Foundations of STEM & Community Awareness

Focus: Understanding Problems & Building Foundational Skills

In 9th grade, students are introduced to the Engineering Design Process (EDP) and begin exploring real-world problems that impact their community.

What Students Do:

• Learn how to identify and analyze problems

• Explore topics like severe weather, community safety, or environmental challenges

• Conduct basic research and data collection

• Begin using STEM journals to document thinking and learning

Skills Developed:

• Problem identification

• Research and observation

• Basic data analysis

• Communication and reflection

👉 Goal: Build a strong foundation in thinking like a problem solver