Hi! I’m a primary school teacher at Edirne-Enez Cumhuriyet Primary School. In the 2019 STEM Discovery Week, we did the following:
We designed 4 materials aiming to draw attention and leave a mark on the field of recycling food. We designed “Rain Collecting Purifier” to transform rainwater to drinkable water, “From Fruit Rinds to Fertilizer” to save rotten, uneaten fruit or fruit skins, “Recycled Animal Food” to prevent stale bread to become trash and provide food for street animals and also “Banana Miracle Cream” to make use of banana skins and to use the beneficial parts of the banana.
For our project, we used various sources such as Science Coursebook of 4th graders, www.tubitak.gov.tr and www.eba.gov.tr. The information that our coursebook provides, such as there is a waste of 5 million kilos of bread in Turkey, is one of the things that has inspired us to start this project.
After we prepared our materials, we invited the other students of our school and their parents to present our project materials and we displayed what we accomplished on 24th of April, 2019.
What we aimed for our students to learn during this project is identifying a problem by using brainstorming, searching for information and collecting data; designing a material for a solution of the problem and finally presenting the outcome. This process helps the students to learn by experience.
This project is really good for the students’ learning process. They discover how to collect data and then analyze it. By designing the materials, students develop their skills on Maths and Engineering also they learn to combine these two fields. In addition, the project enables the students to develop their self-confidence by presenting materials to audiences.
link: http://enezcumhuriyetio.meb.k12.tr/icerikler/stem-kesif-haftasi-sergisi-acilisi-yapildi_7200420.html
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https://sway.office.com/R34xVH6pplfrSQWd
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feJfCBP0NUM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTEjG0jEZNg