A STEAM Activity to Design a Virtual Rectangular Prism Museum for 5th Graders

Abstract

This study proposes a STEAM activity for teaching rectangular prisms to 5th-grade students, aiming to integrate science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The activity is designed for four class hours, following the 5E instructional model. In the engagement phase, it was aimed to attract students' interest in the museums. In the exploration phase, students will be asked to research rectangular prisms and rectangular prisms that exist in nature and are used in architecture, and the research phase, they will be asked to create draft drawings and concrete 3D models on the computer about rectangular prisms. In the explanation phase, the teacher explains the fundamental elements of a rectangular prism, the drawing of surface area configurations, and information about whether different configurations belong to a rectangular prism in accordance with the Grade 5 learning outcomes. In the elaborating phase, students design a virtual museum of rectangular prisms and acquire achievements from the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. During the evaluation phase, the prepared museums will be rated via a rubric form. The proposed activity has not been implemented yet and leaving room for future studies to explore its impact on students.