STEM

Design Brief-Biological Science: Growing and Changing

The Problem

You need to create a Bee Bot mat to help teach other classes about
livings things. To do this, you have to choose a living thing, find out
and record information about what a living thing looks like as it
grows and use the information to create a Bee-Bot mat.

Project specifications

 Work in a group of three.

 You need to rule 16 squares in a 4 X 4 array. To help you fold
the mat into half, then quarters, then eights, then sixteenths.
 You must draw and write labels of all the different stages of
the living thing you have investigated.
 You must use the materials provided (cardboard, coloured
permanent markers, short ruler, long ruler, Bee-Bot).
 You must write a program for the Bee-Bot that moves it to the
correct squares on the mat, following the life stages in the
correct order.

Project Steps
Investigate

1. Research what your selected living thing looks like from birth
to adult, or from a seed to flowering plant.
2. Explore how a Bee-Bot moves and what sort of programming it
needs by looking at the website
<https://tinyurl.com/yaca6xxp>.
3. Explore what sort of mats are used for the paths of the Bee-
Bot by looking at the website <https://tinyurl.com/hwbnuzo>.
Design, plan and manage

1. Decide on the drawings and labels you will need to include and
make a plan of where they will be placed on the mat.
2. Decide what other pictures, decorations or writing you will
include to fill the empty squares. One square needs to say
‘START HERE’.

Create your Bee-Bot mat.

1. Cut a large square that is the length and width of two rulers
(60 cm). This will be your map.
2. Fold the mat in half, then quarters, then eights, then
sixteenths to create 16 squares for your mat. Then you can use
a marker and long ruler to rule the lines on the fold marks.
3. Write an answer sheet that shows a program for a Bee-Bot to
move on the correct path.

Check and make changes

1. Check to see if your design includes the correct life stages of

your chosen living thing, and that your instructions are correct.
If not, change it.

Communicate

1. Share your mat with the class, explaining your chosen living thing
and how it changes as it grows.
2. Program (or ask another student to program) the Bee-Bot to
follow the pathway to find out about the life cycle of a living
thing.
 Investigation

The life of a_____________________________

Stage Picture Description

1

6
 Design Plan

The life of a___________________

START
HERE
 Self-Assessment

Student name__________________ Date______________

STEM PROJECT: Life Cycle map

I listened to the ideas of others. Yes No

I gave ideas.

I helped research.

I helped collect materials.

I helped with the design plan.

I helped create the design plan.

Circle

The project was easy hard

The part of the project I liked best

was_________________________________________________________
__________________________________________

I could improve my work next

time________________________________________________________
___________________________________________

I think my work on this project was excellent good fair poor

 1= Below expectations
2= meeting expectations
Group Assessment Rubric 3= above expectations

Group members_____________________________________________

Project Task: Create a Bee-Bot mat, showing the stages of a living thing as it
grows and changes.

Science Knowledge
Understands that living things grown and change and go
through predictable stages in their life.
Understands that living things have offspring; some are
similar to their parents and others are not.
Science Skills
Conducts some research or investigation to understand the
predictable stages that a living thing goes through as it
grows.
Organises information effectively using a table.
Communicates science knowledge successfully by drawing and
labelling stages appropriate for a Bee-Bot mat.
Technology Engineering skills
Sketches a design of a Bee-Bot mat.
Builds an appropriate mat based on the design.
Evaluates and revises the mat or images of the living thing to
achieve a better result.
Plans a program for a Bee-Bot to correctly follow the
pathway of the growth of a living thing.
Successfully programs a Bee-Bot (or instructs a student to
move along the mat).
Mathematics
Accurately measures materials required for construction of
a Bee-Bot mat, using two ruler lengths as an informal
measure.
Is able to fold a large square into sixteenths and recognise
common fractions used in the process
Understands the creation of a grid using a 4 x 4 array.
Accurately gives/receives directions to arrive at a specific
place on a grid mat.
Group Skills
Each group member contributed equally to the project and
had a clear role.
Each group member collaborated and worked well together
to solve problems.
 STEM CURRICULUM LINKS
SCIENCE CURRICULUM

Science Understanding

 Living things grow, change and have offspring similar to themselves (ACSSU030)

Science as a human endeavour

 Science involves observing, asking questions about and describing changes in

objects and events (ACSHE034)

Science Inquiry Skills

 Participate in guided investigations to explore and answer questions (ACSIS038)

 Use a range of methods to sort information, including drawings and provided
tables through discussion, compare observations and predictions (ACSIS040)
 Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways
(ACSIS042)

Technologies Curriculum

 Generate, develop and record design ideas through describing, drawing and
modelling (ACTDEP006)
 Use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make
designed solutions (ACTDEP007)
 Use personal preferences to evaluate the success of design ideas, processes and
solutions including their care for environment (ACTDEP008)
 Sequence steps for making designed solutions and working collaboratively
(ACTDEP009)

Digital Technologies Knowledge and Understanding

 Recognise and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for
purpose (ACTDIK001)

Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills

 Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms)

needed to solve simple problems (ACTDIP004)
 Explore how people safely use common information systems to meet information,
communication and recreation needs (ACTDIP005)
Mathematics Curriculum

Number and Algebra

 Recognise and represent multiplication as repeated addition, groups and arrays

(ACMNAO31)
 Recognise and interpret common uses of halves, quarters and eighths of shapes
and collections (ACMNA033)

Measurement and Geometry

 Compare and order several shapes and objects based on length, area, volume and
capacity using appropriate uniform informal units (ACMMG037)
 Interpret simple maps of familiar locations and identify the relative positions of
key features (ACMMG044)
 Identify and describe half and quarter turns (ACMMG046)