How To: An adventure in writing and designing circuits

When faced with the every growing pressure of meeting common core standards in literacy, how can teachers introduce more Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education in early education?  The answer: integration.  This unit will look at circuits with a literary edge, teaching skills of sequence, vocabulary development, and informational writing while providing lessons and activities to encourage future engineers to explore and design simple circuits.

The activities in this unit are intended for students in grades 3 & 4. The goal is to not only to teach writing objectives, but also to introduce students to the world of circuits through hands-on learning, exploration of materials, and discovery. The students will work collaboratively to design small circuits and toys for education related to real-world application.  This curriculum may be completed in 45-60 minute blocks over the span of 2 weeks, three or four times a week, although the lessons are structured in a way to be taught piecemeal over a longer period of time.