NARRATIVE
The integrated structure of Winfield City Schools District's curriculum, which is aligned to both state and national standards, is the central axis around which our program is built. As an integrated STEAM school with a focus on both scientific and artistic themes, the use of technology and engineering processes, as a method of problem-solving, are essential to developing a cohesive experience for all students.
The acronym STEAM is fairly specific in nature referring to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; however, the concept of STEAM encompasses much more than the sum of its parts. Our STEAM curriculum, at Winfield City Schools, produces high-quality courses where our students use science and math to solve problems which drives our system's innovation and competitiveness. This driving force generates new ideas, new goals, and new successful graduates that are prepared to become competitive employees in the workforce. The foundation for creating a STEAM program is based upon four occupational clusters: computer technology; mathematical sciences; engineering and surveying; and natural, physical, and life sciences. Therefore, at Winfield City Schools, we embrace the integration of technology and engineering in science and mathematics and continuously search out ways to improve the dynamic STEAM curriculum for our students, in an effort to provide them with both the knowledge and confidence they need.
Projects are designed to be problem-based, real-world experiences that integrate a variety of concepts. Cross-cutting competencies necessary for college and career are incorporated in an array of project-based learning activities. Students do not just build, they also create an experiment, examine safety considerations, or use artist concepts to create a theme around their solutions. The basis for these solutions is often underscored by the use of STEAM processes and practices.
Not only do we have a distinct focus on providing STEM projects for our students, but we also focus on the importance of providing cross-curricular STEM projects. Through these projects, students realize how one academic discipline flows into another and how all disciplines can work together toward a common goal. Cross-curricular projects allow educators the opportunity to plan together for a larger scale thematic unit that typically leaves more of a lasting learning impression upon our students.
Strengths: Engagement is a strength for Standard 12 at Winfield City School System. Educators, administrators, community members, and other stakeholders are routinely involved in creating cross-curricular units for our students. Winfield has also implemented a STEM Coordinator for the entire district and a STEM Coach at each school system. In addition to these STEM leaders, each school system has a STEM Leadership Committee to step in and develop or support cross-curricular units.
Opportunities to Improve: Winfield City School System has an opportunity to improve in Embeddedness with Standard 12. We have large and innovative cross-curricular units throughout the year, but these units are not embedded into our everyday culture. STEM teams will take time to meet and provide a more fluid STEM framework for our faculty and staff.
Written in Bone
Through a cross-curricular unit for the book Written in Bone, our 7th-grade students learned about life in Colonial Jamestown. Our students completed autopsy/coroner’s reports and posters in English class. They measured bones to evaluate body height in math class. They toured Jamestown through a virtual field trip in history and learned how to compare DNA strips in science class. They also made skeletons and tested their investigative skills with some CSI virtual games.
Scarecrow Project!
WCHS, WES, and WMS history students created scarecrows based off of Historical Places in Alabama, and displayed the scarecrows at WES.
All students participated in a STEM project that included the scarecrows. Fifth Grade Enrichment students created presentation to go with each scarecrow. Then, the student linked his/her presentation to a QR Code. The QR Codes were glued to the scarecrow signs. The community, students, etc. could visit and scan the QR code to learn more about the place that each scarecrow represented. Third grade students used a map of Alabama to locate a historical place inspired by a scarecrow. They had to use a scale to find the distance from where they lived to the historical place. They used a measuring tape to measure the height of their scarecrow.
Living Wax Museum
Sixth Grade students work diligently to provide a living wax museum for the community to enjoy and learn from. The living wax museum is made up of historical people that have made an altering contribution to society. Each student researches and chooses a historical figure to portray. After decisions are made, the students begin extensively researching their choice. Over the course of two weeks, the students do numerous projects in order to make the museum a success. The students create a one minute monologue that will depict their character during the museum. They also create a PowerPoint presentation front eh research that includes the character's background, major contributions, and interesting facts about him/her. The students then create a backdrop for their characters using a trifold. Next, the parents of the students become involved in the project. The parents research and find the costumes that their children will wear for the museum. The parents can also help the students add props to the presentation of their child's characters. A few days before the museum, the teachers will find out how many students are planning on having large displays. Once the teachers have the information regarding the large displays, the students break into groups and measure the amount of room that we have for displays. Each group makes a chart of the school to determine the best placement for all displays. The students turn the charts into their teachers, and after much consideration, the teachers choose which chart they will use to place the displays. The night of the living wax museum, the students and parents arrive early dressing in costumes, with their displays. The students are placed in their section based on the chart, and the parents help their children set up. An hour before the museum is underway, a bank from the community comes and films all of our students' hard work. Once the filming is finished, the community starts piling into the museum and the students recite their monologues to each person tat comes up to them. The students truly embody their character for that night, and it is an amazing production to attend. After the museum is concluded, the students are given a rubric and told to grade their production. They decide what they could have changed in order to be more successful during the museum.
STEM Leadership Committee
Winfield City Schools has built a STEM Leadership Committee for each school. The STEM Leadership Committee at Winfield Middle School includes the principal, STEM coordinator, 2 classroom teachers, a TEAMS teacher, the library media specialist, and the robotics instructor.
This leadership team takes part in training, developing, and leading our school to meet the STEM standards. Each member of the team has spent time at STEM specific trainings to ensure they are prepared to lead the school. Furthermore, the team has worked on collecting artifacts from our STEM implementation inside of Winfield Middle School.
STEM Coordinator
Winfield City Schools has a STEM Coordinator in place in order to provide school-wide support of the school's STEM program through the coordination, development, and delivery of STEM initiatives. In addition, the STEM Coordinator oversees and assists the STEM Leadership teams at each school building. The STEM Coordinator is involved in developing STEM curricula, planning daily lessons, adopting a data-driven attitude towards measuring learner progress, and developing STEM learning activities.