Perfect Square

Where can I find this book? STEM Lab  Book level? ATOS 2.2, Lexile AD470L

Summary:
Narrated from the perspective of a square, this square is perfect. Each day a different thing happens to the square and it changes itself into something new. This shows creativity and imagination as to what a square can become.

STEM Challenges:
- have students take a square and cut it into pieces, then arrange them into a new picture
Variations/Additions; have them trade pieces so that they have all different colors. Allow them to only cut X amount of times. They need to make it into certain pieces. Could use tangrams. Have them crumble or hole punch, or only rip. Give them additional constraints, they must make a building, or animal, or plant, or pieces have to show a verb, then have them write about it. Use technology to take pictures of their creations and allow them to make multiple masterpieces. Bring all the pieces together to make a mosaic.
Have them measure the square and find its area, perimeter, discuss squared numbers. Look at arrays. View squares in real life and discuss the shape itself.

What materials could be used?
- paper
- ipod
- scissors/markers/glue/tape
- rulers

Other books/resources to supplement lesson:

Standards/Skills:
- area/perimeter
- square numbers
- arrays
- directions
- imagination

Grade levels appropriate for this lesson: K-5

the dot

Where can I find this book? TumbleBooks  Book level? ATOS 1.9

Summary:
Vashti is a little girl who claims she cannot draw. Her teacher empowers her to just try! She of course does not show any effort, and puts a dot on her page, the teacher asks her to sign it. The next day it is framed in the classroom, and Vashti is determined to make a better dot than her first. She continuously improves and creates a whole collection of dots. Then another students comes to her and complements her work, he claims he cannot draw. Vashti has him draw a line, and then... sign it.

STEM Challenges:
- taking something small or a mistake and making it into something new
- have students draw a doodle or design on a page, then switch with a classmate to add to it, then maybe switch again
- have a student start drawing a picture, then have them trade with someone else to finish it
- student 1 can only draw line segments, student 2 can only draw using 2D shapes, student 3 can only add color
- partner a lower grade with an upper grade. Have younger students do marble painting, or using only straight lines, then the upper grade students must create it into a picture
- do small challenges where 1 student draws a design and the other must make it into a picture
NO ERASING!

What materials could be used?
- paper
- pens/markers/crayons
- water colors/paint
- iPod whiteboard apps

Other books/resources to supplement lesson:
- Beautiful Oops (STEM Lab)

Standards/Skills:
- color theory (water colors)
- perseverance
- improving
- finding strengths
- lines and shapes

Grade levels appropriate for this lesson: K-5

Not a Box

Where can I find this book? STEM Lab  Book level? ____________

Summary:
In this story, the narrator, a bunny, is adamant that the box he has is so much more than just a box. He is continuously asked what he is doing in/with/on a box, but it is NOT a box. He uses his imagination to make it into something more!

STEM Challenges:
- change a box into something else
- use an index card/square/rectangle to make it into something different
- create a cardboard arcade

What materials could be used?
- boxes
- paper/cardboard/notecard

Other books/resources to supplement lesson:
- Roxaboxen
- Caine's Arcade

Standards/Skills:
- discuss squares and rectangles
- discuss 3D and 2D shapes
- could have them create the box into something with a science or social studies concept
- arrays
- area and perimeter

Grade levels appropriate for this lesson: K-5