Fifth-Grade Students Dove Into the World of the Circulatory System in STEAM-Powered Ways!
by Jenny O'Sullivan | Tuesday, Apr 29, 2025
Our fifth-grade students dove deep into the fascinating world of the circulatory system and then let their creativity soar in truly STEAM-powered ways!
In their science classes, our young scientists explored the intricate network of the heart, blood vessels, and blood that keeps us all going. We took this scientific understanding and blended it with technology, engineering, art, and math to create some truly innovative projects.
Each group of students took on a different activity – from the energetic bursts of dancing and running to the more tranquil movements of sleeping and yoga, not forgetting the teamwork of sports and the everyday action of walking. Their mission? To visually represent how these activities impact the circulatory system in two unique ways.
Bringing Anatomy to Life with Augmented Reality
First, each group traced the outline of a team member onto a large sheet of paper. This simple outline became the canvas for a digital adventure! In the STEAM Lab, armed with the design platform Canva, students created vibrant and engaging settings for their body outlines. Imagine a runner on a track, a dancer on a stage, or a yogi in a serene studio – all brought to life through their digital designs.
The magic truly happened when we stepped in front of the green screen. The student whose body was traced then acted out their assigned activity, explaining in a short video how that activity affects their heart rate, blood flow, and overall circulatory system. Thanks to the amazing EyeJack app, these green screen videos come to life when a tablet or phone is pointed at the original body outline! It's like having a personalized, interactive lesson right there on the page – a fantastic blend of art and technology!
Ozobots on a Circulatory Journey
But the creativity didn't end there! The second body outline became a dynamic model of the circulatory system itself. Using colorful magnet blocks, students engineered pathways to represent the flow of blood. Our little Ozobot robots then took on the role of blood cells, navigating these carefully constructed routes.
This wasn't just about building a track; it involved coding too! Students used special code blocks to program the Ozobots, adjusting their speed to reflect how blood flow changes during different activities and directing their movement through the "vessels." It was a hands-on way to understand the mechanics of the circulatory system, combining engineering design with computational thinking.
A Showcase of Innovation
As a culminating activity, we proudly displayed all the incredible body outlines in the Swisher Center. This created an interactive gallery where students could experience both the augmented reality videos and the robotic representations of the circulatory system created by their peers. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to see the diverse approaches and learn from each other's hard work!
We were so impressed by the students' insightful connections between their chosen activities and the science behind the circulatory system. These projects not only deepened their understanding of biology but also fostered their creativity, problem-solving skills, and teamwork.
