WHAT ARE STEAMaker SESSIONS?
Our STEAMaker program is a true gem of Barclay Brook. During these cyclical sessions, students are given various tasks using a variety of media. The core goal of all of these session is the same... DEVELOP GRIT! The library transforms into the "I Can Do It Myself" room and the teachers are LARGELY hands off during STEAMaker times. Help is only given when it is NEEDED. When the students simply WANT help, they are redirected to dig deep and find those self help skills which are the cornerstone of this program. All too often our students give up when a task is hard. They will look to their teachers to "solve the problem" for them instead of working to find the solution on their own. We describe it in terms of building the brain muscle. You've got to lift those heavy waeights to get strong :-)
1st Grade
The 1st graders will be practicing basic tech skills such as startup, mouse use, log in, navigation. They will also begin some keyboarding practice with EdClub's wonderful product TypingClub. All Barclay Brook 1st and 2nd graders have access to Typing Club through their Clever accounts and are encouraged to practice their typing as often as possible! As so much standardized testing is done electronically now, basic keyboarding and computer navigation skills can alleviate some of the additional stresses our students are experiencing at this time. It also prevents them from fatiguing so quickly due to unfamiliarity with a standard computer keyboard.
2nd Grade
2nd graders will jump right into rudimentary coding with Lego Education's Lego WeDo. Here, students are challenged to build and code a replica "space rover". When the prescribed task is complete, students are challenged to see what else they can make their rover do through coding and building ingenuity.