Maker Moments
I don't know about your locations, but in mine, it often seems like there are bubbles of interest growing in certain subjects here and there. STEM and makerspaces are where some of those bubbles are for us right now. As the only person at the district level with the interest and time to put into it, I've made myself the local expert on makerspaces. I've been meeting with some of the folks at our schools about this topic, as well as touring other local makerspaces.
As I've pondered teachers' interest in these spaces (and those with no interest), it has occurred to me that perhaps the best way to engage folks in the "maker mindset," might be through "Maker Moments." These could be for teachers who don't have an actual makerspace at their school, those who are intimidated by the makerspace equipment (3D printers, sewing machines, electronics, etc.), or those who just feel they don't have the time to commit to a regular session in the makerspace.
A "Maker Moment" is taking a small chunk of in-class time to build, create, take apart, or design, for the purpose of extending learning on a curricular and/or real-life topic. This might be something as simple as having a student design a solution for an annoying rattle in the room with paper and tape or drawing the picture they see in their head for what the ranch looks like in Esperanza Rising during a book study.
Although there are lots of great maker activities out there that can be done in the regular classroom with everyday materials, many often take longer than, say, 20 minutes. For example, the crane-building STEM activity I've been having students do lately is an hour+ activity with 10-15 different materials, which wouldn't qualify as a "maker moment" in my book, as it's a more significant chunk of time and a more involved task. Same thing with the marble coasters that many folks do. Great activity, but you have to be prepared to designate some time, materials, and space to it.
So for the aforementioned folks who might be looking for slightly more accessible ways to ease their way into making, here are some ideas in various content areas and grade levels. (Many of these projects can be expanded to longer, more involved projects, if one is so inclined.)
Math
As I've pondered teachers' interest in these spaces (and those with no interest), it has occurred to me that perhaps the best way to engage folks in the "maker mindset," might be through "Maker Moments." These could be for teachers who don't have an actual makerspace at their school, those who are intimidated by the makerspace equipment (3D printers, sewing machines, electronics, etc.), or those who just feel they don't have the time to commit to a regular session in the makerspace.
Although there are lots of great maker activities out there that can be done in the regular classroom with everyday materials, many often take longer than, say, 20 minutes. For example, the crane-building STEM activity I've been having students do lately is an hour+ activity with 10-15 different materials, which wouldn't qualify as a "maker moment" in my book, as it's a more significant chunk of time and a more involved task. Same thing with the marble coasters that many folks do. Great activity, but you have to be prepared to designate some time, materials, and space to it.
So for the aforementioned folks who might be looking for slightly more accessible ways to ease their way into making, here are some ideas in various content areas and grade levels. (Many of these projects can be expanded to longer, more involved projects, if one is so inclined.)
Math
- use playdough and various manipulatives to have students build something and identify an addition problem they created (ex: "On my gingerbread man, I used 3 small buttons and 7 fuzzballs, which means I have 10 round things") (gr K-2)
- build a house with math manipulative cubes and identify the area of the sides of the house (biggest house in 10-15 minutes with correct calculations wins) (gr 3-5)
- design a house with a roof with a designated slope (could be built out of any building material or drafted on paper) (gr 7-8)
Language Arts
- using play dough, make a model of a verb (K-2)
- literally construct a book of paper with a cover to write observations, a la Jack's notebook in Magic Treehouse books (as extension, write instructions for creating the book) (gr 3-5)
- use a green screen or iOS's Photo Booth to have students record each other "on location" giving a quick newscast about what's happening in the location of their story (gr 6-8) (see link for tutorial)
Social Studies
- use construction paper and glue to create a representation of different elements of a community (hospital, bank, church, school, etc.) (Gr K-2)
- in the style of colonial America, design a way to repair different kinds of shoe problems (or any other broken item) with tape, string, or glue (rather than just throwing things away) (Gr 3-5)
- create a map from memory of a different way to get to their house than they usually go (gr 6-8)
Science
- build a graph out of Legos illustrating how many people are in each person's family (Gr K-2)
- physically deconstruct an old classroom item (pencil, scissors, pen, crayon box, etc.) and write or discuss the process that was used to create that object (Gr 3-5)
- use play dough to demonstrate the rock cycle
In general, always have the following phrase ready to break out at a moment's notice: "Let's make it!" If someone says,"I can't find the kind of image I'm looking for on Google," have them create the image they want. If you're out of tape, have kids come up with a workaround. If someone's backpack has a broken strap, have kids design a solution to help the student get his or her things home.
Let's make it! If you have other examples or ideas of maker moments, please write them in the comments!
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