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STEM Understanding
STEM Learning design refers collectively to the science, technology and mathematical learning areas, engineering as a process to design, construct and maintain systems,
and a cross-disciplinary approach to learning that increases student disposition in STEM related fields and their development of skills collaborative problem solving, creative
thinking and critic al analysis.
A STEM Learning approach provides opportunities to investigate science, technology, engineering and mathematical concepts and thinking in a range of contexts and
combinations, and the skills, dispositions and processes needed to refine, produce and share ideas.
STEM Learning challenges traditional delivery and assessment methods, exploring new ways of sharing content and identifying evidence of learning.

STEM Learning Design – adapted from the resource provided by Project Officers Yvette and Peter on HLG STEM Day 1

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Title: A New Toy Story (Toy Design)

Year 3 Achievement Standards

Mathematics Science Technologies –Design Tech

By the end of Year 3, students recognise the By the end of Year 3, students use their Year 3/4 Achievement Standard
connection between addition and subtraction understanding of the movement of Earth, By the end of Year 4, students explain how
and solve problems using efficient strategies materials and the behaviour of heat to suggest products, services and environments are
for multiplication. They model and represent explanations for everyday observations. They designed to best meet needs of communities
unit fractions. They represent money values in group living things based and their environments. They describe
various ways. Students identify symmetry in the on observable features and distinguish them contributions of people in design
environment. They match positions on maps from non-living things. They describe how they and technologies occupations. Students
with given information. Students recognise can use science investigations to respond to describe how the features of technologies can
angles in real situations. They interpret and questions. be used to produce designed solutions for each
compare data displays. Students use their experiences to identify of the prescribed technologies contexts.
Students count to and from 10 000. They questions and make predictions about scientific Students create designed solutions for each of
classify numbers as either odd or even. They investigations. They follow procedures to the prescribed technologies contexts. They
recall addition and multiplication facts for collect and record observations and suggest explain needs or opportunities and evaluate
single-digit numbers. Students correctly count possible reasons for their findings, based on ideas and designed solutions against
out change from financial transactions. They patterns in their data. They describe how safety identified criteria for success,
continue number patterns involving addition and fairness were considered and they use including environmental
and subtraction. Students use metric units for diagrams and other representations to sustainability considerations. They develop and
length, mass and capacity. They tell time to the communicate their ideas. expand design ideas and communicate these
nearest minute. Students make models using models and drawings including
of three-dimensional objects. Students conduct annotations and symbols. Students plan and
chance experiments and list possible sequence major steps in design and
outcomes. They conduct production. They identify
simple data investigations for categorical ***Alternative science focus can be to appropriate technologies and techniques and
variables. investigate the properties of materials used for demonstrate safe work practices
toys, with links to sustainability and the use of when producing designed solutions.
plastics.

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Year 4 Achievement Standards

Mathematics Science Technologies –Design Tech

By the end of Year 4, students choose By the end of Year 4, students apply Year 3/4 Achievement Standard
appropriate strategies for calculations involving the observable properties of materials to By the end of Year 4, students explain how
multiplication and division. They recognise explain how objects and materials can be used. products, services and environments are
common equivalent fractions in familiar They describe how contact and non-contact designed to best meet needs of communities
contexts and make connections forces affect interactions between objects. and their environments. They describe
between fraction and decimal notations up to They discuss how natural processes and contributions of people in design
two decimal places. Students solve simple human activity cause changes to Earth’s and technologies occupations. Students
purchasing problems. They identify and explain surface. They describe relationships that assist describe how the features of technologies can
strategies for finding unknown quantities in the survival of living things and sequence key be used to produce designed solutions for each
number sentences. They describe number stages in the life cycle of a plant or animal. of the prescribed technologies contexts.
patterns resulting from multiplication. Students They identify when science is used to Students create designed solutions for each of
compare areas of regular and irregular shapes understand the effect of their actions. the prescribed technologies contexts. They
using informal units. They solve problems Students follow instructions to identify explain needs or opportunities and evaluate
involving time duration. They interpret investigable questions about familiar contexts ideas and designed solutions against
information contained in maps. Students and make predictions based on prior identified criteria for success,
identify dependent and independent events. knowledge. They describe ways to conduct including environmental
They describe different methods investigations and safely use equipment to sustainability considerations. They develop and
for data collection and representation, and make and record observations with accuracy. expand design ideas and communicate these
evaluate their effectiveness. They use provided tables and column graphs to using models and drawings including
Students use the properties of odd and even organise data and identify patterns. Students annotations and symbols. Students plan and
numbers. They recall multiplication facts to 10 x suggest explanations for observations and sequence major steps in design and
10 and related division facts. Students locate compare their findings with their predictions. production. They identify
familiar fractions on a number line. They They suggest reasons why a test was fair or appropriate technologies and techniques and
continue number sequences not. They use formal and informal ways to demonstrate safe work practices
involving multiples of single digit numbers. communicate their observations and findings. when producing designed solutions.
Students use scaled instruments to measure
temperatures, lengths, shapes and objects.
They convert between units of time. Students ***Alternative science focus can be to
create symmetrical shapes and patterns. They investigate the properties of materials used for
classify angles in relation to a right angle. toys, with links to sustainability and the use of
Students list the probabilities of everyday
plastics.
events. They construct data displays from
given or collected data.

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Week STEM In Action STEM Enabling

1 Identify Need Maths- Introduce picture graphs
Stimulus: walk around the school as a class. Explain the purpose of  Create a picture graph as a class. Focus on students
STEM is to identify a need or problem, and create a product that meets understanding concepts of same-sized units, scale, no
that need. Can we find any ‘needs/problems’ in our class or school that gaps/overlaps.
we can solve?  Students cut out squares and create their own picture graph.
 Students analyse graphs where a picture represents more than
Class discussion: Can we find any ‘needs/problems’ in our class or one unit.
school that we can solve? Students identify need/problem. Guide the
discussion towards needs of having fun, not being bored, having things
to do at recess/lunch. Science- Prior Knowledge & Engage
Forces- independently brainstorm a mind-map of prior knowledge.
Identify Prior knowledge- modified T Chart- see appendix 1: Share with the class.
List toys. Why should children play with toys? Pose questions about Stimulus videos showing world record shot put (push) and world
toys. record for heaviest vehicle pulled :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs97EQNJTFA
Students share prior knowledge as a class. Each student writes the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lujbMZ_VJ-E
following on a posit it (3 post-its per student): one example of a toy,
one reason why toys are important, one question. Create class display. Introduce vocabulary: ‘forces’, ‘push’, ‘pull’, ‘gravity’.
Students work in groups of 3 to: hit a balloon, drop a balloon, and pick
STEM skill focus: Entrepreneurial Thinking up a balloon.
As a class, identify forces and draw and label a diagram.

Students now apply knowledge through sort statements into ‘push’ or

‘pull’. Students draw a picture for each statement with arrows
showing the forces.
Research: Explore, Play Maths- Building student knowledge of bar graphs
Students each bring in a toy from home. They have the chance to 1. Students compare a picture graph and bar graph, for the same
explore and play with their Buddy Class. data set. Identify similarities and differences. See Appendix 10:
picture and bar graph to compare
Students need to consider:
 Each student is given a graph (See Appendix 9). Each graph has
What types of toys are there?
something missing.
How does the age of a child effect what toys they play with?
o What does your graph tell you?
Why should children have toys?
o Is anything missing?
What makes a ‘good toy’?

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Can some toys be played with by everyone? (Use example of lego- Can o Students compare the graph they have with the person next
any gender or age play with this toy?) to them. Does the person next to you have any information
you need to your graph to make sense?
Collect old toys from second-hand shops. Deconstruct the toys to o Create a list of features that graphs should have.
explore how they work.
 Create a bar graph together as a class.
 Students independently create a bar graph. Analyse graph: What
does the graph tell us? What doesn’t the graph tell us? eg. Does
the graph tells us how many people were surveyed in the class?
Does the graph tell us how many people were away on that day?

Science – Friction
Experiment: roll balls made from different materials down a slide.
Students write a hypothesis, record the time it takes for the ball to
reach the end of the slide. Discuss what the data shows. Pose the
question: Why did some balls roll faster down the slide than others?

2 Research Maths- Applying knowledge graphing: Product research

Revise previous discussion.  Practise analysing given graphs. Students start with ‘I notice…’
and ‘I wonder…’ statements and then respond to questions
In groups, students discuss pictures of children from around the world regarding graphs.
with their favourite toys. See appendix 2 or original source:  Brainstorm some questions that we could use to conduct ‘product
https://mymodernmet.com/gabriele-galimberti-toy-stories/. research’ for your toy design. Eg. What is your favourite type of
Note: the original source includes children with toy weapons, which toy? What toy do you play with the most at home? What makes a
have been omitted from this plan. toy ‘fun’ to play with?
Decide as a class what question you will investigate.
What do the toys have in common? Collect data from Buddy Class (or a range of classes of a similar
How are the favourite toys of children different? age group).
How are the toys in these pictures similar or different to our toys? Represent as a tally chart, and bar graph.
 Class discussion: How could your research/graph help you when
How do you know if a toy is really good? (Possible answers: kids all designing a toy?
want to play with it, parents buy it, make lots of money off it,
educational, use imagination, use with your friends ) Explore Friction- Primary Connections, Smooth Moves, Lesson 3
1. Play tug-a-war
How will we find out what toys will be good/successful? Product 2. Play tug-a-war, making the following adjustments for each game:
research- question is the stimulus for Week 2 maths lesson. Wear disposable gloves
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Detergent on gloves
STEM skill focus: critical and creative thinking
For each game, tell students to rub their hands together and describe
how it feels. Students compare the friction of their bare hands,
disposable gloves and detergent on gloves.

Explain friction, with examples of showing friction in diagrams.

Revisit the question that was posed last lesson: Why did some balls
roll faster down the slide than others?
Students use words and diagrams to explain how forces (including
friction) affected the speed of the rolling balls.

See Appendix 8 and Primary Connections- Smooth Moves for

background information on forces and friction.

3 Research, connections to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history Maths- analysing product research data
and cultures (Australian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priority): Analyse graphs through comparing different data sets of product
Last week we discussed what toys have in common and how they are research. For example, different groups could have collected data for
different. different year levels or different classes. Students identify the
o How do you think toys have changed over time? similarities and differences between the data sets and explain how
o Will some toys always be popular or are some toys a ‘gimmick’? the results can inform their product design.
o Do you play with the same toys as your parents did?
o Have kids always played with toys? Science- identify forces and friction used in toys
o What about kids who lived 50,000 years ago did they play with Students play games in groups, then rotate to the next group.
toys?
Some games could include:
Students go on the following website and answer questions: Marbles, dominos, ten pin bowling, soccer, cricket, lego (cars and
https://australianmuseum.net.au/australian-aboriginal-toys blocks).
http://www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/collections/digital-
collections/australian-aboriginal-culture Students explain at least one example they observed for each of the
See appendix 3 for recording sheet. following:
push force
STEM skill focus: critical and creative thinking pull force
gravity
friction
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4 Develop possible solutions: Science- further explore devices that can enable toys to have moving
Each student comes up with 3 ideas for a toy. Each idea has: parts.
1. Labelled diagram
2. Appropriate for children aged: Students explore and ‘play’ with pneumatics (syringes and tubes),
3. How will it be used? magnets and pulleys. While students are doing this activity, they need
to consider:
STEM skill focus: Problem Solving 1. What forces are being used?
2. How could this device be used to create a moving toy?

Students work collaboratively to create a mind-map of possible ways

that these devices can work to create moving parts in toys.

Show examples: https://www.instructables.com/id/Project-Based-

Engineering-for-Kids/

5 Select a promising solution Science- forces in students’ toy design, Summative Assessment
In groups of 3, students share their ideas. Students need to decide on In the STEM in Action lesson, students worked in groups to decide on
one shared design. It must include one idea from each person. a toy design.

Assessment Summative Assessment: Students apply their knowledge of forces to

Teacher takes observational notes to inform final assessment, with a their toy design. Students use diagrams, with arrows, showing the
focus on student participation, student understanding of the purpose forces that are involved in their game. Students also write a
of the technology (ie. what ‘need’ is the toy meeting and how) and the paragraph to explain what they diagram shows.
target audience/consumer, as well as collaboration and team work
skills.

As a team, students complete a design proposal. See Appendix 4.

STEM skill focus: Collaborative Thinking
6 Build Further STEM enabling lessons may occur, stimulated by students’
Students work collaboratively to build a prototype of their toy. questions, misconceptions revealed in the STEM design process, or to
develop skills or knowledge required for their toy design.
Continued:
Teacher takes observational notes to inform final assessment, with a
focus on student participation, student understanding of the purpose
of the technology (ie. what ‘need’ is the toy meeting and how) and the

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target audience/consumer, as well as collaboration and team work

skills.

STEM skill focus: Team Work

7 Evaluate, Redesign Further STEM enabling lessons may occur, stimulated by students’
Students provide peer feedback. Students have post-its of two questions, misconceptions revealed in the STEM design process, or to
different colours. develop skills or knowledge required for their toy design.
Colour 1: What is good about the toy/design?
Colour 2: How could the toy/design be improved?

In their STEM group, students read and consider peer feedback.

Students work collaboratively to complete the Evaluate & Redesign
sheet. (See Appendix 5)

Continued:
Teacher takes observational notes to inform final assessment, with a
focus on student participation, student understanding of the purpose
of the technology (ie. what ‘need’ is the toy meeting and how) and the
target audience/consumer, as well as collaboration and team work
skills.

STEM skill focus: Collaborative Thinking

Evaluate, Redesign: Progress Report Further STEM enabling lessons may occur, stimulated by students’
questions, misconceptions revealed in the STEM design process, or to
Brainstorm questions to ask Buddy Class to get feedback on the design. develop skills or knowledge required for their toy design.

Share the prototype with Buddy Class and get feedback.

8 Build: Complete building of prototype Further STEM enabling lessons may occur, stimulated by students’
questions, misconceptions revealed in the STEM design process, or to
Continued: develop skills or knowledge required for their toy design.
Teacher takes observational notes to inform final assessment, with a
focus on student participation, student understanding of the purpose
of the technology (ie. what ‘need’ is the toy meeting and how) and the
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target audience/consumer, as well as collaboration and team work

skills.

STEM skill focus: Team Work

9 Final Toy Evaluation and Self-Assessment
Students independently complete evaluation and self-assessment. See
Appendix 6 & 7

Teacher Summative Assessment

Teacher uses the same criteria that is on the self-assessment sheet to
assess students’ STEM skills and knowledge. Teacher uses
observational notes recorded throughout the design process to
complete assessment.

Teacher assesses students’ independently completed ‘Final Toy

Evaluation’ sheet, which should also demonstrate STEM skills and
knowledge.

STEM skill focus: critical and creative thinking

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Appendices

1. Identify prior knowledge and questions: Modified T Chart

2. Pictures of toys from around the world
3. Research template for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander toys
4. Design Proposal
5. Evaluation & Redesign
6. Final Toy Evaluation
7. Self-Assessment
8. Science: Teacher Background Information- Forces
9. Maths: Identify Graph Features
10. Maths: Picture and bar graph to compare

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Appendix 1

Prior Knowledge and Questions

List of Toys Why should children play with What questions could you ask
toys? about toys?

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Appendix 1- Source: Katie Hosmer (2013) https://mymodernmet.com/gabriele-galimberti-toy-stories/

Thailand Sweden

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Algeria South Africa

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Malaysia India

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Morocco Nicaragua

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Egypt Zambia

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Lebanon Australia

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Zanzibar Zanzibar

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Mexico Italy

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Indonesia USA

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Appendix 3

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Toys and Games Research

Name of toy Description. What does it look like? What do you do Are there any similar
with it? games played in modern
Australia? Provide examples
where possible.

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Appendix 4- Design Proposal

Labelled Diagram of Toy: Name of toy:

_____________________________

What ‘problem’ is your toy solving?

How does your toy solve that problem?

Children of what age can use your toy?

Explain what ideas you have included from each

group member.

What materials will you need?

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Appendix 5: Evaluate and Redesign

Current prototype Proposed re-design

Did you make any changes to your initial design during the ‘building’ stage? What were the changes? Why did you make those changes?

Are you using any of the ideas from your peer feedback in your re-design?

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Appendix 6: Toy Evaluation

What problem does

your toy solve? How
did the toy solve this
problem?

How did you

contribute to your
group?

Did your design

change? Explain.

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What challenges did

you face?

What was good about

your toy?

How could your toy be

further improved?

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Appendix 7: Self-Assessment Name: ____________________

Criteria Score out of 5.

It Works!
Toy works how it is meant to. A child would easily be able to understand how the
toy is used.

Meets Purpose
Toy meets a need and helps a child to learn and/or experience enjoyment.

Attractive
Toy is extremely well-put together. It looks like a professional and/or
manufactured toy, with no obvious weaknesses or mistakes. A child would want
to play with this toy.
Age Appropriate
A child who was given this toy in the age range could successfully use this toy.

Collaborative Thinking
I listened to other group members ideas and shared my ideas. Our toy design
includes ideas from all group members.

Team Work
I did my share of the workload. I communicated clearly with the other group
members. I had a positive attitude and was encouraging towards other group
members.

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Appendix 8: Teacher Background Information- Forces.

Australian Academy of Science (2012) Primary Connections: Smooth Moves Physical Sciences Year 4, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra.

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Appendix 8 continued

Australian Academy of Science (2012) Primary Connections: Smooth Moves Physical Sciences Year 4, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra.

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Appendix 9: Identify Graph Features

Favourite Pets of Students in Room 24, Favourite Pets of Students in Room 24,
The Pines School. The Pines School.

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Favourite Pets of Students in Room 24,

The Pines School.

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Favourite Pets of Students in Room 24,

The Pines School.

Graph modified from an image on: http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/weblessons/kidshavepets/default.htm

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Appendix 10: Picture and bar graph to compare

Birthday Months of Students in Room 24, The Pines School

Key Month of the Year

1 cake = 1 student

Graph modified from an image on: https://designedbyteachers.com.au/birthday-pictograph-pictorial-graph-smartboard/

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Birthday Months of Students in Room 24, The Pines School

4
Number of Students

Month of the Year

Graph modified from an image on: https://designedbyteachers.com.au/birthday-pictograph-pictorial-graph-smartboard/

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