Virtually Hands-On
Inquiry-Based
Museum and STEM
Experiences for K-12
All classes are free as our community responds to the coronavirus.
SAMSAT Online is inquiry-driven museum experiences delivered online by the STEM education staff at SAMSAT. We deliver a virtual class where students go hands-on for research and student-artifact creation.
For Schools and Teachers
How it Works
1. You sign up for a class.
2. We send you instructions and schedule a time to test the technology. We customize for time and circumstances.
3. We run the class! You co-host with us for classroom management and aligning the lesson with your goals.
Contact us to sign up.
For Individual Students and Families
See our event schedule and sign up on EventBrite.
CLASSES
Grades 5-12
Video Game Design with Scratch
Join us for a virtual class for an introduction to video game design using Scratch. Be prepared with pen/pencil and something to write on. Parental involvement may be needed to help students access external websites without exiting Zoom. Our virtual class is hosted live and we welcome questions and interaction with attendees. This class is intended for students 5th grade and older.
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NOTE: While you can connect on any device, this class requires a laptop or computer to complete class activities.
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Grades 5-12
ROBOTS!
Join us for a virtual class on robots. The class will discuss: What is a robot? What is the history of the robot and what is its future? Students will become an engineer and program a "robotic bee." A computer or laptop is necessary. Be prepared with pen/pencil and something to write on. Parental involvement may be needed to help students access external websites without exiting Zoom. Our virtual class is hosted live and we welcome questions and interaction with attendees. This class is intended for students 5th grade and older. Enrollment is consent to take screenshots of the virtual class that may be used for promotional purposes.
NOTE: While you can connect on any device, this class requires a laptop or computer to complete class activities.
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Grades 5-12
COVID-Away! The Math and Science of
the Spread of Disease
What are bacterial and viral diseases? How do they spread? How does math help us predict and make plans? Why does protecting your family and friends also protect you?
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Learning objectives:
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Visualize a bacteria, a virus, and the difference.
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Name where they come from, the old ones and the new ones.
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Name the different ways disease spreads.
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Demonstrate the idea of exponential spread.
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Demonstrate, epidemiology-wise, why slowly getting sick is worse than quickly getting sick.
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Demonstrate how immunity in the herd protects the individual.
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Name related college programs and careers.​
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Inquiry and creation activities:
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Drawing​ bacteria and a virus
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"Making a virus" the way you might make a machine
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Simulating virus spread
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Grades 5-12
Horses, Vacuums, and Thomas Edison: Invention and the Light Bulb
What do horses and vacuums (think space vacuums) have to do with making a light bulb? Thomas Edison knew, and so will your students after this tour of invention and innovation based on the SAMSAT Edison Experimental Light Bulb exhibit.
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Learning objectives:
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Illustrate how a light bulb works.
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Illustrate chemically how a light bulb works.
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Draw chemically how a fire works.
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Demonstrate air pressure and the creation of a vacuum.
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Describe common steps in invention and innovation.
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Name related college programs and careers.
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Inquiry and creation activities:
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Drawing how a light bulb works, physically and chemically.
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Drawing how a fire starts and works.
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Researching and documenting alternate filaments.
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Explaining observations when creating a vacuum with a hand towel and a bucket of water.
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Illustrating the process of innovation with the examples from Thomas Edison’s creation of the light bulb.
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Grades 5-12
From Serbia with Power: Nikola Tesla and the Tesla Coil
Tesla may be the name of a company and a car, but they’re both named after a person, Nikola Tesla, a Serbian immigrant, and developer of the electrical distribution system still in use today. Tesla’s life is a study in the innovation and invention mindset and all the associated drama, and his creation, the Tesla Coil, is a study in electricity, sound, and wireless power. We’ll learn all we can from Tesla. We'll deliver a Tesla Coil demonstration or video to you online.
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Learning objectives:
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Illustrate electricity both in a wire and in the air.
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Illustrate sound waves.
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Learn about mindsets that support invention and innovation.
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Name related college programs and careers.
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Inquiry and creation activites:
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Watching a Tesla Coil demonstration.
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Drawing electricity, in a wire and in the air.
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Drawing the process of a spark starting an ionizing chain reaction.
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Drawing sound waves.
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Making and testing hypotheses about the light bulbs lit up by Tesla coils.
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Illustrating the process of innovation with the examples from Nikola Tesla’s creation of the electrical distribution system.
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Grades 5-12
Ciphers
Join us for a virtual class on ciphers. The class will discuss what a cipher is and their importance in world history. We'll prepare students to do an online cipher activity after the end of the class. This class is intended for students 5th grade and older. Our virtual class is hosted live and we welcome questions and interaction with attendees.
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Grades 5-12
3D Printing: Past, Present, and Future
Join us for a virtual class on 3D printing. The class will discuss: What is 3D printing? What is the history of 3D printing and what is its future? This class is intended for students 5th grade and older. Our virtual class is hosted live and we welcome questions and interaction with attendees.
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