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The disciplinary literacy strategy warehouse is a collection of strategies used by teachers in the IQ-MS project to infuse purposeful reading, meaningful writing, and productive dialogue into their middle grades mathematics and science classrooms.

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The disciplinary literacy strategy warehouse is a collection of strategies used by teachers in the IQ-MS project to infuse purposeful reading, meaningful writing, and productive dialogue into their middle grades mathematics and science classrooms.

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Compiled from Excerpts of S2TEM Centers SC Innovation Configuration Maps and White Papers

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STEM Mindedness

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Anne Jolly

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In a nutshell, what do STEM teachers need to know and be able to do to be effective? Here's what one STEM teaching expert told me.

Dr. Susan Pruet has been a national leader in developing authentic, high-engagement curriculum since the early days of the STEM movement. She sent me this "quick list" and remarked that this STEM job description has been pretty well defined by research and experience over the past decade.

If you need to select an area of professional growth this year, check out Susan's 13 traits of accomplished STEM educators and choose one or two areas where you believe you could become more skillful.

1. Be able to engage kids in selecting real world problems to work on. Kids should pick a problem that interests them. Use experts to help to define the problem clearly.

2. Work together with a teacher in either math or science (whatever you are not teaching) to integrate the subjects. Plan for digital technology where appropriate. Know that technology also involves anything created to meet a human need.

3. Be able to engage kids in meaningful research and knowledge acquisition about the problem. Doesn't have to be reading or watching a video.

4. Be able to manage teams effectively. The ultimate goal, of course, is to enable kids to manage themselves.

5. Be able to get kids to ask the right questions. That means you need to be able to ask the right questions as well - not questions with yes and no answers - but questions that stimulate curiosity.

6. Act as a learning facilitator, not a presenter of information. Don't tell kids what they need to discover - let them think for themselves. Discovery is a part of learning.

7. Be able to convince kids to accept failure as normal and a necessary part of the process of learning. Failure to succeed on solving a problem is an opportunity to try again with more information and an increased chance of success.

8. Be able to allow kids to muck through many possible solutions for their problem, and teach them that problems have more than one possible solution, or right answer.

9. Use an engineering design process (described here).

10. Help kids understand and decide on criteria and constraints.

11. Allow teams to physically construct solutions for problems. Time and materials may be limited but don't leave out hands-on "learning by doing."

12. Test and analyze performance, and how well performance meets criteria. Be sure to involve math, graphics, computer programs, etc.

13. Lead teams to plan for redesign, and to understand that problem-solving is an ongoing process in which success is sometimes constructed over many "draft" efforts.

Explore my STEM By Design website to find information on many of these teaching strategies. And keep an eye out for an upcoming post on my MiddleWeb blog that will elaborate more on Susan's list!

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In a nutshell, what do STEM teachers need to know and be able to do to be effective? Here's what one STEM teaching expert told me. Dr. Susan Pruet has been a national leader in developing authentic, high-engagement curriculum since the early days of the STEM movement.

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Anne Jolly

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What STEM lessons will you use with your students this year?

This question probably looms large as you look for practical tips and information about quality STEM learning experiences for your students.

In this post I'll summarize what the "ideal" STEM lesson might look like, with these understandings:

► There's no single, die-cut STEM curriculum that every school or teacher should be using. No one lesson is right for all kids. As a STEM teacher, you have plenty of opportunity to hand-craft an effective lesson for your students.

► The STEM lesson components mentioned here are rarely all found in the same lesson. It may take several different lessons to give your kids experience with all the components. Over the course of the school year, however, your kids should actively engage with all of the components.

► Effective STEM lessons take several class periods to complete. One-period lessons can serve a strategic purpose by focusing on a particular STEM component, but they should not comprise your entire STEM program.

Whether you're looking for an existing STEM lesson, redesigning a favorite lesson as a STEM project, or starting from scratch, you need to ask this question: Is this really a STEM lesson?

To help you answer this question, I'm listing some STEM specifications below. You can download a companion checklist, STEM Lesson Specifications, from my book website.

STEM Specifications to Consider

1. Does the lesson present a real problem (an engineering challenge)? You're looking for lessons that will tap into students' natural and innate curiosity about the real world and entice them to ask and investigate questions they care about. The best STEM lessons invite kids to address compelling social, economic, and environmental issues in their lives and communities. For example, they might design and create solutions to make a product safer or more cost-effective. They might design a way to minimize a type of damage to their local environment. They might work on a solution for a health or accessibility issue.

2. Will students relate to the problem? The amount of enthusiasm and interest your students bring to the lesson depends on its relevance for them. Choose a lesson that focuses on a real problem - not a "pretend" scenario that involves mythical creatures or plants. If possible, let your students have a part in identifying a real problem. Ownership increases learning. When I began teaching at a newly constructed school, my science students were genuinely concerned about the runoff damage from the large asphalt parking lot. The kids tackled that problem and maintained their interest and buy-in throughout the project. (If interested, read about it here.)

3. Does the lesson allow students multiple and creative approaches and solutions for solving the problem? Remember that STEM challenges don't have just one correct solution. For example, a bridge might be successfully constructed using several different designs. Or a container of ice cream might be kept solid for a given period of time by a number of lunch bag insulation designs. In the STEM lesson you teach, different student teams should be able to research and select different approaches and solutions.

4. Does the lesson integrate and apply important science and math grade-level content? STEM lessons go beyond just fun activities. To have maximum impact, STEM projects cement students' grasp of important science and math concepts and drill deeper into those. Lessons should focus on one or more important grade-level objectives for both content areas. Note: You don't have to give both math and science equal emphasis in every STEM challenge; but both content areas should be present in each lesson to some degree.
5. Does the lesson intentionally use the engineering design process as the approach to solve problems?
By now you know that the "E" in STEM stands for engineering - a key component that makes STEM different from regular science, technology and math instruction. Authentic STEM lessons involve students in using an engineering design process (EDP) similar to the one shown here. Most EDPs contain similar steps. When selecting lessons, look carefully to be sure the steps in this process are present. Even if they are not specifically labeled in the lesson you choose, they should be clearly present. ( Download my annotated example.)

6. Does the lesson use a student-centered, hands-on teaching and learning approach? STEM lessons encourage kids to explore and solve problems through activities that are as authentic as possible. A project-based learning (PBL) approach that focuses on developing rigor in science and math works well. Look for these instructional characteristics in lessons:

The lesson features flexibility and choice. It is not prescriptive,and teachers play a facilitator role - providing just enough guidance and monitoring.

The lesson encourages kids to carry out hands-on investigations and grow in their ability to think creatively, wrestle with ideas, explore, make decisions, and test their ideas as possible solutions.

The learning environment is risk-free and students aren't afraid to make mistakes. (The class motto might be "No fear here!") Analyzing mistakes and design failures are simply methods of learning.

7. Does the lesson lead to the design and development of a model or prototype? Make sure that the lesson you choose requires the creation of a model or prototype. (Occasionally students may create a system to solve a problem, but the usual outcome is a prototype.) Models and prototypes are a key to understanding, exploring and expressing almost all big concepts in science and engineering. In addition, kids gain a sense of accomplishment when they apply the what they've learned to construct solutions they can see and touch.

8. Is the role of technology in the lesson clear to the students? Technology can help with research, investigation, and design during the lesson. In some cases, students may use coding to create a digital technology for solving a problem. In addition, when they create a solution for a problem, kids are actually creating a technology. They should understand that technology can have both helpful and harmful consequences. Technology plays multiple roles in STEM, and during the lesson its role should be clear to students.

9. Does the lesson successfully engage students in purposeful teamwork? As you examine possible lessons, check to see if they specifically reference student teams. Even better, do the lessons give kids pointers for learning to work collaboratively? STEM lessons would ideally provide some guidance to help them learn and practice successful team behaviors and personal interaction skills. In reality, few lessons actually spell out this teamwork component. If you'd like ideas, you might download the free Student Teaming Tips from my book website.

10. Does the lesson include testing prototypes, evaluating results, and redesigning to improve their outcome? Prototype testing and data-gathering are vital parts of any STEM project. Some pre-made lessons stop short of this. If the lesson meets other criteria, you might design this section yourself and round it out to a full-fledged STEM lesson. Students need to be able to represent data graphically and to draw accurate conclusions. Based on the results, they should be able to make informed decisions about redesigning their prototype to improve it.

11. Does the lesson involve students in communicating their design and results? Specific guidance on creatively and accurately communicating their engineering ideas and solutions often gets short shrift in STEM lessons. Ways of communication include technical writing, blogging, videos, creative poster shows, social media, sharing with experts over Skype, and so on. In your STEM lesson, build creativity by encouraging new and innovative ways of communicating, perhaps in conjunction with arts and language arts teachers. Find audiences for your students!

Will I Ever Find Such Lessons?

What are the chances of finding a STEM lesson that meets all criteria? Chances are better that you'll find one you like that does not do that. In that case, you can redesign the lesson to include some missing criteria. (One element often missing is the focus on a real-world problem. Use your imagination to add authenticity.)

And remember - all the lesson specifications may not be in the mix during every lesson. Over the course of their STEM experiences, however, students should become thoroughly immersed in all of the STEM components I've described here. Then they'll have a true taste of what a STEM career might be like.

Put Some Lessons to the Test

Here are a few STEM-related lessons we've found on the web that have at least some elements of a high quality STEM project or activity. Now that you've read my suggested criteria, apply them to each of these lessons and see if any are a good fit for your program.

► Build an Earthquake-Resistant House (Science Buddies)

► Block That Noise! (Science Buddies)

► Cybersecurity: Denial-of-Service Attack (Science Buddies)

► The Bama Bears Challenge (EYE/MAEF)

► Headphone Helper (Design Squad Global)

► J ust Like Kidneys: Semipermeable Membrane Prototypes (TeachEngineering)

NOTE: The Science Buddies site requires a free account to access all the details. Just takes a minute. The TeachEngineering site regularly features "Editor's Picks," including projects that often meet many of the STEM criteria.

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Anne Jolly's best-selling book STEM By Design: Strategies & Activities for Grades 4-8 is a Routledge/ MiddleWeb publication. MiddleWeb readers receive a 20% discount from Routledge with the code MWEB1. Visit Anne's book website for many more articles and free STEM resources and lesson ideas.

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What STEM lessons will you use with your students this year? This question probably looms large as you look for practical tips and information about quality STEM learning experiences for your students. In this post I'll summarize what the "ideal" STEM lesson might look like, with these understandings: ► There's no single, die-cut STEM curriculum that every school or teacher should be using.

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Connect with Us - S2TEM Centers SC Monthly Newletter

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Connect with Us - S2TEM Centers SC Monthly Newletter

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Using Norms of Collaboration with Students

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Using Norms of Collaboration with Students

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Edutopia

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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ABCs To Shake up the Learning Environment

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ABCs To Shake up the Learning Environment

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Education Closet

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The Institute for Arts Integration and STEAM

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Amanda Koonlaba | November 2018

"Learning Environment" is a broad term that is defined around the internet as being the diverse contexts, physical spaces, and cultures where students learn. When I think of contexts for learning, I think of a wide array of ways that students receive their instruction and present their learning. So, with that in mind, I brainstormed a list of unconventional considerations for learning environments.

Let this list lead your imaginative teacher brains on the path to shaking up the learning environment where you teach.

A is for... Armchairs for independent reading. Think: snuggling up with a good book...

B is for... Bosu Balls for strengthening motor skills while listening

E is for... Exercise by taking brain breaks with programs like Move-to-Learn.

H is for... Hangouts. Use Google to bring in professionals who use the skills you are teaching in their careers. Hint: DreamWakers can make it happen FOR FREE!

J is for... Juxtaposition. Take two seemingly unrelated things and have students reason how they actually are related.

K is for... Kalimba. Play during transitions to help students maintain a reasonable noise level.

O is for... Open-Ended Projects that don't have a right or wrong answer.

P is for... Promotion to teach students to become confident when they know how to positively portray themselves to others. Think: Self-promotion on social media in a positive way.

R is for... Read Aloud. Read to the students and have them read to each other. Think: variety, as in newspapers, picture books, chapter books, blog posts, magazine articles, quotes, etc.

V is for... Vocabulary.Encourage students to use academic vocabulary when they chat about their learning (See: D - Discussion).

W is for... Warmth. Keep some little comforters in the room for students who get chilly.

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ABCs to Shake Up the Learning Environment

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Amanda Koonlaba | November 2018 "Learning Environment" is a broad term that is defined around the internet as being the diverse contexts, physical spaces, and cultures where students learn. When I think of contexts for learning, I think of a wide array of ways that students receive their instruction and present their learning.

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University of Arkansas

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Bureau of Labor Statistics

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14 Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century

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14 Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century

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From urban centers to remote corners of Earth, the depths of the oceans to space, humanity has always sought to transcend barriers, overcome challenges, and create opportunities that improve life in our part of the universe. In the last century alone, many GREAT ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENTS became so commonplace that we now take them mostly for granted. Technology allows an abundant supply of food and safe drinking water for much of the world. We rely on electricity for many of our daily activities. We can travel the globe with relative ease, and bring goods and services wherever they are needed. Growing computer and communications technologies are opening up vast stores of knowledge and entertainment. As remarkable as these engineering achievements are, certainly just as many more great challenges and opportunities remain to be realized. While some seem clear, many others are indistinct and many more surely lie beyond most of our imaginations.
With input from people around the world, an international group of leading technological thinkers were asked to identify the Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st century. Their 14 game-changing goals for improving life on the planet, announced in 2008, are outlined here. The committee suggested these Grand Challenges fall into four cross-cutting themes: Sustainability, Health, Security, and Joy of Living.
For the report's full Introduction CLICK HERE.

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Grand Challenges - 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering

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From urban centers to remote corners of Earth, the depths of the oceans to space, humanity has always sought to transcend barriers, overcome challenges, and create opportunities that improve life in our part of the universe. In the last century alone, many GREAT ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENTS became so commonplace that we now take them mostly for granted.

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Looking for a video that showcases engineering? A hands-on engineering activity or lesson plan for your outreach event? A field trip idea?

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Be creative and help people with engineering at DESIGN SQUAD GLOBAL. Watch videos, play games, try activities, and share designs with the community.

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Explore STEM Resources for K-12 Educators

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NASA invests in our nation's future workforce by providing unique science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) opportunities for students, educators and institutions. NASA's Office of STEM Engagement collaborates with NASA STEM experts to connect both learners and educators to exciting NASA missions through dynamic STEM content.

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April 2024 Editor's Pick

Students reinforce their knowledge that DNA is the genetic material for all living things by modeling it using toothpicks and gumdrops that represent the four biochemicals (adenine, thiamine, guanine, and cytosine) that pair with each other in a specific pattern, making ...

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Ignite STEM learning in K-12 - TeachEngineering

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Free, K-12, NGSS standards-aligned STEM lessons and hands-on activities for teaching elementary, middle and high school science, engineering design and math. Search by concepts or specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to Ignite STEM learning in K-12.

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https://www.embraceinnovations.com/#home

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Find STEM programs, events, courses and more across SC

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STEMLinx | Sharing South Carolina STEM Related Activities

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Discover great STEM opportunities happening near you.

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Creating STEM Experiences and Assessing InDI Projects

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Creating STEM Experiences and Assessing InDI Projects

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Creating STEM Experiences Assessing InDI Projects at Mason Prep

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iSTEM S2TEM Centers SC

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Computational Thinking White Paper S2TEM CTR 2019

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K12CS.org

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600 NEW Content-Aligned Games - Breakout EDU

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We are excited to announce 600+ new K-8 games for math, science, ELA and social studies . Included in each of these subject areas, you will find new digital games for all covered standards and capstone games to review each unit.

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Based in Nantes, France, the street theatre company Royal de Luxe performs around the world, primarily using gigantic, elaborate marionettes to tell stories that take place over several days and wind through entire cities. Puppeteers maneuver the huge marionettes -- some as tall as 12 meters (40 ft) -- through streets, parks, and waterways, performing their story along the way. Gathered here are images of several recent Royal de Luxe performances, from Belgium, Mexico, Germany, Chile, and England.

View this page Hints: full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

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Based in Nantes, France, the street theatre company Royal de Luxe performs around the world, primarily using gigantic, elaborate marionettes to tell stories that take place over several days and wind through entire cities. Puppeteers maneuver the huge marionettes -- some as tall as 12 meters (40 ft) -- through streets, parks, and waterways, performing their story along the way.

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Resources include lesson plans, audio, student workbooks, and basic assessment tools.

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In 46 episodes, Dr. Shini Somara will teach you how we built much of our world with engineering! This course is based on introductory college-level material ...

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Destination Imagination Instant Challenge Matrix

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A data base of student led projects to solve real problems - their way of making "their world better"

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The Better Their World Student Project Database

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Try it! ⇒

Scroll though the completed projects to see what kids of all ages have already done to Better Their World. Click on any project to see details, including for many, a video.

Click "Add Filters" in upper right to apply conditions to the list.

You can also use the buttons at the bottom to navigate.

Also available as an app for iOS and Android!

Do you know of additional student projects with Measurable Positive Impact on the World?

About the Sponsor

This database is sponsored and funded by:

THE GLOBAL FUTURE EDUCATION FOUNDATION AND INSTITUTE

a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to promoting and spreading CIVILIZATION-LEVEL CHANGE IN EDUCATION through EMPOWERMENT TO BETTER THEIR WORLD - a new and better alternative vision of education for young people in the third millennium.

More at global-future-education.org

Marc Prensky,founder and Executive Director of theContact Marc at Global Future Education Foundation and Institute, is an internationally acclaimed speaker, author, consultant and "practical visionary," promoting civilization-level change in global education. He has spoken in over 40 countries, authored seven books, and published over 100 essays; his writing has been translated into 11 languages. His latest book, marcprensky@gmail.com Education to Better Their World: Unleashing the Power of 21st Century Kids, was awarded the FOREWARD INDIES Book of the Year 2016 GOLD PRIZE FOR EDUCATION.

Esther Wojcicki has been a teacher at Palo Alto High School for 34 years, during which time she created a world-renowned journalism program and received numerous awards. Her mission is now transforming education for the 21st century.

Esther's particular goal is to get teachers - around the world - to see and act on a new perspective on what they need to do and how to do it for our future kids. Esther is the author of Moonshots in Education and the founder of MoonshotsEDU.com

David Engle, a former superintendent and principal, focuses on integrating schools, education and communities. In 4 years as the Superintendent of Schools in the Port Townsend Public School District in Washington State, David totally transformed the formerly isolated schools into a highly integrated school/community system.

David's educational philosophy was honed through education administration roles including 3 years as Superintendent of schools in North Platte, MO, an Executive Directorship at Educational Testing Service (ETS), 4 years as Principal at Squalicum High School in Washington, and 2 years as Project Administrator for School Transformation at the Seattle Public Schools.

David is currently helping other school districts integrate their schools more intimately with their communities.

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The Better Their World Student Project Database

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Scroll though the completed projects to see what kids of all ages have already done to Better Their World. Click on any project to see details, including for many, a video. Click "Add Filters" in upper right to apply conditions to the list. You can also use the buttons at the bottom to navigate.

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Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements

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Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements

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The Buck Institute for Education - PBL in action

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The Buck Institute for Education - PBL in action

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our expanding library of project ideas that are standards-aligned, and cover a range of grade levels and subject areas.

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4A's Text Protocol for Reading and Dialogue

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4A's Text Protocol for Reading and Dialogue

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S2TEM Centers SC

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GRADE: 8

Standard: 8.F.3
Lesson Overview: In these lessons, students will use technology to graph and look for patterns to establish solid connections to the concepts of slope, x- and y-intercepts, and how such graphs are connected to distance-time graphs.

Handout 1
Handout 2
Handout 3

GRADE: 7

Standard: SCCCR-M 7.DSP.3, SCCCR-M 7.DSP.4
Lesson Overview: In this lesson students will study the arm span lengths of the boys and girls within a class. To analyze the data students will compute measures of center (mean, median), quartiles (first, second, and third quartiles) and spread (range, Interquartile Range (IQR), mean absolute deviation (MAD)). Conclusions will be drawn based upon analysis of the data and examinations of graphs, in the context of questions asked about lengths of arm spans.

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GRADE: 8 Standard: 8.F.3 Lesson Overview: In these lessons, students will use technology to graph and look for patterns to establish solid connections to the concepts of slope, x- and y-intercepts, and how such graphs are connected to distance-time graphs.