STEAM Ahead
Chicago Height/ Park Forest, Illinois
Science Technology Engineering Art Math

2021-22 School Year PD 1 (of 4)


Visualizing Scientists and Artists, Building Towers


Participants draw a scientist and an artist. They participate in a collaborative tower-building activity, then describe the process to complete the tower, and compare the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) to Visual Arts Standards and discuss the similarities. They review their scientist and artist drawings to discuss stereotypes and biases associated with them, and how to help students overcome biases to see themselves as scientists and artists as they develop their unit plans for the year.

Date: October 7, 2021
Audience: K-5 Teachers
STEAM Ahead Consultants: Jenna Sanei, Jerry Stefl, and Patricia Whitehouse
Focus: Patterns 
Materials: Tower-making materials: newspaper, tape, markers, 
Art Science Practices Card, Artist/ Scientist Drawing Worksheet
Approximate Time: 2.5 Hours

Format
Part 1: Welcome

Part 2: Activities: Building Consensus

Part 3: Process Discussions

Part 4: Developing Unit Tasks

Part 5: Recap & Next Steps
Additional Resources
Art Science Practices Card
Artist/ Scientist Drawing Worksheet
National Core Art Standards
Next Generation Science Standards
Science and Engineering Practices

Part 1: Welcome

Share the agenda for the day. Participants take a survey to start the year’s data collection.

Part 2: Draw a scientist and an artist, build a tower

Participants draw a scientist, an artist, then work in groups to build a tower.


Part 3: Process DiscussionTeams share their towers and their experiences building them, and discuss the connections between art and science processes. Share student survey responses, and discuss how to include process awareness in unit plans.

Part 4: Developing Unit Tasks, Wrap-up

Groups work to develop STEAM Ahead units. Wrap-up includes describing the process of developing the end-of-year exhibit.




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