That's STEM-tastic!
Lower Merion School District's Elementary STEM Newsletter
That's STEM-tastic!
STEM could stand for Students and Teachers Energizing Minds or it could stand for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Either way, it means amazing opportunities are being provided for elementary students across our district! "Stemming" from the district's partnership with Arcadia University, teachers in all 6 elementary schools are infusing elements of STEM into their lessons. From design challenges, to MakerSpace projects, to coding, robotics and more, students and teachers are working together to build creative, innovative learning experiences that are simply STEM-tastic!
STEM and Literature Connection
In each issue of That's STEM-tastic, a picture book suggestion is offered so that families can explore STEM ideas through a connection to literature. This issue's offering is one that can spark a child's creativity to turn trash into a treasured invention!
In Chris Gall's story, Awesome Dawson, the main character collects things that people have discarded and turns them into something spectacular. One day, though, he takes his invention skills to a new level and must find a way to stop his creation from creating havoc!
Making Room for Making In Our Students' Days
According to makerspace guru Laura Fleming, "a makerspace is a metaphor for a unique learning environment that encourages tinkering, play, and open-ended exploration for all." The district's Strategic Plan Annual Report describes a makerspace and the maker mentality in the following way: "a makerspace is a center of learning where people share resources, knowledge, and experience to create, invent, and learn. An ideal makerspace is the marriage of technology, hand making skills, and design to create innovative objects that are both useful and aesthetically pleasing. A makerspace should invite students into a greater sense of agency, inquiry, and application in and of their own learning. Makerspaces are not necessarily about a specific set of materials or physical spaces but rather a mindset of community partnership, collaboration, and creation. This mindset is referred to as a maker mentality." The Strategic Plan Annual Report also promised that every elementary student in first through fifth grades would have three "maker experiences" every year, one in each trimester, and each would be tied to an existing curricular unit.
Teachers have begun implementing these guaranteed experiences and the students are creating some amazing artifacts! Inspired by Caine's Arcade, some students are working to create their own arcade games from recycled materials. In other classes, students are using their knowledge of arrays and multiplication to create their dream houses, some complete with an indoor swimming pool, Nerf Room and movie theater! Still others are applying their newly acquired knowledge of circuits to create greeting cards and posters that light up. Students are enjoying the chance to collaborate and create and teachers are amazed to see the impact of these opportunities, too!
Guaranteed Coding Experiences
In addition to our guaranteed maker experiences this year, most elementary students will also have guaranteed opportunities to explore coding through "unplugged" lessons from Code.org. Many teachers recently received training and are beginning to implement lessons that introduce computer science fundamentals through "offline" activities. These hands-on, kinesthetic lessons give students the chance to use physical materials to model and explore computational concepts. Utilizing code.org's resources, children will begin to explore algorithms, loops, variables, patterns, and programs. In addition, this resource provides classrooms with additional methods to develop creativity, collaboration and communications skills while promoting problem-solving and persistence.
The inaugural lesson for each grade level focuses on persistence and has students work together to build a structure using only gumdrops and toothpicks. The challenge is that this structure must meet a height requirement and also be able to support the weight of a book for 10 seconds. This particular lesson focuses on perseverance during challenging tasks. It helps students to understand that if they want to create something useful and creative, there might might some failures or missteps along the way, but if they stick with it, something amazing can be created.
STEM Activities at Home
While there are many opportunities for students to explore STEM concepts in school, there are plenty of ideas for how families can engage in STEM activities together at home, too. Finding time to come together to create, collaborate and learn could be a great way to spend some time as the weather turns cooler and families are together over holiday breaks.
One great resource for ideas is PBS. Design Squad Global provides inspiring videos, games and project plans that give families the chance to learn about a wide variety of STEM concepts. The site offers weekly updates that refresh the content and offer families the chance to explore engineering and design in real world contexts.
Another PBS resource for STEM activities can be found by visiting Sci Girls. Sci Girls is a show on PBS that highlights tween girls using STEM in their lives. While the girls showcased in each episode change, there are animated characters that appear in each episode. The website linked above provides activities to try at home that connect to different episodes of the show. Children can explore a wide range of topics including bird-watching, robotics, recycling and more.
NASA's Kids Club and NASA for Students are two other sites that can provide families with the chance to explore a variety of STEM ideas in the real world...including what happens when astronauts take fidget spinners into space! You can even help NASA as a citizen scientist! NASA has partnered with Cosmoquest and is seeking citizens to help analyze images from the International Space Station.
Lava in a cup? Levitating orbs? Plastic milk? Do these things sound like something your family would like to know more about or even create in your home? Well, check out Science Bob to learn about each of those intriguing objects and the experiments that you can do!
Hopefully you and your family can take some time to collaborate, create and learn together as fall turns to winter!
STEM Inspired Family Outings in the Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley has so much to offer for families looking to learn and explore in the area. This section of the newsletter highlights just a couple of the many wonderful adventures available in our community!
In addition to so many other wonderful exhibits, The Franklin Institute is hosting 3D Printing the Future, now through April 3, 2018. Learn about the 3D printing craze, see 3D printers in action and discover the impact that 3D printing is having in the arts and in the medical field.
Fairmount Water Works is nestled along the Schuykill River between the Art Museum and Boat House Row. This landmark building offers visitors the chance to learn about the past, present and future of Philadelphia's urban watershed. There's also a Freshwater Mussel Hatchery that is new and offers the chance to learn about protecting our freshwater systems.
Ever wonder what it might be like to spend a night in a museum? The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is hosting a special dinosaur themed adventure night in January. Families can enjoy a scavenger hunt and experiments before settling down for the night. Not into dinosaurs? Spring evenings can be spent learning about crocodiles after dark. Check the website for other fun, family-friendly events including these special weekend events.
Math Success and Growth Mindsets
Jo Boaler is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University and co-founder of the website youcubed. The site's mission is to make research and resources available to teachers and parents supporting the idea that all students can learn math to high levels and that fostering a growth mindset increases achievement. There are links to articles about fostering mathematical development, helping with homework and much more. There are even links to online courses. For information from Dr. Boaler's parent page, click here.
Want To Keep Up with STEM in LM?
Twitter users are invited to follow @ElemLMSTEM to learn about the cool STEM activities that are happening in the elementary schools. Multiple teachers at every building will begin using this account to highlight their innovative approaches to STEM integration.