5 kids with technology on grassy lawn
Grade 3

Challenge Accepted

Innovative Designer

Overview​

Kids love to build, what’s more they love to be challenged. Zoob Builderz STEM Challenge is designed for both. Students must read and create using the Zoob Builder pieces. Pieces include gears, axles, joints, wheels, and more for students to snap together.

From the Zoob Builder website -  ZOOB BuilderZ S.T.E.M. Challenge gives you the tools you need to design and build creations to solve challenges, such as hitting targets and making balls bounce. Dream up ingenious solutions for each test. Learn and apply science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M.) principles.

This can also be considered a STEAM activity by introducing art into the project. The students can create artistic works with the Zoob Builderz. 

Students will:

  • Be able to read and comprehend their challenge card.
  • Be able to design and build using the Zoob Builder pieces.
  • Be able to communicate with each other to solve their challenge.

Vocabulary Words:

  1. Zoob: Zoobs are a building set with pieces that includes gears, axles and joints that snap, click, and pop together! With rotating, spinning and extendable parts you can actually design a toy to play with. 

To prepare for this lesson:

  • Purchase Zoob Builderz Stem Challenge kits that cost approximately $52 plus shipping and can be purchased:

  • Try a few of the challenges to become knowledgeable of possible misconceptions or issues students may have. 
     
  • Read two reviews:

  • The challenge cards are written in three languages on the same card.  English is in red at the top.

See Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students.net site in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

  1. The teacher will Introduce the Zoob Builderz to students. 

  2. At first, let the students play and explore with them and see what they come up with.

  3. Then begin by having all students work on the same challenge card.

  4. There are no correct answers to the challenges, however, you can use the Zoob website for more information. 

  5. Encourage students to come up with more than one solution for the challenge.

Different options for assessing the students:

  • Observations
  • Check for understanding

  • Create a rubric for assess the solution:

    • How well did the solution work?
    • Did the students work well together? 
    • How well did teams communicate with each other to accomplish the task? 

MITECS: Michigan adopted the "ISTE Standards for Students" called MITECS (Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students) in 2018.

Innovative Designer
4a. Know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
4c. Develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.

Device: PC, Chromebook, Mac, iPad

Browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, ALL

Apps. Extensions, Add-ons

Websites:
Amazon

Zoob Builderz Stem Review

Zoob Builderz Stem Challenge

Zoob Challenge Kit Hints

CONTENT AREA RESOURCES

Students will read and comprehend the challenge cards. 

Student can create posters (art), or a song (music) to teach others about the topic. 

The students can build numbers with the pieces. 

Students are learning basic scientific method concepts and basic engineering. 

Report a bad link, inappropriate content or out-of-date content. 

Credits
This task card was created by Jean Smith, Van Buren Public Schools, April 2018. Updated October 2023. 


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