Introduction

STEAM
Park
Teacher Guide Introduction
Who is the material for?

The STEAM Park Teacher Guide is for preschool teachers. It is designed to help
teachers develop children’s science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM)
skills, including understanding cause and effect relationships, making predictions
and observations, problem-solving, and creating representations.

What is it for?

Throughout the lessons, children will explore the world around them as they use
functional elements to build interactive models.
Using the Teacher Guide, preschool teachers can facilitate exciting lessons in whichchildren learn to think like scientists as they build models, and experiment and test
ideas to answer questions such as:• Which items will sink? Which items will float?
• What will happen if I roll the car down the ramp?
• How can I make a chain reaction?

How are the learning objectives achieved?

Throughout the lessons, strategic questions will guide children through the processof applying science, technology, engineering, art, and math skills. Furthermore, theLEGO® DUPLO® building activities will reinforce the children’s creativity.
The Teacher Guide includes two Getting Started lessons designed to introduce thechildren to the basic ways they will be using the STEAM Park set. Introducing theseactivities first will give the children a solid foundation for completing the other six
lessons. Subsequent lessons may be selected according to what is most relevant andappropriate for the children.

Appendix with Images

The appendix contains three types of printables: templates, graphs, and inspiration
photos showing lesson-related models. The inspiration photos can be used to help
the children connect to the lesson, and may also be used as building inspiration whenchildren are constructing their own models.

Customizing to Your Class Needs

The STEAM Park lessons can be tailored to your needs and the needs of your class.
One STEAM Park set can be used with up to six children at a time, working in pairs.
Children need a lot of practice before they become proficient at building with apartner, and this is a good way to promote collaboration. The activities can be done incenters or stations around the classroom, or in small groups.

Lesson Structure

Each lesson is structured according to a natural learning flow called theLEGO Education 4C Approach, which promotes successful learning experiences. The
Connect and Construct phases, which are the first two phases of each lesson, can bedone in one 20-minute session. To ensure that young children are actively engaged,
the Contemplate and Continue phases can be completed during a later session.

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Introduction
Connect

During the Connect phase, short stories and discussions will spark children’s curiosityand activate their existing knowledge while preparing them for a new learningexperience.

Construct

In this phase, the children will participate in a hands-on building activity. As theirhands create models of people, places, objects, and ideas, their minds will organizeand store new information related to these structures.

Contemplate

During the Contemplate phase, children are given the opportunity to reflect on what
they have done, and to talk about and share insights they have gained during theConstruct phase of the lesson.

Continue

New challenges in this phase build upon the concepts children learned previously inthe lesson. These extension activities enable children to apply their newly-acquiredknowledge.

Did you notice?

The science, math, and technology guidelines from the National Association for theEducation of Young Children (NAEYC) have been used to develop the STEAM Parklessons. Please refer to the separate STEAM Park Teacher Guide learning grid for an
overview of these education guidelines. The learning goals listed at the end of eachlesson can be used to determine whether or not each child is developing the relevant
skills. These bullet points target specific skills or pieces of information that arepracticed or presented during each lesson.

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