STEM

Students develop number sense through subitizing and hands-on operations. Science comes alive through hands-on investigations related to real-world problems and jobs. In the arts, students engage in 3D clay work and abstract paintings, connecting geometry to science.

The BeeBot Parade introduces early coding and design as students create balloon floats and program them to follow a parade route. In their Projects Units, students blend math, science, and persuasive performance in units designed to explore real-life applications of scientific properties.

Students dive into the Engineering Design Process, exploring units that challenge them to iterate on their ideas to solve real-world problems. Math becomes tangible as students build physical representations of numbers and use arrays to master multiplication and area.

In Grade 2, students create a marble run using paper towel rolls, with the added challenge of getting the marble to roll down as slowly as possible. In small groups, the children brainstorm a design, draw their ideas, and test them.

Grade 4 serves as a pivotal transition where STEM disciplines begin to specialize, allowing students to use professional-grade tools and concepts.

Engineering & Design: Students move from abstract concepts to physical creation, using Adobe Illustrator to create SVG files for a laser cutter.
Electronics: The curriculum introduces circuitry via LittleBits and progresses to soldering Weevil kits, where students work with printed circuit boards, LEDs, and transistors.
Egg Drop: as part of their Science unit on Energy, students are tasked with designing a vessel that will protect a raw egg from breaking when it is dropped from the roof of one of our buildings.
Wood Shop: In our dedicated shop, students use scroll saws and hand-sanding techniques to craft the traditional Derby lighthouse lamp.

Elective offerings in Grade 7 and Grade 8 provide opportunities for students to further pursue their STEM interests with courses ranging from App Development to FabLab Design Creations. Students participate in the First Lego League Challenge, where teams of students collaborate to design and build a fully autonomous robot to complete various timed missions at a regional competition. Grade 5 students learn about the inner workings of computers and how to interpret engineering diagrams by building a Piper Computer with screen, Raspberry Pi, battery, speaker, and mouse components. Whether by creating LEGOS, solar powered cars, or 3D models, students across all grade levels are engaged with the design and engineering process.

A three-year, project-based learning program begins in Grade 4 and culminates with our Grade 6 Engineering Design capstone course and the Future City competition. Students are tasked to imagine, design, and create a city that exists at least 100 years in the future. Students research and plan innovative cities that propose solutions for various sustainability issues such as food waste and the power grid's response to natural disasters. Presenting their designs to family, faculty, classmates, and a panel of judges from the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES), teams are judged and scored on sustainability, energy use, transportation, water resource management, and population distribution. In small teams, students produce a 1,500-word research essay, a 3D scale model, and a formal presentation—deliverables that document the team’s journey through the entire engineering design process, requiring substantial time management, collaboration, and imagination.

In our science, arts, and GOALS (Go Out And Learn Something) electives, elements of the engineering and design processes abound. Offerings include Model Bridge Building, Model Rocket design, and Trebuchet Construction among many others.