PLTW - Structure & Function:  Exploring Design

• Students discover the design process and how engineers influence their lives. They explore the elements of structure and function by identifying products around them designed by engineers and asking questions engineers might ask. They are introduced to a design problem through a story in which Angelina wants to design a paintbrush. Students apply their knowledge from the module to design their own paintbrushes.

PBL Unit - Farm to Table

• Kindergartners have been studying about food and nutrition.  The students have questions regarding gardens, farms, food etc.  Therefore, they will investigate and study how to grow food, where it comes from, and how they can feed the community. Students will design and create a garden, plant seeds, carve a jack-o-lantern, decompose a pumpkin, and investigate farms/farmers.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety

PLTW - Animals & Algorithms

• Students explore the nature of computers and the ways humans control and use technology. Starting with an unplugged activity, students learn about the sequential nature of computer programs. Students are inspired by a story in which Angelina, Mylo, and Suzi make videos to teach preschoolers about animals in their habitats. Then, students work in small groups to design and program a simple digital animation about an animal in its habitat.

PBL Unit - Look @ Us Go

• Read and discuss stories about transportation, sing transportation songs, graph how we come to school, design and create a mode of transportation from past, present and future. Students will participate in a transportation fair featuring different modes of transportation from past and present presented by members of the community.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety

PLTW - Pushes & Pulls

• Students investigate pushes and pulls on the motion of an object and develop knowledge and skills related to forces of differing strengths and directions. Their explorations include pushes and pulls found in their everyday world, such as pushing a friend on a swing or pulling a wagon. In this module’s design problem, Suzi needs to move rocks from her yard so she can install a swing set. Students work through the problem by applying what they learn about forces.

PBL Unit - Here Birdie Birdie

• Kindergarteners have noticed the birds are looking for food during winter.  The kindergarteners will investigate and study birds, their habitats and migration.  Kindergarteners will design and create a variety of bird feeders and collect data to observe which feeder is best for the birds at our school.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety/ Typing 101

PLTW - Living Things

• Students investigate the needs of living things. During an outdoor walk, students look for plants and animals and consider how their needs are met in their natural environment. Then, they explore how living things impact the natural environment. They participate in a simulation to observe how an animal impacts the natural environment to meet its needs. Students then explore human needs and wants and how humans impact the natural environment, both positively and negatively. In an exercise to reduce waste, students use the design process to build a new game or toy out of reusable materials.

PBL Unit - When I Grow Up

• The students will be graduating soon and thinking about their future. They will research and learn about jobs that make up our community and influence our world. Various community helpers will share their knowledge of their job.  We will go to the EdVenture to see and pretend to be different occupations. The students will use what they’ve learned to select what they want to be when they grow up.  They will dress up as their choice and present their career choice.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Coding

PLTW - Exploring Light & Shadows:  Light & Sound

• Students investigate the properties of light and sound, including vibration from sound waves and the effect of different materials on the path of a beam of light. After students develop an understanding of light and sound, they are challenged to solve a design problem Mylo, Suzi, and Angelina face. In the story, the characters are lost and must use only the materials in their backpack to communicate over a distance by using light and/or sound. Students use the design process to sketch, build, test, and reflect on a device that solves this design problem.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety

PLTW - Animated Storytelling

Students explore the sequential nature of computer programs through hands-on activities, both with and without a computer. They examine key aspects of storytelling and devise how to transition a narrative from page to screen. Students discover the design problem through a story about Angelina, Mylo, and Suzi, who wish they could find a way to create a story with characters who move and interact with each other. Combining fundamental principles of computer science with story-building skills, students develop animations that showcase characters, settings, actions, and events from short stories of their own creation.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety

PLTW - Light:  Observing the Sun, Moon, and Stars

After observing the sun, moon, and stars, students identify and describe patterns in their recorded data. Angelina, Mylo, and Suzi introduce the design problem, which challenges students to create a playground structure designed to protect students from ultraviolet radiation. Students utilize their knowledge of light to design, build, and test structures created to solve this problem. Students then evaluate their designs, share their findings, and explore ideas to improve their structures based on the testing data.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety

PBL Unit - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Students will focus on conservation by taking reusable products and creating a new product for use.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Coding

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety

PLTW - The Changing Earth

Students explore how the surface of the Earth is always changing. They are introduced to different types of maps and explore how these maps convey different information about the world in which we live, including where water is found on Earth. Angelina, Mylo, and Suzi introduce the design problem when faced with the challenge of helping a community threatened by a potential landslide. Students investigate the different forces that shape the surface of the Earth and design solutions to limit the impact of erosion on this fictional community, which is located at the bottom of a hill that was recently destabilized by a fire.

PLTW - Grids & Games

Students investigate numerical relationships while learning about the sequence and structure required in computer programs. Starting with computer-free activities and moving to tablet-based challenges, students apply addition and subtraction strategies to make characters move on a grid. Angelina presents the design problem when she expresses her desire to design a game she can play on her tablet. Using skills and knowledge gained from these activities, students work together in groups to design and develop a game in which a player interacts with objects on a tablet screen.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Google Basics

PLTW - Properties and Changes in Matter

In this module, students investigate and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties, including color and texture, and heat conduction. Students learn about states of matter and properties of materials. They investigate which materials are good insulators and which are good conductors. After building their knowledge and skills throughout the module, students determine the best materials to use as they design a prototype to keep an ice pop frozen for at least 30 minutes.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Google Basics

PBL Unit - Class Economy

Students will apply for a job to earn income.  Students will learn about how to use a budget to manage their income, expenses, and wants.  Students will participate in auctions to learn about supply and demand. 

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Google Basics

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety

PLTW - Weather:  Factors & Hazards

Students explore, collect, and classify data related to three factors that affect weather: precipitation, temperature, and wind. They contrast weather and climate, using the three factors in their descriptions. Students explore different types of weather hazards, including those in their region. They design a solution that reduces the impact of a weather-related hazard.

PLTW - Programming Patterns

Students explore control structures such as events, loops, and conditionals. These structures specify the sequence in which instructions are executed within a program. Starting with computer-free activities and progressing to programming in a block-based language on a device, students learn how to think computationally about a program. In the design problem, Angelina, Mylo, and Suzi are challenged to use computer programming to write a story with different endings. Combining their writing and programming skills, students develop interactive stories on a device with multiple plots.

STEAM Challenge:  Pumpkin Catapults

Students were challenged to create a working catapult to launch a candy pumpkin.  They used their knowledge of metric unit measurements to gauge the distance of their launch.  Students completed three launch trials with opportunities to improve and redesign their catapult based on the data that was collected.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Google Basics

STEAM Challenge:  A Leprechaun Trap  

Classes will read the story “How to Catch a Leprechaun” by Adam Wallace.  Students will use the Engineering Design Process to create an initial design.  Using designated materials, students will be able to determine success based on whether or not their trap is triggered.  Students will have an opportunity to evaluate and redesign for a second trial.  

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Typing 101/Google Basics

PLTW - Animal Adaptations

Students explore animal adaptations for protection, camouflage, food obtainment, and locomotion. Students learn what it means for an organism to be adapted to its environment and how different adaptations can be categorized. Students are introduced to the design challenge when Suzi announces she is visiting the Sahara and needs to get prepared for her trip. Students are challenged to design the ideal shoe for travelers to wear in extreme environments, applying what they have learned and looking to plant and animal adaptations to guide their designs.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Google Basics

PLTW - Organisms:  Structure & Function

Students learn the characteristics of living things and look for similarities among organisms. Students examine a wide range of organisms, exploring their unique internal and external structures to understand how these structures support the organism's survival and combine with other structures to function as part of a larger system. Students then apply the knowledge and skills they have gained as they work through the design process to research, design, and build a model prosthesis for an injured animal.

PBL Unit - Wild Gorilla Nest

This unit began with reading the novel “The One and Only Ivan” about a silverback gorilla living in a cage at the Big Top Mall.  This novel ties into the science unit, Characteristics of Organisms.  Students also attended a field trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC.  Individually, students will research silverback gorillas, their habitat, and their nests.  As a group, students will create and present a play and model of a gorilla nest.  Students will collaborate to design a nest that will be added to the gorilla enclosure at the zoo.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety

PLTW - Input/Output Computer Systems

In this exploration of how computers work, students are encouraged to make analogies between the parts of the human body and parts that make up a computer. Students investigate reaction time as a measure of nervous system function. After Mylo suffers a concussion, his friends become interested in how to diagnose concussions and create a reaction-time computer program to assess a baseline before a concussion occurs. Students apply what they have learned to build their own reaction-time measurement devices on tablets. This module has strong connections to the fourth grade Human Brain module.

PBL Unit - Choose Your Own Adventure

Students are given the task of researching and planning a social studies- based field trip that all 4th grade students can attend. Currently some students would not be able to attend for various reasons. Accessibility will be taken into account. The purpose is for students to attend a field trip that deepens their understanding of social studies standards through real-world experiences. 

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Google Basics

PBL Unit - Westward Expansion

Students will research different key events of Westward Expansion:  Manifest Destiny, Oregon Trail, the Louisiana Purchase, Indian Removal Act, etc.  As a group, students will create and present a slide show of each event.  Students will also collaborate to design a Conestoga wagon that will be used to reenact settlers moving out west. 

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Typing 101/Google Basics

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Google Basics

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Internet Safety

PLTW - Earth’s Water:  Interconnected Systems

Students learn about Earth’s systems: the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere. Students examine how these systems interact and examine the role of gravity within each system. They take an in-depth look at how the processes of the water cycle intersect with each of the systems and apply this knowledge to investigate factors that impact the rate of evaporation. Students use the design process to develop a method for producing clean drinking water from samples of contaminated water.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Google Basics

PBL Unit - Reuse, Reduce, Repurpose, and Recycle

The students will research, collaborate, and communicate how they can reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle at Carver.  The students will complete a research booklet with all activities included throughout the PBL and create a google slides presentation to present the information researched and learned to Mrs. Little.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Typing 101/Google Basics

PLTW - Ecosystems:  Flow of Matter and Energy

Students learn about Earth’s ecosystems and how energy flows from the sun to plants, and from plants to animals. Students create a model to describe photosynthesis and explain how energy from the sun is introduced into an ecosystem. Students use evidence to defend the claim that plants get the materials they need for growth mainly from air and water. Students learn how energy flows through an ecosystem and explore a simulation about how an ecosystem can become unbalanced. Finally, students use the design process to develop an action plan to protect plants and animals in an ecosystem that has become unbalanced due to human activity.

Weekly/Daily Discussion - Digital Citizenship/Google Basics