Unit Overview:
Max and Lola are going to display their rock collection at a local nature center. They want to give people who visit their display a basket to help them collect their own rocks; however, they will not be able to make enough for everyone. In this unit, students explore patterns and investigate the strength of paper before designing a paper basket plan to be given to Max and Lola’s visitors.
Engineering & Technology Connections:
Create a basket design plan, follow the engineering design process
Literacy Connections:
Identify beginning and ending sounds of words, blend three phoneme words, summarize informational and narrative text, name rhyming words
Mathematics Connections:
Identify and create patterns, count and write number up to 50
Science Connections:
Investigate properties of paper and water, test paper strength, conduct fair tests
Computational Thinking Connections:
Recognize patterns, develop abstractions, and debug errors in patterns.
Hi, I am reading through your unit to prepare using with my Kindergartners. I am having a hard time finding the template from Lola… I have read about it in several lessons, but cannot find the actual template. Can you please share?
Thanks,
Bridget
Dear Bridget-
I have updated this page to include the template.
🙂 Tamara
Thank you!
I am unable to find the design process cards for the intro lesson. Are they in the PDF and I missed them? Are they a separate file you are able to share? Excited to teach the unit. Thank you!
Dear Kara-
Sorry for the delayed reply. Yes, the cards (EDP sliders) are in the curriculum. However, they may not have been in the version that you downloaded. We posted a new version this summer.
Best,
Tamara
Also, there are 2 Letters from Max in the curriculum PDF, a letter is referenced several times, but it isn’t clear which of the two to use and when to use each one. The letters differ. One refers to needing “something” to carry rocks in and the other refers to a basket idea that came from the kids. Are the kids supposed to brainstorm different things to make? How do we arrive at basket, or is this a teacher’s leading the kids to basket? Just a little clarification needed. I like the series of lessons and want to kick it off the right way. It seems that combining the two letters and saying that Max and Lola want to make a basket might simplify things a bit.
Hi Kara-
The two letters are to simulate what engineers do in real life. This is called problem scoping. Very rarely do engineers get problems given to them that are well defined. The first letter allows students to enter into the problem the same way the client is entering into the problem. Max and Lola have a problem that needs a solution but have not yet decided how to solve the problem. So you have your students come up with ideas about how they could potentially help others want to collect rocks. The students will come up with many ideas – hopefully including a basket or something similar (this has not been an issue in any of the classes we have observed, but if they don’t come up with this, you can ask some slightly leading questions to get them there). Then you write a letter back to Max and Lola with the ideas from the class. The second letter is the reply stating that they love the ideas the class came up with and have decided on the baskets idea. This problem scoping part helps students identify with the problem and make connections. They feel like the design idea was theirs and the ownership helps them engage with the design better as they go on within the curriculum. The newest version of the curriculum explains this better than the version you downloaded originally. We are glad you like the curricula. Let us know if you have further questions.
Best,
Tamara