Hands-On STEAM Lessons

In a lesson that was part ice-breaker, part team-building exercise, and part STEAM activity, St. Viator Middle School Students took their learning out to our school yard. Call it "Tangram Tuesday" for fun, the Middle School teachers built teams from the combined 6th, 7th, and 8th grade rosters, then assigned each team a set of our giant tangrams and a build packet.

Teams worked the packet together, with the builds getting progressively more challenging.

Tangrams sets start with a square, then divide that into seven geometric pieces: 5 triangles (of various sizes), one parallelogram, and one square. Students work the two-dimensional pieces to complete a puzzle (often a figure or image) without overlap or gaps. Ideally, the teams stay calm and work carefully to create the specific image.

Is that a cobra? Maybe a barn? Sometimes its a matter of perspective. No matter the image, students dusted off their spatial reasoning, remembered their geometry readiness, recognized the patterns, and worked the challenges...essentially unpacking the skills they put to rest over the summer.

Working with tangrams can build a positive mathematical mindset and persistence. Based on the laughter, focus, and teamwork we saw across the middle school grades, it worked. Thank you, Mrs. Gambino (Middle School Math) for capturing these moments, and to the Middle School Teaching Team for another great hands-on lesson.

Are you still looking for a school seat for the 2026-2027 school year? Do you like the idea of a hands-on approach to learning? Visit our school website to learn more about the creative ways that St. Viator Elementary School engages our students. You will find enrollment information detailed on the Admissions page.

We are Peace Builders; We are Eagles; We are St. Viator!