Step 6 – Challenge
Once students successfully design a transporter, students use a stopwatch to measure the amount of time it takes for
the soldier or princess to travel down the zip line. Afterwards, students are challenged to make changes to the
situation and/or design to double the amount of time needed for the soldier or princess to travel to the ground.
STUDENT & TEACHER REFLECTIONS
Inspired by Design Squad’s zipline activity found at http://pbskids.org/designsquad/parentseducators/resources/
zip_line.html, this activity connects mathematics to engineering, art, and design. Pictures shown within this article
provide visual examples of work from the zip line challenge conducted by my 9th grade math students enrolled in a
RTI-type title mathematics class. At the conclusion of this activity, students in my class shared that they liked this
activity because:
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“It was hands-on”
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“I like when we work with people”
•
It was “cool creating ways to get it to go faster and slower”
•
“It makes you think hard about a situation”
This activity, which reinforces math concepts while using art and engineering, provides students with the
opportunity to visualize equations while making connections and initiating problem-solving and communication
skills. While I conducted this activity over 1 ½ class periods, with steps 1 and 2 taking place in the math classroom
and steps 3-6 occurring the next day in the art room, this STEAM activity could likely be implemented into a 55minute math class period, most likely algebra, where the concept of graphing linear equations as well as the writing
of linear equations given a graph is discussed.
Kelly W. Remijan, PhD., is a mathematics teacher at O’Fallon Township High School in
Illinois. During her 20-year teaching career, Remijan has taught various levels of
mathematics within the high school, written and received various grants such as the Toyota
TIME Grant, prepared future mathematics teachers as university adjunct, and received her
doctorate in educational leadership from Saint Louis University.
Traveling to Japan as part of the Fulbright Memorial Fund Program in 2001, Remijan was
first inspired to connect art and architecture within her geometry classes where she developed
and implemented various projects such as “The Art & Architecture of Forest Park”. Being selected
as part of the Illinois Innovation Talent Pilot Project, Remijan was further motivated to develop problem-based
STEAM projects such as Project DESTINE. After receiving the Milken National Educator Award, which is
described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching”, Dr. Remijan continues to be an educational leader
who integrates STEAM-related activities within the classroom and seeks to spearhead STEAM initiatives across all
levels as presenter, consultant, and STEM/STEAM advocate.
STEAMed Magazine
15
October 2016 Edition