Elementary teacher uses 3D-snowflake STEM project to build peer relationships

An unnamed teacher with the Davis County School District described using a 3D-snowflake STEM project with a sixth-grade buddy class to teach three-dimensional shapes and support a unit on weather in the district's CKLA curriculum.

The teacher said the school pairs younger students with sixth-grade “buddy” classmates who visit and help with classroom projects. "Think outside the box a little bit. So we do STEM projects with our sixth grade buddy class, and they come up and support us in the classroom with whatever project that we do," the teacher said. The project that day used dried pasta, glue and paper to make three-dimensional snowflakes while tying into the district's Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) unit on weather.

The teacher described the classroom as project-based and said the materials were chosen to let all students participate. "Everybody can participate. Everybody can create something amazing, and then they get to share that," the teacher said. The teacher added that the activity builds relationships beyond the regular classroom routines and draws on an interest in art and science.

Details provided during the remarks: the activity involved a mix of four types of dried pasta, Elmer's glue and colored paper for backgrounds; the teacher characterized the pedagogy as project-based learning drawn from prior experience at a STEM-focused school. The remarks occurred as part of a presentation; no formal actions, votes or policy decisions were recorded in the transcript excerpt.

The teacher framed the project as inclusive and relationship-building rather than as a graded assignment, noting its fit with the CKLA weather unit and a classroom focus on 3-D shapes.