Scratch and Makey Makey Across the Curriculum
I love bringing physical computing into my classrooms:
Physical computing means building interactive physical systems by the use of software and hardware that can sense and respond to the analog world. Physical computing is a creative framework for understanding human beings’ relationship to the digital world. In practical use, the term most often describes handmade art, design or DIY hobby projects that use sensors and microcontrollers to translate analog input to a software system, and/or control electro-mechanical devices such as motors, servos, lighting or other hardware (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_computing).
. . . but as with all use of educational technologies, I believe that it should be used intentionally to assist learners in developing and expanding their content knowledge and life skills.
Best Practices for Physical Computing
- Hands-on/Minds-On: “When students are fully engaged in a task, they are actively doing and actively thinking. While hands are engaged, minds should be questioning, sorting through sensory input, and making connections” (Actively Engage Students Using Hands-on & Minds-on Instruction).
- Development of Learning and Innovation as Well as Career and Life Skills: Physical computing activities should be designed to help learners develop skills as identified as by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning.
Learning and innovation skills are what separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in today’s world and those who are not. These skills include: Creativity and Innovation; and Critical Thinking and Problem Solving.
Today’s students need to develop thinking skills, content knowledge, and social and emotional competencies to navigate complex life and work environments. P21’s essential Life and Career Skills include: Flexibility and Adaptability; and Initiative and Self-Direction (Partnership for 21st Century Learning Framework and Resources).
- Cross Curricular Connections: Physical computing, at its best, enbraces content standards across the curriculum.
Multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary learning is a “whole” or “comprehensive” method that covers an idea, topic, or text by integrating multiple knowledge domains. It is a very powerful method of teaching that crosses the boundaries of a discipline or curriculum in order to enhance the scope and depth of learning. Each discipline sheds light on the topic like the facets of a gem. (A Cornucopia of Multidisciplinary Teaching).
- Relevant and Authentic Learning: Physical computing is often perceived by learners of all ages are relevant to their lives especially with the current push towards learning STEM and coding.
Authentic learning is learning designed to connect what students are taught in school to real-world issues, problems, and applications; learning experiences should mirror the complexities and ambiguities of real life. Students work towards production of discourse, products, and performances that have value or meaning beyond success in school; this is learning by doing approach (Authentic learning: what, why and how?)
- Learner-Centric – More of Them; Less of Us:At its heart, maker education and physical computing is about centering around the learner. Children and youth are natural learners—imaginative, curious, exploratory testers of theories and creators of solutions. When children and youth have educational experiences that allow them to fully occupy the educational space and are supported by adults who trust their innate abilities and contributions and are given the guidance, they grow confident in their abilities (At its heart, maker education is always about centering the learner).
- Scaffolded Learning Leading to Learner Autonomy: In Scaffolding Maker Education Learning Experiences, I discussed the following:
Direct instruction is provided through structured and prescribed activities with the goal of learners then being able to eventually go into self-determined directions. My contention is that learners often don’t know what they don’t know; and that giving them the basic skills frees them to then use their creativity and innovation to take these tools into self-determined directions
- Open-Ended Challenge: As stated above, learning is scaffolded but even with more structure projects as described in this post, they are still open-ended enough for learners to integrate their own talents, interests, and skills into the projects.
Note about using Makey Makey and Scratch 3.0
All of the following projects utilized new Scratch 3.0 along with their new extensions: Makey Makey and Text to Speech.
Language Arts: Character Development
Standards Addressed:
Common Core State Standards – ELA
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Next Generation Science Standards
- Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
- Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
National Core Arts Standards
- Students will generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
ISTE Standards for Students
- Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
- Students develop, test and refine prototype as part of a cyclical design process.
- Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
- Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.
Directions:
Learners engaged in a maker-enhanced writers’ workshop. I like having my learners begin by developing their characters. They did so by:
- Describing their character.
- Drawing a picture of their characters.
- Creating a more artistic version of their character using additional art materials.
- Posting a description and image of their character onto Kidblog.
- Using Scratch and Makey Makey to describe the main characteristics of their characters.
- More about the Maker-Enhanced Writing Workshop: Character Development can be found at https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2019/02/17/maker-enhanced-writing-workshop-character-development/
Science: Brain Science
Standards Addressed:
Next Generation Science Standards
- Develop a model to describe phenomena.
- Use a model to test interactions concerning the functioning of a natural system.
- Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
- Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
ISTE Standards for Students
- Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
- Students develop, test and refine prototype as part of a cyclical design process.
- Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
- Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.
Directions:
- This was part of a larger unit whereby the students were taught about brain science. See https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/teaching-elementary-level-learners-about-the-brain/.
- I adapted the directions for their brain operation game from https://iamclaudius.com/makey-makey-operation-game/. I gave them an outline of the brain with lobes outlined for them to color and rubber cement onto a pizza box (see video below). For their brain parts, I gave them air drying clay. They were asked to create parts that represent the functions of the individual lobes, e.g., eye for occipital lobe, mouth for temporal lobe, a ball for the cerebellum, etc.
- They were then asked to code their games using Scratch. Here is the example I used to get them started: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/283935140/editor/. I instructed them to include, for each lobe, its name and some kind of pun about its function.
- Finally, they hooked up the Makey Makey using the directions found at https://iamclaudius.com/makey-makey-operation-game/.
Music: Piano
Standards Addressed:
Music Education
- The creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians’ work emerge from a variety of sources.
- Musicians connect their personal interests, experiences, ideas, and knowledge to creating, performing, and responding.
ISTE Standards for Students
- Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
- Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.
Directions:
These project used the directions from Scratch Cards, Music Cards, for the Microbit found at https://microbit.org/scratch/. Instead of a microbit, a Makey Makey was used. See the video below.
Engineering: Marble Mazes
Standards Addressed:
Next Generation Science Standards
- Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
- Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
ISTE Standards for Students
- Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
- Students develop, test and refine prototype as part of a cyclical design process.
- Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.
- Students understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions.
Directions:
- This project was adapted from @gravescolleen Makey Makey Marble Maze and 5th grade https://colleengraves.org/2018/05/04/makey-makey-marble-maze-and-5th-grade/.
Maker-Enhanced Writing Workshop: Character Development
Readers of my blog know my thoughts and feelings about effective student learning. I have written blogs on:
- All Lesson Should Be Interdisciplinary Learning – https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2019/01/13/all-lessons-should-be-interdisciplinary/
- The Imperative of Experiential and Hands-On Learning –https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2016/12/23/the-imperative-of-experiential-and-hands-on-learning/
- Authentic Learning Experiences – https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2019/01/20/authentic-learning-experiences/
- Intentional Creativity – https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2017/08/20/intentional-creativity/
- The Magic of Making: The Human Need to Create –https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/the-magic-of-making-the-human-need-to-create/
This month I started a maker-enhanced writing workshop with a group of gifted 3rd through 6th grade students. As with all of my lessons, I strive to practice what I preach in my blog posts – being interdisciplinary; using technology to enhance their work; and making, creating, innovating, and inventing.
Standards Addressed
21st Century Skills
- Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts.
- Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts).
- Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts.
- Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectively.
- Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts.
Next Generation Science Standards
- Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
- Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
Common Core State Standards – ELA
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
National Core Arts Standards
- Students will generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
ISTE Standards for Students
- Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
National Novel Writer’s Month Young Novelist’s Workbook
For this project, I use parts of the National Novel Writer’s Month Young Novelist’s Workbook found at https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/pages/educator-resources.
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, empowering approach to creative writing. The Young Writers Program (YWP) allows 17-and-under participants to set reasonable-but-challenging individual word-count goals.
The YWP also helps K–12 educators facilitate NaNoWriMo in schools, libraries, and community centers around the world. We provide virtual classroom spaces on our site, as well as student workbooks, Common Core-aligned curricula, and free motivational materials (https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/).
Since I work with 3rd through 6th graders, I use the one for elementary students. I also like the way it is formatted with lots of places to insert one’s own answers and ideas. Here is the PDF – elementary_school_workbook_ed4_INTERIOR.
Character Development
After some introductory information, the workbook jumps into character develop. I like having my learners begin by developing their characters. They did so by:
- Describing their character (pages 11 – 25 in the workbook).
- Drawing a picture of their characters.
- Creating a more artistic version of their character using additional art materials.
- Posting a description and image of their character onto Kidblog.
- Using Scratch and Makey Makey to describe the main characteristics of their characters.
Example Character Description and Artistic Creation
Programming Character Details Using Scratch and Makey Makey
The idea for this part of the lesson came from the Makey Makey Biography Bottles https://labz.makeymakey.com/cwists/preview/1506-biography-bottlesx. In the case of their character development, students programmed Scratch to tell a fact about their character upon the touch of each button.
The first step is to create the physical element, the character is glued onto a piece of cardstock (file folders work well for this). Holes are punched along the bottom – five for five facts and one for the Makey Makey ground wire. Large brass fasteners are inserted so that one of the fastener legs is bent to hold it in place and the other hangs over the edge. This permits the connection between the object and the Makey Makey.
Students then program Scratch so that when different fasteners are touched, a different fact about that character is verbalized. Scratch 3.0 now has extensions for Makey Makey and Text to Speech – both which are used for this project.
They upload a picture of their character and choose five facts about their character – one fact for each of the Makey Makey keys – space, up arrow, down arrow, left arrow, and right arrow. These facts are made via Text to Speech blocks. Students can even change accents and languages with these blocks.
Now you are ready to connect the Makey Makey! Connect alligator clips to the legs of the brass fasteners that protrude from the conductive plate. It is a good idea to mark which button you want to trigger each key press. Connect the other end of each alligator clip to the matching input on the Makey Makey. Make sure you have a clip attached to the ground. Connect the Makey Makey to the computer. Run your Scratch program. Hold the ground clip (making sure you are touching the metal part) and lightly touch each button (https://labz.makeymakey.com/cwists/preview/1506-biography-bottlesx).
To see how it all works, watch the video below:
Authentic Learning Experiences
Providing authentic learning experiences to all learners should be the highest prior for all administrators, curriculum developers, and teachers.
Authentic learning is learning designed to connect what students are taught in school to real-world issues, problems, and applications; learning experiences should mirror the complexities and ambiguities of real life. Students work towards production of discourse, products, and performances that have value or meaning beyond success in school; this is learning by doing approach (Authentic learning: what, why and how?).
In education, the term authentic learning refers to a wide variety of educational and instructional techniques focused on connecting what students are taught in school to real-world issues, problems, and applications. The basic idea is that students are more likely to be interested in what they are learning, more motivated to learn new concepts and skills, and better prepared to succeed in college, careers, and adulthood if what they are learning mirrors real-life contexts, equips them with practical and useful skills, and addresses topics that are relevant and applicable to their lives outside of school. For related discussions, see 21st century skills, relevance, and rigor (Authentic Learning).
The bottom line, in my perspective, is that learners view their experiences as having relevancy to their own lives, that they address their interests and needs.
Qualities of Authentic Learning
I believe authentic learning experiences have the following qualities (which, by the way, are way too, often are not the qualities of many classroom activities):
- A state of flow – learners often say, “Is it time to go already?” For more about this, see Flow – A Measure of Student Engagement https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/flow-a-measure-of-student-engagement/.
- Interdisciplinary standards and skills are addressed. For more about this, see All Lessons Should Be Interdisciplinary https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2019/01/13/all-lessons-should-be-interdisciplinary/
- The focus is on learners learning rather than teachers teaching. For more about this, see ‘The Objective of Education Is Learning, Not Teaching’ http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-objective-of-education-is-learning-not-teaching/.
- Often are minds-on, hands-on activities. For more about this, see The Imperative of Experiential and Hands-On Learning https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2016/12/23/the-imperative-of-experiential-and-hands-on-learning/.
- Learners do not ask, “Why do I need to know this?” Because authentic learning involves student voice and choice. they develop their own constructivist reasons for their need to know. For more about this, see Why Do I Need to Know This? https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/why-do-i-need-to-know-this/ .
- The learning activities are open-ended so learners put their “selves” into their projects. For more about this, see Open Ended Learning: What, Why, and How https://thehomeschoolscientist.com/open-ended-learning-resource/.
- Projects are long term not finished in one class period. They take many hours, many class periods.
- Troubleshooting and iteration often occur. Learning as an iterative process is discussed in Educators as Lead Learners https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/educators-as-lead-learners/.
- The learners become a community of learners sharing ideas, asking for help, brainstorming. For more about this, see The Importance of Building Community in the Classroom https://www.teachervision.com/blog/morning-announcements/importance-building-community-classroom
Some Recent Examples of Authentic Learning
Here are some recent examples I have done with my learners – one class did a social entrepreneurship unit while another class made Makey Makey Marble Mazes. I posted videos so their engagement can be seen.
Social Entrepreneurship
My students are finishing a unit on social entrepreneurship where they started a business to raise monies for a local nonprofit. They created a market survey using a Google Form, which asked about products, price points, potential nonprofit organization recipients of the profits; analyzed survey results, decided on and tested products; developed an expense sheet, using Google Sheets, for expenses and income; created a business plan that included the name of company, cost analysis, promotional plan; made a promotional flyer; created a sales and record sheet; delivered products; and managed monies.
For more information about this unit, see Elementary Social Entrepreneurship: A Perfect STEAM Lesson https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2018/05/13/elementary-social-entrepreneurship-a-perfect-steam-lesson/.
Makey-Makey Marble Mazes
Another group of earners made a Makey-Makey Marble Mazes as described by @Colleen Graves, see https://colleengraves.org/2018/05/04/makey-makey-marble-maze-and-5th-grade/
Reflection
I absolutely love planning authentic learning experiences. I get to use my creativity to plan and implement them. It does take lots of pre-planning – finding resources, usually videos, and purchasing, gathering, and organizing the resources used.
I also love watching how excited learners get doing them. There is 100% engagement. I’ve said before that being an experiential educator, there is lots of pre-planning but the learners work harder than me during class time – as it should be.
All Lessons Should Be Interdisciplinary
I am not a fan of worksheets. In fact, I hate most of them. They don’t teach real world skills. How often does someone do worksheets outside of school? How often when they become adults? They also tend to focus on a single content area concept like specific math problems or questions about a particular text.
I used to teach face-to-face elementary education classes to pre-service teachers. There is evidence that teachers teach the way they were taught. I know that almost everyone has been subjected to worksheets as part of their K-12 (even college) education. It follows, then, that theses new teachers will use worksheets as part of their teaching strategies. I can’t blame them especially if they are not intentionally taught and do not practice other instructional strategies as part of their education.
My instruction with them included a focus on interdisciplinary/cross-curricular, thematic, experiential, and project-based learning. I did very little sage on the stage with them during our classes as I wanted them to directly experience these strategies. They did lots of group discussion, case study analysis, and hands-on activities. I often said to them, “You really don’t have enough time in a day to adequately address all of the individual content areas. It is in both your and your students interest to layer your curriculum with a variety of content area concepts, ideas, and skills that can only occur with more project-based and interdisciplinary lessons. Worksheets won’t do this.”
Multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary learning is a “whole” or “comprehensive” method that covers an idea, topic, or text by integrating multiple knowledge domains. It is a very powerful method of teaching that crosses the boundaries of a discipline or curriculum in order to enhance the scope and depth of learning. Each discipline sheds light on the topic like the facets of a gem.
Imagine being able to teach character development, basic math, and basic science concepts via a classic text. How about basic geography, writing skills, and point of view from that same text? Is it possible to also teach about comprehension, sequence, literal vs. non-literal, imagination, plot, theme, compare and contrast, opinion pieces, vocabulary, friendship, bullying, and critical thinking? The answer is yes, and the genre is legends, myths, and fables (https://www.edutopia.org/blog/a-cornucopia-of-multidisciplinary-teaching-vincent-mastro).
Benefits of Interdisciplinary Learning:
- Obviously, it addresses multiple content areas resulting in increased cognitive development as deeper learning occurs.
- It mimics real life learning rather than isolated educational experiences. It is authentic. When we learn something in the real world, it is interdisciplinary. For example, when learning how to bake or cook something new, one often does research for the best recipes and cooking strategies, reading of recipes and directions, and using math in the actual cooking or baking.
- It helps students increase their critical thinking and problem solving skills. Due to the nature of interdisciplinary learning which often includes the characteristics of deep and project-based learning, students are asked to make their own connections and conclusions about their learning.
- It is student-centric. The focus is on the student rather than on the teacher and on lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy that often occurs when students are given drill and grill learning activities.
- It tends to be highly engaging for students. They engage because interdisciplinary activities often have at least one content area that is of great interest to the student. It highlights their strengths.
- It opens doors for students to develop interest in content areas in which they have not been typically interested as they see connections between their desirable content areas and other ones.
Some of my blog posts about my interdisciplinary lessons:
- Gingerbread House Making: A Fun and Engaging Cross-Curricular Lesson https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2018/12/08/gingerbread-house-a-fun-and-engaging-cross-curricular-lesson/
- Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) Displays: A Maker Education Project https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2018/11/06/day-of-the-dead-dia-de-los-muertos-displays-a-maker-education-project/
- Robot-Enhanced Creative Writing and Storytelling (featuring Ozobot and Wonder’s Dot) https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/robot-enhanced-creative-writing-and-storytelling-featuring-ozobot-and-wonders-dot/
- Elementary Social Entrepreneurship: A Perfect STEAM Lesson https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2018/05/13/elementary-social-entrepreneurship-a-perfect-steam-lesson/
My List of Top Ten Videos of 2018
I think we are living in amazing times whereby we can access and view high quality videos for free! I have selected some of my favorites from 2018. My criteria for their selection are that they made me laugh, cry, cheer, and/or made me feel inspired and hopeful. There are very few mentions of traditional schooling and education; yet, they all have connections to what school and education should aspire to be.
Educator and author Luis Perez gives a powerful TED Talk about how his experience with visual impairment forced him to live between and betwixt worlds. This inspiring talk covers his journey with disability, the importance of access and the role of technology for all learners.
11-year-old speaks out, at the March For Our Lives rally in Washington, for all the African-American girls who have been left out of the gun violence discussion. Wadler led a walkout at her elementary school to bring attention to the gun violence in schools across the country.
Michelle King discussed her current conundrums: How might we create empathetic institutions that remind us of our humanity? How might we re-design for equity and social justice in and out of school learning? How might we design learning institutions to build connections? How might we allow those connections help us re-see the worlds we inhabit? How might we embrace silence in our lives?
SOAR is an award-winning 3D animated movie about a young girl who must help a tiny boy pilot fly home before it’s too late. (Not from 2018, but that’s when I first viewed it, and it has such great connections to maker education.)
Adam Savage gives his annual “Sunday sermon” at the 2018 Bay Area Maker Faire. Adam talks about an essential aspect of making and maker culture: generosity and sharing. With examples from his own experiences and the world at large, Adam explains why the more we share, the more we have.
Emily Pilloton shares stories of community-focused creative projects and provide strategies and mindsets to bring purposeful making into any classroom. Furthermore, by connecting creativity to our communities, bringing real projects to life in the real world, students become young leaders with the soft and hard skills that will prepare them for the future. This talk shows an initiative that uses the power of creativity, design, and hands-on building to amplify the raw brilliance of youth, transform communities, and improve K-12 public education from within.
Watch Michelle Obama and Tracee Ellis Ross in conversation at the 2018 United State of Women Summit on May 5, 2018 Los Angeles. (I cannot overstate how much admiration I have for this woman.)
Maria Town’s keynote at the Maker of Nation’s conference where she talks about the rights of persons with disabilities especially from a maker’s perspective.
In this joyful, heartfelt talk featuring demos of her wonderfully wacky creations, Simone Giertz shares her craft: making useless robots. Her inventions — designed to chop vegetables, cut hair, apply lipstick and more — rarely (if ever) succeed, and that’s the point. “The true beauty of making useless things [is] this acknowledgment that you don’t always know what the best answer is,” Giertz says. “It turns off that voice in your head that tells you that you know exactly how the world works. Maybe a toothbrush helmet isn’t the answer, but at least you’re asking the question.”
. . . and my parting shot speaks for itself:
Gingerbread House Making: A Fun and Engaging Cross-Curricular Lesson
I believe that educators can be intentional in setting up environments where learners’ propensity to create flourishes. Some elements that can assist with this kind of unbridled making and creating include:
- Open ended projects that promote self-directed differentiation and personalization.
- Choice of projects, methods, materials.
- Some structure but lots of room for a personal touch; lots of room for creativity.
- Educators letting go of expectations what the final project should look like.
- Focus on the processes of learning.
- Focus on the social emotional aspects of learning – collaboration, persistence, acceptance of failure.
- Acceptance of a learner’s projects based on their own criteria of excellence rather than of the educator’s.
- Reflection is built into the process so learners can revisit their projects with a critical eye.
This past week I did a gingerbread house making activity (described below) that included math and language arts connections with my two groups of gifted 3rd through 6th graders. It met all of these criteria and resulted in 100% engagement – lots of fun for the students.
When I talk about making in the classroom with teachers, I often say it takes a lot of preparation time but then the students end up working harder than the teacher during class time – which I believe should always be the case. This activity took quite a bit of preparation plus I ended up spending about $50 out-of-pocket money for the supplies. For me, though, it was worth it as I got to see my students experience such joy and excitement creating their gingerbread houses along with joy in doing the math and language arts activities I built into the lesson.
The Gingerbread House Lesson
List of Activities
As a cross-curricular unit, this lesson addressed standards in language arts, math, science and the arts. The general lesson list of activities included:
- Showing students the story of The Gingerbread Man.
- Asking students to write a story that features a gingerbread house.
- Showing students a video about how to make a simple gingerbread house with graham crackers.
- Asking students to create a blueprint of their gingerbread house including estimates of their perimeters and area. This necessitated me reviewing how to calculate these.
- Having students create their own royal icing from powdered sugar and meringue power – doubling the recipe to include more math calculations.
- Giving students lots of time to make their gingerbread houses.
Standards Addressed
Language Arts Standards
- Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
- Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
Math Standard
- Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems.
Next Generation Science Standard
- Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Art Standards
- Anchor Standard #1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
- Anchor Standard #2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
- Anchor Standard #3. Refine and complete artistic work.
Social Emotional Learning Standards
- Student demonstrates ability to manage emotions constructively. “I can appropriately handle my feelings.”
- Student demonstrates ability to set and achieve goals. “I can set and achieve goals that will make me more successful.”
Materials
- computers access (to write their stories)
- graph paper
- tape measures
- markers or colored pencils of different colors
- graham crackers ( a lot – I ran short)
- royal icing: confectionary sugar and meringue (see recipe at http://www.inkatrinaskitchen.com/small-batch-royal-icing/)
- electric hand mixer
- gum drops
- pretzels
- candy canes
- skittles or m&m’s
- mini-marshmallows
Activity Details
Write a Story About a Gingerbread House
This part of the lesson was introduced to students by showing them the story of The Gingerbread House to show them what was possible for a creative story.
They then wrote a story about a gingerbread house. I have an Orthodox Jew in one of my classes so I kept it general rather than emphasizing a Christmas theme. Here is an example story:
Creating Blueprints of the Gingerbread Houses with the Perimeter and Area
Students were shown the following video to help them learn techniques for building their gingerbread houses and to get inspired for the type of gingerbread houses they wanted to make.
We then reviewed the formulas for estimating perimeter and area. As part of their blueprints, they included these estimates using one color marker for the perimeter and one for the area. They were given the option to use the squares on the graph paper or to use the tape measures to figure out their perimeter and area.
Making Their Gingerbread Houses
Then came the gingerbread house making time. Students were split into groups of three and provided with the recipe for royal icing which they had to double (more math!) to have enough for the three of them. Also on their respective tables were food items for their gingerbread houses: graham crackers, gum drops, candy canes, skittles, pretzels, mini-marshmallows.
As I mentioned above, there was 100% of engagement by the students as evidenced in these photos.
The only change to this lesson that I would implement when I do it again (and I am definitely doing it again), would be more graham crackers and more time to make them.
Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D.
