CaTS Instructional Technology Specialist Megan Hugg has been busy helping teachers design engaging lessons that incorporate technology in Churchville-Chili schools. Chestnut Ridge Elementary School teacher Jodi Piontkowski recently worked with Hugg on creating an engineering challenge for her first-graders.

The students had been learning about the pilgrims. They wondered what was involved in building a ship like the Mayflower that could carry so many people across an ocean. Piontkowski challenged them to design and construct a sea-worthy craft from some simple materials: a Styrofoam plate and cup, and a sheet of aluminum foil.

Working in teams, students discussed and planned their designs. They began construction, working with scissors, tape and a huge amount of enthusiasm. Ships were tested in large tubs of water; many successfully carried more than 200 “pilgrims” (pennies) before they faced the danger of sinking. Designs were unique: One ship included a small passenger cabin and a mast with a crow’s nest; another resembled a miniature catamaran. 

Piontkowski and Hugg built the exercise around the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards, which are recognized world-wide as the accepted standards for learning in the digital age.

“This lesson was designed to align to one of the seven ISTE standards: Innovative Designer,” said Hugg. “Students are presented with an authentic problem. They use a deliberate design process and digital tools to develop, test and refine prototype solutions. As a result, they build a tolerance to ambiguity and learn to persevere as they work with open-ended problems.”