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Our staff utilizes a STEM instructional approach when addressing real world problems or challenges. Project Lead the Way has many real world based lessons. Our teachers also develop their own STEM activities to challenge their students. For example, our Third Grade team does the Ice Cube Insulator project every year. This project allows student to understand how insulators work and challenges them to produce a container to insulate effectively. Utilizing McDonald's as a community partner all students are given a Big Mac container and basic knowledge of insulators. They are next tasked with researching, designing, and building their container into an ice insulator. To take this project to the next level, we are going to challenge local factories, the police department, and the fire department into competing with our students this year.
We are very lucky to have many great pieces of technology in are tool kit. We are one to one with chromebooks in grades 2-5. We have classroom sets of Ipads, Spheros balls, VR goggles, and other learning tools. We have turned our Computer Labs into Creation Spaces for various activities. Our classrooms also feature smartboards, document cameras, and other traditional technology.
3.1 STEM Instructional Approach Training
3.1 STEM Instructional Approach Training
We have a dedicated Technology Department that has provided several all staff in-services as well as one on one training with our STEM tools.
Our partnership with Equitable Education Solutions is designed to pride the following for all staff members:
"Departments of Education throughout the U.S., legislators, businesses, and community members are stressing the importance of STEM education. They demand the K-12 sector to produce students that can meet the demands of jobs that do not even exist yet. EES has taken great strides in preparing our partner schools to transform their instructional practices, community interactions, and daily practices to meet the demands of STEM certification. We help streamline a process by:
Ensuring a program’s mission, vision, and goals are aligned with evidence-based practices
Supporting the creation of plans to overcome common obstacles
Ensuring alignment of curriculum, technology resources, student performance assessments, and other vital aspects of student learning to ensure equity throughout the school
Foster strategic partnerships that help enhance student learning with local community partners.
We also support our schools through the K12Boost Online Resource Suite. We have resources that have been vetted by leaders in the field of STEM for elementary, middle schools, and high schools. These K12Boost resources have been used by our schools to promote equity & access, strong implementation, transform instructional approaches aligned to skills needed in the fields of STEM, create rich opportunities for parent engagement, ensure proper planning takes place, as well as creating focus in school-based programming."
This agenda is from our November 1 PBL professional development day. The teaching staff meet with Dr. Eltz during their plan time to follow up on last years 2 PBL sessions (one per semester). 100% of teachers participated in this training. Over 50% of the teaching staff participated in last years training.
3.2 STEM Instructional Approach Implementation
3.2 STEM Instructional Approach Implementation
Our staff utilizes a STEM instructional approach when addressing real world problems or challenges. Project Lead the Way has many real world based lessons. Our teachers also develop their own STEM activities to challenge their students. For example, our Third Grade team does the Ice Cube Insulator project every year. This project allows student to understand how insulators work and challenges them to produce a container to insulate effectively. Utilizing McDonald's as a community partner all students are given a Big Mac container and basic knowledge of insulators. They are next tasked with researching, designing, and building their container into an ice insulator. To take this project to the next level, we are going to challenge local factories, the police department, and the fire department into competing with our students this year.
Our teachers use STEM Instructional Approach by utilizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an interdisciplinary and applied approach whenever possible. We utilize real world problems to help students connect to the objectives. This is demonstrated in all classrooms throughout the school.
Additional Documentation sample lesson plan.pdf3.3 Student Instructional Work Groups
3.3 Student Instructional Work Groups
East Side Elementary teachers blend whole group and small group work through out their plans. Students are given jobs and work as a team to complete activities. Our Language Arts block features many small group stations that allow the teacher to assess students individually and in small groups.
KinderSocialStudies EDITABLE LESSON PLANS.pptxThe images below illustrate group work in progress. In our Elementary setting teachers utilize a blended approach between whole group, small group, and individual projects. All teachers complete small group work multiple times per day. Within the classrooms and groups students have jobs/roles to complete. Team captains are utilized to manage the groups and additional roles are assigned based on the project at hand.
Lab/Group Roles Document: The attached document to the right highlights the roles we assign during group activities.
addition documentation group roles.pdfThe rubric attached to the right includes the student's roles and how completion of that assignment will affect their scores.
Additional Documentation Ancient Rome Project Rubric.docx3.4 Technology in Instruction
3.4 Technology in Instruction
We are very lucky to have many great pieces of technology in our tool kit. We are one to one with Chromebooks in grades 2-5. We have classroom sets of Ipads, Spheros balls, VR goggles, and other learning tools. We have turned our Computer Labs into Creation Spaces for various activities. Our classrooms also feature smartboards, document cameras, and other traditional technology. The attached photograph depicts a classroom taking a VR tour of the University of Notre Dame during College Go Week.
Chromebooks/Ipads are used for programming and research. Sphero balls are utilized to teach coding. VR headsets are used to enrich curriculum and provide virtual field trips/experiences.
First grade used 3d printers to enhance their recent candy cane lesson. Each student was able to print a candy cane ornament as the final part of the lesson. Technology is used every day in our classrooms. With our one to one devices and smart boards over 50% of our students days are technology enhanced instruction.
3.5 STEM Integration
3.5 STEM Integration
As depicted in the attached evidence grade level teams have planned out several STEM activities throughout the year. The minimum requirement is one stem activity/project per grading period. Our students also receive their Project Lead the Way curriculum on top of these activities.
Monthly 3rd Grade STEM Outline.docxThis is an example of an integrated STEM lesson from a fifth grade language arts classroom.
Additional Documentation STEM Lesson.pdfReport abuse