Discover STEM Lab, Grades 5-6 - Classic Bluetooth

Discover STEM Lab, Grades 5-6 - Classic Bluetooth

NOTE: This product's components have been updated as of April 2022.

• Grades: 5-6
• Students: Up to 24 (Individual kits Vary)
• Contact Hours: 70+
• Curriculum Sample

Individual Kits Available

Perfect for home school and distance learning environments with single or small groups of students, each of the four curriculum packages included in Discover STEM LAB 5-6 can now be purchased separately:

• Science Module: Discover Dynamics (1x)
• Technology Module: Discover Robotics & Programming (1x)
• Engineering Module: Discover Engineering (1x)
• Mathematics Module: Discover Renewable Energy (2x)

As the ultimate STEM enrichment tool, Discover STEM LAB 5-6 can be easily integrated into after-school programs, classrooms and any learning environment looking for reusable, scaffolded STEM invigoration. Whether it’s the engineering design process or a survey of sustainability, this curriculum was designed to be specifically useful for late elementary students as they begin to transition to more difficult subjects in middle school. With over 70 contact hours, each module encourages independent student exploration and creative thinking by fostering a mini-makerspace mentality where discovery and intrigue reign supreme. 

Science: Discover Dynamics

• Students: 1-3
• Contact Hours: 12+

Explore physical phenomena like acceleration, inertia, the principles of linear motion, equilibrium of forces and the laws of motion with Discover Dynamics. Combining hands-on experiments with easy-to-follow curriculum, this kit allows learners to discover the secrets of centrifugal force, gravity, acceleration and the conservation of energy all while engaging in a welcoming, student-driven environment. From building their own STEM identities to engaging with foundational concepts, Discover Dynamics encourages independent exploration to get students excited about learning!

Curriculum Topics

• Centrifugal Force
• Force of Gravity
• Acceleration
• Law of Conservation of Energy
• Pulses

Included Materials

• Building Instructions
• Fun with Physics Activity Booklet
• 780 fischertechnik Building Manipulatives (with advanced flex-rails, metal balls, motor, and 9V battery.
• Compartmentalized Storage Bin

Technology: Discover Robotics & Programming

• Students: 1-3
• Contact Hours: 25+

Discover Robotics & Programming combines an application-based curriculum with high-quality mechanical building pieces for a scaffolded experience, teaching basic programming logic in the context of mechanical and engineering design process challenges. With curriculum developed around a growth mindset and creative problem-solving skills, Discover Robotics & Programming is flexible, empowering educators to integrate hands-on STEM into virtually any educational environment.

Curriculum Topics

Level 1 - Yellow

• RiQ Robot Build
• Drag-and-Drop Programming in Cortex
• Connecting the Brain
• Basic Motor Commands: ON, ON FOR, SET PWR.

Level 2 - Orange

• Advanced Motor Commands: Reverse, This way, That way.
• Local and global commands.

Level 3 - Purple

• Logic Commands: Repeat and Loop
• Miscellaneous Programming Commands: Beep, Wait, Note, Spacer, and Break.

Level 4 - Blue

• Subroutines
• Procedures and calls
• Advanced Logic Commands: IF, IF NOT, IF ELSE
• Touch Sensors and LEDs

Included Materials

• Discover Robotics and Programming LABCards (20-Card set)
• RiQ Robot Building Instructions
• The Brain and Cortex User Guide
• Expanding file folder for easy access and storage of all no-tear curriculum pages.
• Specialized PCS Robotic Controller - The Brain
• Bluetooth Dongle (available in BLE for iPads or Classic for all computers and Android tablets)
• USB Cable
• Advanced Sensor Pack (including 1 ultrasonic, 1 light, 2 touch, 2 infrared, 2 LEDs and 5 sensor cables)
• 2 9V DC Motors and 2 Motor Cables
• Rechargeable 11.1V LiPo Battery and DC Wall Adapter
• fischertechnik ® Advanced Engineering Manipulatives
• Compartmentalized Storage Bin

More details and additional kit options for Discover Robotics & Programming I are available here!

Engineering: Discover Engineering

• Students: 1-6
• Contact Hours: 25+

Discover Engineering is a fast-moving, reusable kit that prepares learners to adapt to today’s rapidly evolving technologies. Jumping from wheels and pulleys to different types of gears, this scaffolded curriculum has learners problem-solve and utilize the engineering design process as they build upon each day’s iterative concepts to combine what they’ve learned into more complex systems.

Curriculum Topics

• Pulleys
• Levers
• Wheel & Axle
• Power Transfer
• Flexible Power Systems
• Gear Trains
• Worm Gears
• Complex Machines
• Speed Ratios
• Power Ratios
• Drive Train
• Power Transfer

Included Materials

• Building Instructions
• Discover Engineering Student Guide
• 642 fischertechnik® Building Manipulatives (including gears, axles, motors and 9V batteries)
• Compartmentalized Storage Bin

More details and additional kit options for Discover Engineering are available here!

Math: Discover Renewable Energy

• Students: 1-6
• Contact Hours: 8+

Renewable energy is an important source of power today and will become even more critical in the future. The Discover Renewable Energy: Solar Beginner set is perfectly designed to help learners understand the possibilities of solar energy. Building solar-powered boats and cars which run by generating electricity from the sun using a solar module, this kit combines ethics and STEM for modern learning and discovery of the possibilities of sustainability through renewable energy.

Curriculum Topics

• Solar Energy
• Hydropower
• Wind Power
• Electricity
• Energy Storage

Included Materials

• 2 Sets of Building Instructions
• 2 Solar Power Activity Booklets
• fischertechnik ® Building Manipulatives (including solar panel, solar motor and boat hull)
• Compartmentalized Storage Bin

Standards and Alignment

Habits of Mind:

16 thinking habits developed by Art Costa and Bena Kallick to empower students to succeed in a 21st century learning environment.

• Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations
• Managing Impulsivity
• Persisting
• Remaining Open to Continuous Learning
• Striving for Accuracy
• Thinking about Thinking (Metacognition)
• Thinking Flexibly

21st Century Skills

A set of widely-applicable abilities essential for success in the information age.

• Communication and Collaboration
• Creativity and Innovation
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Information, Media and Technology Literacy
• Initiative and Self-Direction
• Productivity and Accountability

© 2019 Battelle for Kids. battelleforkids.org. All Rights Reserved. Battelle for Kids was not involved in the production of this product and does not endorse it.

Common Core State Standard for Mathematics

• CCSS.Math.Practice.MP1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
• CCSS.Math.Practice.MP5 Use appropriate tools strategically.
• CCSS.Math.Practice.MP7 Look for and make use of structures.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.2 Draw (freehand, with ruler and protractor, and with technology) geometric shapes with given conditions.

© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

Next Generation Science Standards

• MS-ETS1-1 Engineering Design
• MS-ETS1-2 Engineering Design
• MS-ETS1-3 Engineering Design
• MS-ETS1-4 Engineering Design

* Next Generation Science Standards and NGSS is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

Engineering Module: Discover Engineering

Common Core State Standards for Math and Language Arts

• ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical task
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NF.A.2 Compare two fractions with different numerators and different denominators, e.g. by creating common denominators or numerators, or by comparing to a benchmark fraction such as 1/2.

© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

Next Generation Science Standards