STEAM Tunnels

 

The Fresno State STEAM Tunnels stimulates innovative and creative thinking by having students participate in engaging projects that require creativity and teamwork. During each activity students learn to apply scientific concepts and skills to solve a particular problem. Students design models, make observations, record data and communicate their ideas and findings, while thinking through real world problems. The Fresno State STEAM Tunnels program incorporates a modified 5E instructional Model, Next Generation Science Standards, Universal Design for Learning and State Math Standards.

Engagement: Students are introduced to a subject usually in the form of a video. The class then discusses and writes questions about the subject. This inquiry is central throughout every lesson.

Exploration: Teams are given challenge goals that they spend this section solving. First, they write the goals; second, they design a model to pass the goals; third, they create a model based off their design; last, they record data from experiments using their models. This section usually ends in a gallery walk, where all students see everyone else’s models.

Guided Research: Teams use technology to pursue their inquiries.

Elaboration: Students return to a similar project with adjusted challenge goals. They use what they have learned from Exploration and Guided Research to pass these goals.

Reflection: This section has a series of math problems for differing grade levels and sentence frames meant to encourage extended responses.

Career Tunnels: Students are introduced to careers related to the lesson subject. Then, they do a “Now, Next, Later” activity that gets them thinking about the process to get in that career.

 

For more information or to see how you can bring STEAM Tunnels to your school, contact Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.