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Summer Lesson Plans

STEM Aluminum Boats

Lesson Plan:

​Activity:

STEM Aluminum Boats

Lesson plan developed by Ms. Erika Geelhoed, BA Ed

Age Group:

School-Age

* Lesson plan objective and assessment can be adapted to use this activity with preschoolers.

Objectives:  

Child will:

• design a boat that can hold several pennies
• develop problem-solving skills

Washington State K-12 Science Learning Standards

EALR 3

EALR 3: Application
Big Idea: Application (APP)
Core Content: Solving Problems

• 2-3 APPB Scientific ideas and discoveries can be applied to solving problems.

STEM Aluminum Boats

Materials: 

• Aluminum foil
• Coins
• Large plastic bin
• water

Procedure: 

1. Lay out the materials in an appropriate area for creating
2. Invite students to make a boat. Challenge them to make it strong enough to hold several pennies.
3. When they are finished, test the boats in the water.
4. Allow them to reconstruct their boats to be stronger and test again.
5. When finished, you can have a conversation about what makes a boat able to withstand more weight. 

Assessment: 

• Observe and record how the student created their design. Did they have any special/unique approaches?

**Do not assess students on how many coins their boat was able to hold.** The purpose of the lesson is to encourage creative thinking and engineering skills.

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