54. Building an Ancient City with STEAM

This fifth grade STEAM project has students design an ancient city based on growing needs and unpredictable constraints. Feedback helps expand their flexibility and helps them problem solve.

Combining social studies with Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (“STEAM”) has helped to bridge the gap between the keen historian and the fervent mathematician. This project asking students to develop an ancient city allows them to connect multiple understandings: how leaders and architects meet the needs of a population, why cities are organized and changed, and most importantly, how to collaborate on ideas of importance. Asking students to build and modify their city based on growing needs, unpredictable constraints, and feedback from peers and experts expands on their growing ability to be flexible, take constructive criticism, and problem-solve. When asked about the highlight of their school year, many students smile, and say, “STEAM.”
—Ayesha Long, Fifth Grade House Advisor