buoyancy. In math, they learn about mass, volume and density and learn how to interpret graphs all of which directly correlate with floation and movement.  Social studies will educate students on Western movement and modes of travel.  To document their learning experience, students will keep a journal in english.

Second semester, students will build hot air balloons.  They will spend some time researching hot air balloons, looking at how they were constructed and why they are used.  Students will then be put into groups to begin building.  Once groups are selected, students will be separated into a variety of teams based on student interest. Each team will have different responsibilities for building.