AmeriSTEAM Lessons

Each AmeriSTEAM Lesson must meet several strict and rigorous criteria before being included in our programs.  For example, all AmeriSTEAM Lessons must feature multiple elements of STEM … science, technology, engineering, and mathematics … and one or more of the creative Arts … literary, visual, and performing arts.

 

Each Lesson must keep all students fully engaged throughout the Lesson, and must align with state educational standards for the student age groups participating.  In addition, Lessons must be challenging for the students and enjoyable for instructors.

 

And most importantly, each AmeriSTEAM Lesson must help students develop their creative, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.  We teach students to think inside and outside the box to produce results.

The Arts Turn STEM to STEAM™

In this important introductory lesson, students will learn why a knowledge and understanding of the Arts, as well as the development of artistic skills, are essential components to any truly comprehensive and meaningful study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).  They will also learn how visual, language, and performing arts are used every day by professionals working in STEM-related fields worldwide.

The Speed of Trees™

Dendrology is the science and study of wooded plants, including trees.  In this fascinating lesson, students will learn how modern botanists identify and classify these important plants.  Then they’ll design, build, and use a variety of measurement devices and techniques, as well as several more advanced mathematics processes, to calculate and compare the ages, heights, and growth rates of several tree species indigenous to the Missouri ecosystem.

Woodchuckers and Wood Chucks™

No, we’re not referring to the furry little animals called groundhogs. The word “chuck” often means “to throw or to toss.” So, a wooden machine like a catapult that throws a projectile could be called a “wood chucker,” right? Scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers have been studying the physics of projectile motion since the time of Aristotle. In this bombastic and fun-filled lesson, students will learn how catapults of various designs can be used as technology to study the mechanics of projectile motion and aerodynamic performance.

Mondrian’s Window™

In 1919, the Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian, began experimenting with the grid-paintings that would define his artistic legacy for generations. His style has been mimicked by clothing designers, architects, and interior decorators around the world. During this challenging and creative lesson, students will learn about the life and times of this modern art master, and they’ll design and construct their very own scale model stain glass windows using Mondrian’s artwork as inspiration. Accurate measurements and precise calculations will be required. In addition, students will learn how to estimate the production costs for a real stain glass window of their design.

Map the Maze™

Landscape designers have been building hedge mazes since the mid-1500s.  This lesson will test and develop critical thinking skills as students learn about the design, construction, and maintenance of several famous hedge mazes from around the world.  They will explore the bushes and trees typically used to form hedge mazes, create their very own hedge maze designs, and calculate the land and resource requirements needed to build those mazes.

Chords from Gourds™

People have been using plant materials, like gourds, to produce music for thousands of years. In fact, the formal study of the sounds of music dates back to the sixth century B.C., with Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher and mathematician. From that early work, the science of acoustics has evolved. What is sound? What is music? And, how are plants used to produce melodies and rhythms? These and other questions will be explored in this harmonious and captivating lesson.

Botanical Mechanical Art™

Energy has been defined as the ability to do work or to move matter from one place to another. An object possesses mechanical energy due to its motion (kinetic) or its position (potential). Plants have always played a major role throughout human history in the transformation of the sun’s energy into the mechanical motion we can use. Let’s explore how this happens. How plants from millions of years past power today’s machines. And, how we will use the plants of tomorrow to explore the far reaches of our galaxy.