Christina School District

Summer STEM Project

Incoming 7th Grade
The Common Core State Standards emphasize informational text, research skills
and interdisciplinary
connections. This years required summer project integrates the traditional summer
reading and math
projects with our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) initiative.
The Summer STEM Project is based on the Christina School Districts grade level
STEM Global Problems.
The STEM Global Problems will be addressed throughout the school year via the
Technology Literacy
requirement in ALL core content areas. It will also be the central focus of the
Language Arts required
research project.
Purposes for Summer STEM Project:
Prepare students for increased emphasis on informational texts in the Common
Core State
Standards across ALL content areas.
Develop introductory statistical techniques that will be used throughout students
math careers.
Prepare students for STEM global interdisciplinary problems which will be part of
the
Technology Literacy Requirement.
Directions: Students will select ONE article from the resources provided and
complete ALL
PARTS of the attached graphic organizer:
New Nanoscale Coding Wont Get Wet: Repels Most Liquids
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130116123523.htm
Self-Healing, Stretchable Wires Created Using Liquid Metal

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130123133713.htm
Supertough, Strong Nanofibers Developed
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130424112307.htm
New Technique Creates Stronger, Lightweight Magnesium Alloys
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130313100427.htm
Paper Waste Used to Make Bricks
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121219084058.htm
Liquid Metal Used to Create Wires That Stretch Eight Times Their Original Length
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121218121421.htm
New Thermoelectric Material Could Be an Energy Saver
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127191250.htm
New Bacteria-Resistant Materials Discovered
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120813074017.htm
Graphene Plasmonics Beat the Drug Cheats
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130113144923.htm
**A sample of a completed Summer STEM Project is available on the CSD
website.CSD STEM Summer Project: Incoming 7th Grade
Christina School District
Summer STEM Project
Incoming 7th Grade
Students Name: Date: Grade Entering: School:
Directions for Completing the Graphic Organizer:
1. Read and understand the STEM Global Problem and Sub-problem below.
2. Choose one of the provided resources to read. This resource is meant to be an
example of how
engineers use the properties of a material to solve real world problems.
3. Complete this graphic organizer.

7
th Grade STEM Global Problem: How can we use the properties of a material to solve
a real world
problem?
7
th Grade STEM Sub-Problem:
Select a manufactured (man-made) object/product. Identify one material you
could use to
improve the quality or performance of that object/product.
o Examples of possible objects/products include: clothing, skateboard, pencil,
sneakers,
sports equipment, toothbrush, or an object of your own choosing.
Enter the citation information for the article you have selected from the list of
resources provided.
Title of Resource/Article:
Author (if there is one): Name of Publication or Web Resource:
Publication Date: URL:CSD STEM Summer Project: Incoming 7th Grade
RESEARCH QUESTION
A. Before Reading the article:
THINK about how engineers might change a material an object/product is made
from in order
to solve a problem or improve the performance of that object/product.
B. During Reading:
UNDERLINE or HIGHLIGHT information that helps you understand how a material
can be used
to solve a problem or improve the performance of an object/product.
C. After Reading:
WRITE three sentences to explain what you learned about how a material can be
used to solve

a problem or make an improvement.

The 1st thing I learned:
The 2nd thing I learned:
The 3rd thing I learned:CSD STEM Summer Project: Incoming 7th Grade
Think about the three things that you learned from the article.
Find 3 sentences IN YOUR ARTICLE that support what you learned
Copy the sentences below and put them in quotation marks
Write the page number next to the quote
Quote 1:
Quote 2:
Quote 3:CSD STEM Summer Project: Incoming 7th Grade
HIGHER ORDER THINKING (THINKING BEYOND THE ARTICLE)
Imagine you are an engineer
1. Describe an existing object/product that could be improved by the invention in
the article you read.
(Please refer the STEM Global Problem and Sub-problem at the, beginning of this
project, for
object/product examples).
2. How could you use the invention from your article to improve the quality or
performance of the
existing object/product you described in #1?
3. Design a research question that would help you to determine whether your
improvement would
work.
(Think about what you might want to know in order to figure out if your
improvement would work)
4. What is ONE test that you need to conduct in order to answer the research
question that you
designed in #3?

5. What DATA would you collect from the test you described in #4?
6. Describe how you would record (keep track) of the data you collect.CSD STEM
Summer Project: Incoming 7th Grade
THINK ABOUT:
Which type of graphic feature might be most helpful in presenting the additional
DATA you might collect
to support your RESEARCH QUESTION?
Ex: Bar Graph, Data Table, Line Plot, Pie Chart, Scatter Plot, Stem and Leaf Plot (See
samples below).
Bar Graph Data Table Pie Chart

Scatter Plot Stem and Leaf Plot Line Plot Your OWN

WRITE:
Which of the data models above (or one of your own), would you use to display
your additional

Cells - East Grand Rapids

Subject(s): Science

School: East Grand Rapids

Grade Level: 7th grade

Author(s):

Synopsis: Create a PSA about a disease. Along with your PSA, create an informational wiki/prezi that includes name of disease, sy
how the disease is spread, how it can be prevented, medical treatments of the disease and how the disease is either caused by
the disease on human cells.
(wiki webpage, prezi)
Driving Question: What is the connection between cells and diseases?

Ouch My Cell
Subject(s): Science

School: Kenowa

Grade Level: 7th Grade

Author(s): Katie Bush, Cathy Carlton

Synopsis: Your goal is to make a compelling PSA, so find information that will help you do that. How can you convince people to
should they listen to you? What will people respond to? You might not answer all of these questions, or you might answer them
simply a help if you dont know where to start or what to do.
Driving Question: How can we protect our cells from different diseases?

Improving Lifestyles - Wilson

Subject(s): Science/Tech/ELA

School: Wil

Grade Level: 7th grade

Author(s): Mrs. Shay

Synopsis: Students will spend the first weeks of school developing a deeper understanding of their physical and emotional needs. S
their lifestyles.
Driving Question: How can we improve our lifestyle habits?

Asthma - Cesar Chavez

Subject(s): Earth Science/Math

School: Cesar Chave

Grade Level: 8th grade

Author(s): TaShaune Harden

Synopsis: Students investigate sources of air pollution in Southwest Detroit. They evaluate the impact of pollution and propose the
decrease of alternate energy sources to help decrease pollution.
Driving Question: How does air pollution affect your community? What can you do about it?
To learn more about this project, click here: Asthma - Cesar Chavez