Embedded Files
The number one indicator of student success is quality and effective teaching. Every grade level at Madison STEAM Academy is anchored with a master teacher surrounded by a cast of eager and proficient teachers. Our STEAM units of study lend themselves to our teachers flexible nature, which we understand to be a necessity when it comes to students learning in STEAM instruction.
3.1 STEM Instructional Approach Training
3.1 STEM Instructional Approach Training
Staff at Madison STEAM Academy have gone through rigorous STEAM professional development opportunities that support the academic growth of our population. We are constantly searching, thinking, and creating new ways to implement STEAM into our daily instruction. We believe in collaboration amongst grade level and cross grade level teams as well as support from our surrounding community.
Below you will find examples of some of our STEAM professional development and sign in sheets from various professional development.
Making Thinking Visible - Metacognition/Schema
This professional development provided concrete comprehension instruction that develops strategic thinking during reading. It also provided effective opportunities for students to understand their thinking and thinking to understand.
Making Thinking Visible - Inferring
This professional development provided important information on inferring while reading; as well as effective opportunities for teachers to use during instruction such as mentor texts, songs, various activities, and videos.
Making Thinking Visible - Determining Importance and Asking Questions
This professional development provides concrete comprehension instruction using examples to model the strategy of determining importance and explores a variety of media to teach the skill of asking questions.
This is a sample of our Project Based Learning (PBL) professional development. This training assisted teachers in implementing PBL into their STEAM units of study and classroom projects.
0915_001.pdfDr. Adam Saenz
This professional development explained that great leadership is about being human. It helped teachers apply the power of emotional intelligence, so they can build positive and productive relationships with their peers, students, and parents.
Technology
We realize 21st century skills are vital to student success. In order to meet the demanding student needs with technology, we implemented a Digital Integration Specialist position. The Digital Integration Specialist provides teachers with professional developments to ensure our teachers can give the students the essential 21st century skills they need to be successful. This is an example of one of our many technology meetings.
0918_001.pdfProject Lead the Way
This is a Project Lead the Way Training Sign In Sheet.
0919_001.pdfThis is a Partnership Meeting with Saint Mary's Sign In Sheet.
Copy of SBCSC CAP Ace K-6 Teacher Presentation.pptxCivil Air Patrol Connections K-6 STEM Education Program Professional Development
3.2 STEM Instructional Approach Implementation
3.2 STEM Instructional Approach Implementation
All grade level instruction comes from our STEAM Units of Study that teachers and staff created. The units were derived from the Indiana Academic Standards and our corporation curriculum adoptions. Students use real world problems and challenges to accomplish curriculum goals. Below you find unit and student samples from each of our grade levels taught at Madison.
3.3 Student Instructional Work Groups
3.3 Student Instructional Work Groups
Students in all grade levels receive daily, direct instruction in a small-group setting in all academic content areas. Small-group instruction is the primary mode of instruction used; however, students are also given direct instruction using whole group instruction, paired learning, collaborative learning, and individual learning.
Small-groups, also called flexible skill groups, are fluid and ever changing based on student strengths and deficits. Additionally, students are also grouped based on their personal and academic strengths or learning styles.
When students are working in small groups, each student has a job or responsibility to ensure all members of the small group have the opportunity to participate in the project equally. Depending on the grade level, students may be assigned a job or they may be given the opportunity to choose their job.
In order to hold students accountable while working in groups, teachers utilize accountability forms for students to hold their classmates accountable for completing their fair share of the group project or task.
Teachers use rubrics to assess students' understanding and progress toward demonstrating learning outcomes throughout the duration of each Unit of Study.
Working together and building relationships is something we take pride in here at Madison STEAM Academy. Building a strong relationship between staff and students, and students among themselves, is vital to the success of our school. Students are given ample opportunities to work in small groups several times throughout the week. Having positive rapport is the life blood to effective small group instruction. When all members of the community have positive relationships with each other, small group instruction is more effective. Data is key to our small group instruction. When small groups are formed around data it allows students to learn at their individual level and be encouraged to be out of their comfort zone.
STEAM Groups.pdfDefined Roles and Responsibilities
This is an example of defined roles and responsibilities that are used in collaborative groups used in our 3-5 classrooms. Students move through the roles weekly. Rotating weekly allows students to become familiar with each role. Teachers can use this order: Challenge Captain, Materials Master, Testing Coordinator, Chief Architect and Rapid Reporter or create and post their schedule and responsibility order.
0967_001.pdfDefined Roles and Responsibilities
This is an example of roles and responsibilities used in our K-2 classrooms. Students move down the responsibility chart from shape to shape weekly. For example, a student may start at diamond. The next week, that student will move to triangle, then star, then back up to square, and etc. Students become familiar with what their role will be and when they will get the opportunity to complete each role.
Clock Partners.pdfClock Partners
Clock Partners is an interactive way for students to group themselves in a heterogenous fashion.
Student Accountability Forms.pdfStudent Accountability Forms
This is an example of a rubric used to hold students accountable when working collaboratively.
3.4 Technology in Instruction
3.4 Technology in Instruction
Technology is an extremely important part in our STEAM units. From learning how to code with Scratch Jr. and Code.org to using individual Chromebooks to research our project based learning assignments. Our digital integration specialist helps staff and students enrich their use of technology through trainings, meetings, and in class modeling. We also have a technology integration special which focuses on helping students create, design, and solve problems using computers and other forms of technology to enrich student learning.
Seesaw
Seesaw is a program that we use in a few different ways. The students can use the program to record their presentations like those listed below. This program has also helped our ELL students improve WIDA speaking scores. Click the links below to see some Seesaw presentations.
Lego Wedo 2
Lego Wedo 2 is a great tool to incorporate hands-on learning, following directions, and coding together into one program. We have had after school clubs that use these kits, along with school lessons. Teachers use the lessons provided by Lego to introduce their students to Robotics and coding.
Scratch Jr.
Scratch Jr. is a program that we use with our kindergarten and first graders to introduce them to coding. We use the the lessons provided by Scratch Jr. to get the students familiar with the app functions. We then build off those lessons and integrate lessons that go along with our STEAM units.
https://www.scratchjr.org/teach/curricula/animated-genres
Scratch Jr. is a fun way to get the kids coding and thinking outside the box. The students really enjoy being able to manipulate the characters and come up with creative ways to reach the end goal of their assignments.
https://www.scratchjr.org/teach/curricula/animated-genres
Scratch Jr. is a fun way to get the kids coding and thinking outside the box. The students really enjoy being able to manipulate the characters and come up with creative ways to reach the end goal of their assignments.
Google
All students are constantly interacting with Google platforms. Students are introduced to and use Classroom, Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Meets on a daily basis. Google allows students to experience actual work place opportunities that help students with what they are currently working on, as well as what their future holds in professional positions.
Youtube
At Madison STEAM Academy we have morning announcements. We record our morning announcements and upload them to YouTube to view them. Students really enjoy seeing themselves on announcements. Morning announcements can be found at the link below.
Madison STEAM Academy TV Studio
YouTube is also used by some teachers to post lessons during e-learning.
Madison STEAM Academy TV Studio
YouTube is also used by some teachers to post lessons during e-learning.
3.5 STEM Integration
3.5 STEM Integration
Madison STEAM Academy focuses on STEAM integration throughout the entire school year. Our devoted staff have created STEAM units of study for each grade level. The units of study are live documents which are always evolving and changing to update our real world problems and challenges. As the units change and evolve, teachers adapt their lessons to fit their current students' needs.
Our units of study are listed below by grade level. Each unit was written with STEAM integration in mind; therefore, each unit is included with samples below it.
Integrated Math
Above is a picture of an integrated math lesson on area and perimeter. The students had to create a structure and calculate the area and perimeter of the structure. They used standard and nonstandard units of measurement when calculating the area and perimeter. This is a hands-on activity which fully engages the students.
3092_001.pdfIntegrated Art
This is a sample of an integrated art lesson completed with our Art teacher and first grade classroom. The two work seamlessly to create an interactive and integrated lesson. Please find the lesson, notes, comments, and evaluative data.
This is a detailed STEAM lesson plan of a fourth grade engineering project. Students had to design a bottle rocket, which could be propelled into the air. Students designed and built rockets. Then by using baking soda and vinegar the rockets were launched into the sky. We partnered with Coca-Cola and Martins Super Market who donated two liter bottles that allowed our rocket scientist to design their goal.
Below are samples of materials and lessons housed in grade level binders. This allows for the teachers to have hard copies of lessons and materials they used throughout each unit.
Learning at Madison STEAM Academy comes in many different forms. Below are just a few pictures of some of the fun, engaging learning experiences and challenges our students have the opportunity to share with one another throughout our integrated school day.
Geometric ShapesBuilding geometric shapes
Wind Tunnel Investigating wind tunnels
HabitatsCreating habitats
candy caneInvestigating and recording data
TowersStudents working collaboratively
Kindergarten MathMarshmallow shapes
Drums AliveDrums Alive
building Variety of building challenges
Report abuse