Engineering Empathy: How Clark the Shark Sparked STEM at Prestwick

In Little Elm ISD, STEM isn’t something extra — it’s something students live.

At Prestwick Elementary, Rhonda Donaldson, campus STEM Influencer, has been intentional about weaving science, technology, engineering, and math into reading and writing. Her goal? Make STEM purposeful — embedded within literacy, inquiry, and real-world problem solving.

And sometimes, that work begins with a shark.

When second graders read Clark the Shark, they didn’t just talk about character traits or sequencing events. They dug deeper into Clark’s challenges with self-regulation and big emotions. Instead of simply discussing solutions, students became engineers.

The Challenge: Clark Needs a Calm Down Chair

Clark needed a calm down chair — a space that could help him reset, refocus, and manage his excitement.

Students were given nine simple supplies:

• Popsicle sticks

• Cotton balls

• Yarn

• Tissue

• Pipe cleaners

• Felt paper

• A cup

• And a few additional basic materials

Working in teams, students followed the STEM design process:
Identify. Imagine. Plan. Create. Improve.

First, they identified Clark’s problem. Why was he struggling? What did he need to feel calm and focused?

Next, they imagined solutions. Would soft textures help? Should the chair feel enclosed and safe? Would fidgets or sensory elements make a difference?

Then they planned — sketching designs, labeling parts, and explaining their thinking.

And then — they built.

Collaboration in Action

The classroom buzzed with creativity and collaboration. Students negotiated roles, tested structures, adjusted designs, and encouraged one another when ideas didn’t quite work the first time.

Some designs included soft cotton cushioning for comfort. Others used pipe cleaners and yarn to create calming sensory tools. A few teams focused on structure, ensuring Clark’s chair was sturdy enough to hold an energetic shark.

When challenges arose, students didn’t give up. They improved.

That’s STEM.

Writing Like Engineers

The learning didn’t stop at building. Students defended their designs through opinion and explanatory writing. They cited evidence from the text to explain why Clark needed certain features and how their chair would solve his problem.

Literacy and engineering worked hand-in-hand.

By pairing reading comprehension with hands-on design, students weren’t just understanding a character — they were applying empathy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in meaningful ways.

Learning Across Grade Levels

To extend the experience, fifth grade reading buddies partnered with second graders. Older students provided feedback, asked questions about design choices, and modeled leadership. The collaboration strengthened vertical alignment across campus and gave students authentic audiences for their thinking.

More Than a Project

What happened in that classroom was bigger than a calm down chair.

Students practiced emotional awareness.
They engaged in teamwork.
They connected literacy to real-world problem solving.
They experienced the full engineering cycle — not as an “extra,” but as part of their everyday learning.

At Little Elm ISD, STEM looks like empathy.
It looks like collaboration.
And sometimes — it looks like building a calm down chair for a shark.

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