STEM Lessons: Combining Language and Content

The ESL students at MAMS recently participated in a STEM project creating zip lines. Students followed the engineering process including asking, imagining, planning, creating, improving, and presenting their projects. They documented each step in an engineer's notebook carefully planning their ideas, choosing materials, and recreating when their original ideas did not work. Students worked together communicating in English while discussing academic content. Throughout the project students learned about various scientific principles such as friction, gravity, and acceleration. Finally, students wrote essays about the engineering process while using previously learned grammar and language skills. We truly had a blast creating these and learned so much along the way. The best part is that we practiced all domains of language: reading, writing, listening, and speaking all while learning about the engineering process and the language of science. Scroll down to see some pictures and videos of our great work!