Connecting kids to content!
As the volunteer STEM Project Leader for 4-H in Valley County, I created this three-part series to keep area youths and their families engaged in education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the problems have a decidedly rural feel (Valley County sits in Idaho’s Heartland), the concepts and techniques used to solve them are broad in scope.
This free content is designed for formal and informal educators who want to guide youths through activities that apply math concepts to solve real-world STEM problems. Suitable for youths in grades 6–8 (ages 11–14), the problems should take about an hour each. Families are encouraged to participate by working together on the elements required in each solution package. The solution package must have three parts:
- A drawing – depict the problem graphically (picture, diagram, or sketch)
- A rewrite – extract the key information and convert the words into mathematical terms
- A solution – show an organized approach to the solution
This page has videos and PDFs stating the problems. Before jumping to the word problems, be sure to download the Intro PDF and watch the Intro video:
Download the Three Farms Problem PDF
Go to the solution videos and PDFs page
Download the Airplane Fuel Problem PDF
Go to the solution videos and PDFs page
Download the Mulch Problem PDF
Go to the solution videos and PDFs page