This year in STEAM class, Blankner Bulldogs will be learning all about Florida's National Park, the Everglades. Students will be able to recognize that the Everglades is an integral part of Florida's ecosystem. In the Fall STEAM lessons students learned about the historic flow of water through our Everglades River of Grass and our current altered water system.  Students modeled the differences and learned what happens to our aquifer, ecosystems, and wildlife when we change the flow of water.

Students compete in film competition.

Virtual tours of the Everglades Ecosystem

Students received an introduction to the Everglades via a virtual tour utilizing VR goggles. The software to make this possible was generously funded from donations made to the Blankner PTSA.

Creating Airboats to Educate

Students are planning, designing, and building airboats as a team. Soon they will create a script and film their very own Everglades Airboat Tour to educate the Blankner Community on the Everglades!

Creating models of the Everglades

Students built models to demonstrate the difference between the natural, historic, flow of the water and the current flow of the water in the Everglades. The students gained knowledge of the changes occurring in the Everglades thru the years.

Emphasizing the 'A' in STEAM
Learning the importance of Keystone Species

Blankner students are learning about the importance of Keystone Species.  The Florida Alligator is the keystone Species in the Everglades and students are focusing on the Arts in STEAM and are creating an ECODRAMA to demonstrate what happens to animals that live in the Everglades during the dry season.

Creating models of the Florida Aquifer

Students are modeling the Florida aquifer and learning what happens when pollution gets into our water.

Learning to adapt

Students learn about the wet and dry season of the Everglades and how animals adapt to living with the different water levels.
Students collected data by modeling how wood storks are able to gather fish for their young during the wet versus the dry season. Who knew Bulldogs could act like wood storks!