Paper 2026-75
ПАЗИТЕЛИ НА ВОДАТА – ИНОВАТИВЕН STEM УРОК ЗА 1. КЛАС
Теодора Славеева Петрова
Първо ОУ „Св. Св. Кирил и Методий“, Гоце Делчев
WATERS GUARDIANS – AN INNOVATIVE STEM LESSON FOR FIRST GRADE
Teodora Slaveeva Petrova
First Primary School “St. Cyril and St. Methodius“, Gotse Delchev
Abstract: The report presents an innovative interdisciplinary STEM lesson on the topic “Guardians of Water,” designed for first-grade students and implemented as part of the “Sustainable Future” project. The main objective of the lesson is to foster an early environmental awareness, teamwork skills, and a responsible attitude toward water as a vital natural resource. The lesson incorporates comprehensive STEM/STEAM integration, successfully linking the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics with the academic subjects of social studies, Bulgarian language and literature, mathematics, technology, and entrepreneurship. Through the introduction of a game-based storyline and experiential learning, first-graders complete four sequential team missions. In these missions, they explore the properties of water through hands-on experiments, build mini-water treatment plants, solve thematic mathematical and word problems, and learn about the water cycle. The digital component is enhanced by programming the Photon robot to perform socially significant environmental tasks. The practical value of this methodological development lies in the presented working model for stimulating research interest, logical thinking, and active civic engagement among the youngest students. The lesson demonstrates that environmental education is most effective when combined with hands-on experiments and modern educational technologies.
Keywords: STEM education, environmental education, sustainable development, water resources, interdisciplinary
