STEM-focus week
During the week of October 5th-9th all our students are spending time with their teachers learning about sharks as part of our Q1 STEM-focus week. For this quarter's STEM Focus Weeks, students will be asked to participate in a design challenge at home. Students are asked to participate in a...🦈 Shark Engineering Challenge
Your Mission: Build a Moving Shark Prototype!
Sharks are amazing swimmers! They use different parts of their bodies—including their fins, tails, and jaws—to move through the water and find food. Your challenge is to design and build a prototype shark using cardboard and/or recycled materials.
🛠️ The Challenge
Build a model shark that has at least ONE or TWO moving parts.
Your moving parts could include:
- 🦈 A tail that swings from side to side
- 🦈 Fins that flap or move
- 🦈 A jaw that opens and closes
- 🦈 A dorsal fin that moves up and down
- 🦈 Eyes that spin or move
- 🦈 Gills that open and close
- 🦈 Any other moving shark part you can imagine!
The choice is yours!
♻️ Materials: Use materials you already have at home. No special supplies are required!
Try using:
- Cardboard boxes
- Cereal or cracker boxes
- Paper or paper bags
- Toilet paper or paper towel tubes
- Bottle caps
- Straws
- String or yarn
- Rubber bands
- Tape
- Paper fasteners/brads
- Recycled containers
- LEGO or building materials you already have
This is not required and is not a competition. We hope families will enjoy participating in this engineering challenge with their STEM student. Students are encouraged to bring their prototypes to school to share with their teacher and classmates.
Kate Highsmith
STEM Coach
Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary School
R Brown McAllister STEM Elementary School
Patriots STEM Elementary School
Katherine.Highsmith@cabarrus.k12.nc.us