STAGE 1 – Spark and Context

Duration: 45 minutes

SPIRIT Skills:

• Curiosity
• Sense of wonder and openness
• Creativity

Brief Description

Students are introduced to STEAM-day through playful curiosity-building activities. They explore everyday objects by guessing their possible functions, then discover Leonardo da Vinci as an inventor, engineer, and artist. Through visual examples and storytelling, the bridge challenge is presented as a real-world problem. This stage builds motivation, activates prior knowledge, and frames the day’s central engineering task.

How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills

This opening stage primarily develops curiosity, creativity, and openness, while also laying the foundations for critical thinking and connectedness. Through playful exploration and discussion, students are encouraged to look at familiar objects in unfamiliar ways, which supports flexible thinking and imagination. By listening to peers’ ideas and responding respectfully, students practice openness to different perspectives and learn that there can be multiple possible solutions to the same problem. The introduction of Leonardo da Vinci as both an artist and an inventor helps students see that creativity and problem-solving are closely connected, reinforcing a STEAM mindset from the very beginning of the day.

What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?

By the end of this stage, students are expected to

• confidently share ideas in a group setting and to generate more than one possible explanation or function for an unfamiliar object.
• begin to understand that inventions are created to respond to human needs or challenges, rather than appearing by chance.
• be able to explain their thinking using simple reasoning (for example, linking an idea to a visible clue such as shape or material).

Behaviourally, the goal is to establish a classroom culture in which curiosity is valued, ideas are shared without fear of being “wrong,” and respectful listening becomes the norm for the rest of the STEAM-day.

Academic/Curriculum Objective connection

• From a language and literacy perspective, this stage supports oral communication, vocabulary development, and basic argumentation skills. Students practice forming complete sentences such as “I think this could be used for…, because…”and responding to others’ ideas.
• From a history and arts perspective, students are introduced to Leonardo da Vinci as a historical figure who combined observation, artistic skill, and inventive thinking. They begin to understand drawing and sketching as tools for thinking and planning, not only as artistic expression.
• This stage also supports cross-curricular STEAM readiness, as it prepares students for later scientific observation and engineering design by emphasizing careful looking, questioning, and idea generation.

Materials and tools needed for implementation 

• Mystery Objects Box containing 6-8 common object or unusual objects that can be interpreted in multiple ways
• Visual materials introducing Leonardo da Vinci, such as a short slideshow or presentation, or printed images of selected inventions (e.g. bridge sketches, mechanical designs), and one or two artworks to highlight the artist–inventor connection
• Board, flipchart, or large paper for collecting key ideas, vocabulary, and emerging questions during discussion
• Markers or chalk for recording student responses
• Sticky notes for students to add ideas or questions visually (optional)

Preparation notes

• Select 6–8 safe, tactile, and visually interesting mystery objects that do not have one obvious single function
• Prepare the Mystery Objects Box in advance so objects can be revealed one by one
• Choose 4–6 Leonardo da Vinci invention visuals that clearly show structure, mechanism, or problem-solving intent
• Select 1–2 artworks by da Vinci to highlight the connection between art and invention
• Test the slideshow or printed visuals in advance to ensure visibility for all students
• Plan the flow and timing of the stage to keep a lively pace and avoid overly long discussions
• Prepare open-ended guiding questions that encourage reasoning rather than correct answers
• Decide how key ideas and vocabulary will be recorded (board, flipchart, or large paper)
• Arrange classroom seating (circle or semi-circle) to support visibility, interaction, and discussion

Guided Questions

Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)

• What did we learn today about how inventors think?
• What idea surprised you the most?
• Did you hear an idea that made you change your mind?
• What helped you come up with new ideas?
• How did listening to others help your thinking?

Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges

• Keep the pace lively and limit discussion time per object to maintain engagement.
• Encourage both imaginative (“wild”) ideas and evidence-based ideas, clearly valuing each type.
• If a few students dominate the discussion, intentionally invite quieter students to share or allow them to point out visual clues instead of speaking.
• Reframe off-topic ideas by asking follow-up questions that reconnect them to observation or problem-solving.
• Avoid judging ideas as right or wrong; use neutral responses such as “That’s an interesting possibility” or “Tell us what made you think that.”
• Use the board or flipchart to visually organize ideas, helping students see patterns and connections.
• If students struggle to generate ideas, model one example aloud and then step back.
• Reinforce respectful listening and turn-taking to set expectations for collaboration throughout the STEAM-day.