STEAM Learning Plan for Ages 3-5: "The Worms"

Part A: Key Concepts and Processes

1. Mind Map of STEAM Concepts and Processes

2. Key Concepts and Processes Focus

In our STEAM experiences, we will focus on the following key concepts and processes:
 Science: One of the major scientific ideas that is to be discussed in this lesson is the
interaction between organisms and their surroundings with worms as an example. Through
the provocation, children will be able to observe worm behaviors and their preferences about
their living environment, which are aspects of nature that are easily explained (Kellert, 2002).
We'll extend this learning to include:
o Animal Adaptations: Children will be able to understand that worms are
subterraneous animals and learn about their body shape, and ways of moving
(Tomkins & Tunnicliffe, 2007).
o Weather Effects on Organisms: Explaining how climatic factors such as rain affects
worms and their activity.
o Soil Ecology: We'll introduce basic concepts of soil composition and its importance
for worms and other organisms, extending the children's understanding of habitats.
 Technology: technology will be incorporated in the observation and collection of data as an
element of learning:
 o Digital Microscopes: These will enable the children to have a close view of worm’s
features, which enhances scientific investigations and technology (Kermani &
Aldemir, 2015).
o Soil Moisture Sensors: These devices will enable children to count conditions within
the environment.
o Data Recording Tools: Basic technologies will be employed in data collection about
the children and this will assist them in realizing that technology is an essential part
of science.
 Engineering: Building on the provocation, we'll develop more systematic engineering tasks:
o Tool Design for Worm Handling: To implement the principles of this context, the
children will have to develop tools in handling and transporting worms safely by
applying principles of simple engineering (Bagiati & Evangelou, 2015).
o Worm Habitat Construction: Children will engineer small-scale habitats to meet
worms' needs.
 Arts: All the artistic elements will be incorporated in to foster for the holistic learning:
o Observational Drawing: Children will draw worms with utmost precision in order to
make the drawings and improve their observation and fine motor skills (Cronin-Jones,
2005).
o Nature-inspired Patterns: How scientists use nature in their works: an example of
using the segments of a worm as the primary source to create an artwork.
 Mathematics: Mathematical concepts will be expanded through:
o Counting and Quantifying: Estimating worms and other objects in the course of the
investigations. (Clements & Sarama, 2016).
o Measuring: Introducing measurement concepts through a comparison in worm sizes.
o Data Representation: Drawing of small graphs in order to illustrate the findings such
as the locations of worms in the garden.
These concepts and processes are not only related, but will also be developed through practical,
play-based activities that will arise out of the children’s interests in worms and the environment.

Part B: Main and Follow-up Experiences

Main Experience: Worm Explorers

Name of Experience
Worm Explorers: Investigating Our Wiggly Friends

Description and Justification

Aimed at children between ages 3- 5 and is an activity that seeks to make children learn through
touch and feel about worms and their natural environment. This experience will happen in the
outside area, after a rainy day it is natural to find worms and children will be curious to know
more about them.
Students will be grouped into small groups of 3-4 to facilitate learning and also encourage
students to receive one on one attention from the teacher (Helm & Beneke, 2017). Each group
will be accompanied by an educator of the children to over-see safety and facilitate exploration.
Resources and Tools:
 Digital microscopes and tablets
 Magnifying glasses
 Soft brushes and spoons
 Trays with damp paper towels
 Measuring tapes
 Clipboards, paper, and pencils
 Soil moisture sensors
 Worm field guides
This setup of the resources allows each child to be able to conduct observations and collect data
for scientific purposes while at the same time developing their digital literacy skills (Kermani &
Aldemir, 2015).

Key Learning Outcomes

1. Children will demonstrate curiosity, interest, and engagement in exploring worms and
their habitat, reflecting the EYLF v2 Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved
learners (Department of Education, 2022, p. 36).
2. Children will use play-based scientific inquiry skills, including observing, questioning,
and recording, to investigate worms and their environment, aligning with EYLF v2
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators (Department of Education, 2022, p.
41).

STEAM Integration and Critical Analysis

The Worm Explorers experience integrates STEAM concepts and processes as follows:
 Science: as children watching the worms and their activities, their preferred environment and
their physical features. They learn about weather affecting worms and some fundamental
facts about the soil. This is in concordance to the scientific inferences of observation and data
collection which form the early science education. (Gelman & Brenneman, 2004).
 Technology: The use of digital microscopes and soil moisture sensors introduces children to
technology as a tool for scientific investigation. This integration fosters the teaching of the
students on the use of technology to create digital literacy as well as show how technology
assists people to learn in the natural world (Bers, 2008).
 Engineering: Nevertheless, information about worms and their movement, as well as about
the structure of their environment, helps to introduce engineering concepts as secondary
topics. Children may think about how worms build their tunnels and how the type of soil may
impact on this.
 Arts: Drawing worms from observations helps the children focus more on details and fosters
fine motor development among children.This integration of art and science promotes holistic
learning and can enhance children's observational skills (Cronin-Jones, 2005).
 Mathematics: Students learn mathematics through counting worms and their length, and
through making bar graphs of their findings. This concrete use of mathematics in a scientific
task contributes towards the learning of numeracy and data representation (Clements &
Sarama, 2016).

Key Implementation Steps and Teaching Strategies

 Introduction and Safety Briefing (10 minutes): Welcome participants to the activity and
explain the general safety measures that are followed during the activity and how to use the
equipment.
 Guided Exploration (20 minutes): Children look for worms and watch their activity in
response to questions that can be asked in natural context.
 Detailed Observation and Data Collection (20 minutes): Employ microscopes, determine the
lengths of worms and document the results of the observation.
 Soil Investigation (15 minutes): Learn about soil type and humidity and its effect on the
worms.
 Group Discussion and Reflection (15 minutes): Report results, introduce characteristics of
worms and describe scientific terms.
Teachers will apply the technique of scaffolding in learning, which seeks to encourage the use of
open-ended questions that foster problem solving (Vygotsky, 1978). The questions asked are all
open ended, which helps the children to think critically and come up with their own hypothetical
scenarios about worms and where they prefer to be.

Follow-up Experience: Worm Habitat Designers

Name of Experience
Worm Habitat Designers: Creating Cozy Homes for Our Wiggly Friends

Description and Justification

Following the “Worm Explorers,” this experience takes children from observation to problem-
solving as they design and build worm homes. Children work in the same small groups in order
to maintain continuity and to support cooperation between the children (Helm & Beneke, 2017).
Resources and Tools:
 Clear plastic containers
 Various soil types, sand, organic matter
 Spray bottles
  Soil moisture sensors
 Craft materials
 Tablets for research
 Worm fact sheets
This resource allocation encourages practical, imaginative, and constructive approach to
problem-solving as well as the concepts learnt in the first experience. The use of tablets for
research familiarizes children with the use of technology in obtaining information on a relevant
21st-century acquired skill (Neumann et al., 2022).

Key Learning Outcomes

1. Children will apply their understanding of worm habitats in designing environments,

showcasing problem-solving skills, aligning with EYLF Outcome 4.
2. Children will collaborate effectively in designing and evaluating habitats, reflecting
EYLF Outcome 5.

STEAM Integration and Critical Analysis

The Worm Habitat Designers experience extends STEAM learning from the original experience
in the following ways:
 Science: The children learn about worms and how they move, what type of environment or
soil worms like and construct environments for the worms. This enhances the knowledge of
the various level of interactions that organisms have with their environment (Kellert, 2002).
 Technology: The application of soil moisture sensors is further enhanced, and children
directly engage in the use of the technology in the design of their habitats. This fosters a
more nuanced perception of how data and information about the environment can be
collected and utilized through technology (Bers, 2008).
 Engineering: This experience puts more focus on engineering concepts as compared to the
previous experience. Students apply engineering design process as they design, build, and
improve their worm home. This also establishes principles of staking structures’ design and
properties of the used materials (Bagiati & Evangelou, 2015).
 Arts: Artistic components meet practical documentation in the decoration of habitats and in
the establishment of observational journals. This integration helps in growth of visual-spatial
integrated abilities and strengthens the argument of art-science integration (Root-Bernstein &
Root-Bernstein, 2001).
 Mathematics: In this experience, children make more use of measurement in solving the
problem of how big the habitat should be and checking the moisture level in number form.
This real-world use of math in a design setting is useful for the growth of spatial
understanding and quantitative information analysis aptitudes (Clements & Sarama, 2016).

Key Implementation Steps and Teaching Strategies

 Review and Planning (15 minutes): Recap learnings, introduce the design challenge, and
guide brainstorming.
 Research and Design (20 minutes): For research, to wrap up the design of habitats and to
contemplate on the range of habitat attributes.
 Habitat Construction (30 minutes): Choose objects, build homes, and promote thinking skills.
 Habitat Testing and Refinement (15 minutes): Present worms and then study their behavior
and change their environments depending on the results observed.
 Reflection and Presentation (20 minutes): Current environments, as well as the design
decisions and the engineering design process, are considered.
Throughout this experience, educators should employ a guided inquiry approach, allowing
children to take the lead in their habitat designs while providing support and prompting critical
thinking (Minner et al., 2010). This follow-up experience deepens understanding by moving
from observation to application, reinforcing STEAM concepts and promoting higher-order
thinking skills.

Part C: Challenges and Recommendations

Implementing the Worm Explorers and Worm Habitat Designers experiences may bring certain
difficulties for educators. The first is the challenge of working with children of different levels of
development in the age range of 3-5 years; more so when dealing with delicate organisms and
technology. The fine motor development and the child’s ability to comprehend instructions at this
age may differ from child to child (Trawick-Smith, 2014). To this, the educators should adopt the
buddy system whereby the child is paired with another child of different ability level to help
him/her learn. Further, offering a set of tools that may vary in terms of complexity, including
simple magnifiers along with electronic microscopes, it is possible to make children interact at
the level at which they are able to do it and remain active participants (Moomaw, 2013). The first
issue may be with sustaining interest and concentration during the experiences given children’s
young age and often limited attention span. To minimize this, there is need to organize the
experiences with many changes between activities and practice movement-based learning as
depicted by the worm movement imitation or the soil texture explorations (Pica, 2015). This is in
line with findings that indicate that physical activity could lead to improved cognitive
performance and learning among young children (Carson et al., 2016). Finally, challenges may
be encountered with regards to the ability of educators to incorporate all the STEAM elements as
they also strive to uphold the principles of play-based learning that is child initiated. To this, the
idea of STEAM integration should not be looked at as discrete elements as has been discussed
here, but as a process. Teachers should ensure that the questions they ask lead to exploration in
which different aspects of STEAM can be discovered on their own by the children (Chesloff,
2013). Other ways of professional learning that bear on inquiry-based STEAM education in the
early learning context can also be beneficial for educators in this sector (Bagiati & Evangelou,
2015). By responding to these challenges adequately, teachers can increase the quality of
learning in STEAM context for every child, and ensure that all the children can have fun,
motivated, effective learning experience, despite the differences in their development and
learning profiles.
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