Dayton Regional STEM Center
(937) 225-4598
200 S. Keowee St. Dayton, OH 45402

Content Area: Earth and Space Sciences

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

Flat Pack Farming

Flat Pack Farming Help save the Earth! As a third-grade class, discover how and why businesses are continuing to put focus on reducing materials for packing goods. Students will learn firsthand how to reduce and reuse resources to save the Earth, save materials and reduce costs. Students will design a container garden with foldable containers,…
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Flash to the Finish

Flash to the Finish In this unit, students will be dropped in a random location in Hawaii. They must design the most effective route for participants to meet at a central finish point. They will need to know their surroundings and understand various topographic features of the land. Students will focus on the characteristics of…
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(S.O.S.) Save Our Snowman

(S.O.S.) Save Our Snowman Have you ever wanted to save a snowman and make it last forever? In this unit the question is posed, “Do you want to keep your snowman?” Students explore the physical properties of materials and how matter can change. More specifically, students explore how the physical properties of water change. When…
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Mars Rover: Can You Hear Me? Can You See Me?

Mars Rover: Can You Hear Me? Can You See Me? As we proceed into the future, space exploration is becoming an essential part of our own growth as humans. Space exploration requires innovative, creative, adaptable people to develop the technology necessary for these grand endeavors into new environments. Specifically, the first settlers on Mars will…
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Eco-Park Design

Eco-Park Design In this unit, student design teams create a plan for an Eco Park that achieves multiple goals for their client, the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF). Students gain knowledge about the ecology of various ecosystems and explore both positive and negative ways in which humans impact the environment. They brainstorm solutions for…
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Stop Stomping on Me

Stop Stomping on Me Student engineering teams assist a city that is building a new soccer field for the World Cup competition.  To protect the city’s precious groundwater, the city requires a field that is as environmentally sustainable as possible but also meets the needs of professional players.  Students are challenged to design the optimum…
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Science Rocks

Science Rocks Student teams engineer a computer program that sorts rocks based on properties in order to identify a specific rock within a Rock Family. Teams identify properties of rocks, then utilize a dichotomous key to sort them by the properties. Students collaboratively engineer a PowerPoint with guiding questions to identify each rock type; thereby,…
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“Fish-y” Gardening

“Fish-y” Gardening In this 7th grade unit, student teams design and construct a small/micro-scale symbiotic aquaponic system that can be used by populations lacking natural resources needed to provide and cultivate a sustainable, nutrient-rich food source. This unit engages students in participating in an engineering design challenge in which they create a viable farming method…
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What’s All the Commotion about Erosion

What’s All the Commotion about Erosion Grade: 4 River erosion is the removal of rock material from the banks and bed of a river.  In this unit, students will use a physical model of a river bed to determine the causes of erosion and will brainstorm ways to prevent it within their model.  Concepts of…
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Is the Sun Toxic?

Is the Sun Toxic? Although the sun is the primary source of energy for all life, it can also be considered a toxin.  The essence of this lesson is to have students understand that a toxin is a poisonous substance and that the sun is an example of a toxin. Students will be introduced to…
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