Our STEM village project aims for our students to create a village with a STEM organization with design-oriented activities. Building a self-sufficient village is the main theme of our project.The work on this project was done between April 1 and April 30. Buildings and bridges that can produce their own energy by using natural resources, irrigation systems created by storing rainwater and meeting the water needs of livestock on the farm are the subjects of the project.
In this learnning senario,
Students ages: 9-10
Teaching time: 9 hours
Online teaching materials: Canva, minecraft, scratch, video program
Materials: Materials may vary according to the design of the student. However, care is taken to use recycled materials. Cardboard, scissors, glue, colored paper, wooden sticks can be used.
Project based learning(PBL) and STEM techniques are used.
At the end of the learning scenario students will be able to:
- They design structures that can provide their own energy, benefit from the power of nature, reduce labor and produce less cost.
- Students will build village buildings, agricultural equipment, farm and dairy, road and bridge, communication system, technologically, but turn it into a village that provides production with natural energy.
- It improves students’ creativity and thinking skills.
- Entrepreneurial skills increase while revealing new ideas and designs.
- Measures centimeters and millimeters from standard length measurement units. Solves problems related to calculating the circumference of shapes.
- This learning scenario has been applied in face-to-face and online courses due to the epidemic process.
- Students design a village with the Minecraft game in an online environment.
- The students design a game for the village cooperation center with the scratch program.

Introduction
At the beginning of the lesson, I read the news about ecological houses to my students. I had the videos about the roof systems developed by Elon Musk.
My students and I discussed the picture and news above. I asked the following questions. What do you think about this news? What do you see in the picture? Do you think this situation contributes to nature and the creatures in nature? The students shared their prior knowledge about a village that can produce its own energy and their views on what kind of solution suggestions they can produce. At the end of the lesson, I gave a research task on which natural resources they can use.
Discover
My students first sought natural resources that they could use in the design of their villages. We brainstormed about this online.
Afterwards, the students were divided into groups for the areas of the village: village buildings, agricultural equipment, farm and dairy, road and bridge, communication system areas. Each group focused on their own field and created their designs.
Then we created a concept map with the Canva tool. We discussed what we can design for the structures we will create in this concept map.

My students shared their views on the environmental impacts of their work and its contribution to the nature and the country’s economy.
Explanation
I gave explanatory information to my students about natural resources.
“Today, with the decrease of resources such as coal and oil, energy production from renewable resources has been focused on. Solar power plants and water turbines are both renewable and environmentally friendly.
What is Natural Resource?
Resources that are not directly influenced by human factors in the formation process are defined as natural resources.
What are the Types of Natural Resources?
Natural resources are categorized under three main headings:
1- Natural resources that are constantly renewed and inexhaustible.
2- Non-renewable natural resources
3- Resources that can be renewed if the necessary conditions are met.
What Are The Natural Resource Samples?
Sunlight and water can be shown as examples of natural resources renewed. Fossil fuels such as oil and coal cannot be renewed. Because it takes millions of years to form again.
Belli koşullarda yenilenebilen doğal kaynaklar toprak ve ormandır. ”
Öğrencilerim, köylerini tasarlarken kullanacakları araçları düşünmek ve gerçek hayatta eğlenmek için bağlantılı oyunu oynadılar.
Deepening
Bu bölümde önce tasarımlarını kağıda, ardından awwapp çizim aracını kullanarak çizdiler .
Then they determined the recycling materials required to turn their designs into products. In our lesson, they designed and started their work, then talked about their production process. They only used recycled materials in their designs. They developed their thoughts and created their designs by using wind energy, solar energy and rain water. They made their presentations in the classroom. My students are very happy to find a solution to a problem and to do a work that contributes to nature.
Köprü yakınında rüzgar gülünün ürettiği elektrik enerjisi depolanır ve bu şekilde köprünün ışıkları yanar.
The canopy in front of the door is covered with solar panels. The electrical energy required for the house is provided by solar panels.
In the farm in our village, the drinking water of the animals is created by storing rain water with a mechanism built on the roof.
It is an apple picking game with the scratch program we have created for the cooperation center in our village.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/502220467
Our agricultural tools designs

Our village design with Minecraft



Evaluation
For the evaluation, we did a group and self-evaluation study with my students.16 of my students completed both the self-assessment form and the group assessment form.


At the end of the evaluaton part it was seen that the plan worked out effectively. The results of students’ self-assessment also prove that. Students were active in every step of the implementation of the plan. The presentations they prepared on the subject were very interesting. They encouraged each other , and peer learning was efficient. They shared the problems they encountered while transforming their designs into products and the solutions they found. Creative thinking skills improved. They were all proud of the product their products.
This interdisciplinary plan can be applied to students aged 9-10. Due to the epidemic, the product development process was handled separately. Students’ taking responsibility within the group will also contribute to their cooperation and communication skills.
Kısmet TÜRKAN KURNAZ-
Akören Primary School -Afyon -Turkey-