Valentine's Day STEM Activity - Heavy Hearts
- Zip
Also included in
Looking for some Valentine’s Day activities that your students will love but are more than just a craft or activity to pass the time? Valentine’s STEM Challenges (or STEAM Challenges) engage your students in brain-busting work disguised as fun! The basic premise: Students work in partners or groupsPrice $7.18Original Price $17.50Save $10.32
Super-charge your STEM class with 52 high-engagement, critical thinking, problem-solving, NGSS-aligned challenges to take you through the entire year! Modifications are included to make these activities engaging and challenging for students in grades 2 - 8. The basic premise: Students work in partnePrice $76.00Original Price $186.36Save $110.36
Valentine’s Day STEM Challenge activities should be more than just a craft or activity to pass the time! The "M" in this STEM challenge should be an extra-large capital letter, because it is definitely the focus in this 2-D challenge!The basic premise:Individually or in partners/small groups, studenPrice $4.78Original Price $7.96Save $3.18
Description
Looking for Valentine’s Day STEM activities that your students will love but are more than just a craft or activity to pass the time? The "Heavy" Hearts Valentine’s STEM Challenge (or STEAM Challenge) will keep your students engaged in brain-busting work disguised as fun!
The "M" in this STEM challenge should be an extra-large capital letter, because it is definitely the focus in this 2-D challenge!
The basic premise:
Individually or in partners/small groups, students will design the “heaviest” heart possible.
- Using a criteria/constraints list, students create small hearts of various colors & sizes. Point values are assigned to each color group based on its size. Students arrange various configurations of their smaller hearts inside a large, outer heart in order to create the “heaviest” possible heart. (“Heaviest” is in quotation marks because we are not measuring weight; rather, we are assigning point values to inner hearts.)
This challenge can be run simply (focusing on shape creation & manipulation, measurement, addition, and symmetry), or you can add complexity (focusing on length/width ratios, multiplying & dividing decimals, percent contribution, etc.).
Two criteria/constraints lists are provided to highlight either end of the spectrum, along with editable versions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note: This is the printable version, though you can upload the editable handouts to Google Slides™ if desired. However, if you are in a 1:1 / paperless classroom, you may prefer the digital option designed specifically for use with GOOGLE SLIDES™ instead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resource includes:
NGSS aligned standards, Grades 2 – 8
Teacher Tips
- Links to my 5-part video series on getting started with STEM challenges
- Materials and timing
- Criteria & Constraints (including modifications to increase difficulty for older students)
- Measuring results
- Universal STEM Challenge Notes & How to Use Student Handouts Post-design extension activities list
- Link to a video walk-through of the challenge
EDITABLE Student Handouts
- Outer “Heavy” Heart outline
- Two versions of the Criteria and Constraints list in color and black & white
- Measure & Record Data directions and recording sheet
- Design Analysis (2-page regular spacing and 4-page expanded spacing for primary students included)
- Discussion Questions
Extension templates
- Process Flow Map
- Task card templates and samples (editable)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is one of five challenges available in the Valentine’s Day STEM Challenge bundle at a 40% discount!
This resource is also available in the STEM CHALLENGE YEAR-ROUND MEGA-BUNDLE at an even greater discount!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sample/suggested materials for each student or group:
(Materials you’ll need to do the activity are easily modified.)
- Colored construction or printer paper (3 – 6 sheets)
Recommended one sheet each of red, pink, and purple per partner/group - Colored pencils or crayons
- Scissors
- Rulers
- Heart outline copies
- Design analysis handouts
Optional
- Folders, Ziploc bags, or large envelopes to contain cutouts if using on multiple days.
- Glue (if you want students to glue their final design in place)
- Calculators (for younger students and/or those with special needs)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What do teachers have to say about this resource?
“I only had the chance to do the heavy hearts activity, but the kids loved it! They were so totally engrossed and working so well in cooperative groups that I could have left the room and they wouldn't have known! Thanks for putting this together!”
“High enjoyment levels - a great resource!”
“Terrific!! My students were challenged and loved this project!!”
“I loved how these looked in my room! =)”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You might also like these resources:
STEM Challenges & Bundles (grades 2 – 8):
STEM CHALLENGE YEAR-ROUND MEGA-BUNDLE
Christmas/Winter STEM Design Challenge: 5-in-1 Bundle
St. Patrick’s Day STEM Challenge Bundle
Valentine’s Day STEM Challenge 5-in-1 Bundle
Analyze and Interpret Data Unit
Getting Started with STEM Challenges FREEBIE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please check out the video preview to see the challenge, and don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
