STEM Resources

STEM: It's Elementary! Expert advice on effective STEM education for elementary school teachers by Erin MacPherson Picture a first-grade classroom, maybe even your own. Kids gather around the sand table, exploring the sand, letting the grains run between their fingers. The teacher passes out some props—marbles, rulers, boxes and cups—and lets students explore freely for a few minutes. The kids excitedly dig in, filling cups with sand and pouring it out, burying marbles, and turning the rulers into shovels and rakes. Then she says: “I have a challenge for you today. For Educators Search Educational Resources Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keyword. These lesson plans and teaching materials support your STEM curriculum.

STEM Curriculum Hopkins Public Schools is going beyond the core curriculum to offer students an education that prepares them to compete globally using 21st century skills. What is STEM? STEM refers to the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. However, STEM initiatives are not science, technology, engineering and mathematics in isolation. Rather, STEM is the integration of courses, programs or linked learning opportunities using an interdisciplinary approach through exploration, discovery and problem solving.

Smithsonian Learning Lab The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) first opened to the public on March 17, 1910, as the new United States National Museum. The National Museum was first housed in what is now the Arts and Industries Building. Grayscale postcard of two skeletons of horned dinosaurs on exhibit at the United States National Museum, now the National Museum of Natural History. STEM for Elementary School Students - How to Instill a Lifelong Love of Science Elementary STEM students at Glen Lake Elementary in Minnetonka, MN (Photo Credit: Glen Lake Schools) By now, we’ve all heard about STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) — and its importance to the U.S. economy. According to the U.S. Department of Education, all STEM jobs in the U.S. will increase 14 percent from 2010-2020, accounting for millions of positions. Yet, data shows that 3 million of those jobs will go unfilled by 2018. One reason for that is not enough students seriously consider a career in STEM.

Improving STEM Curriculum and Instruction: Engaging Students and Raising Standards Download the full brief The glazed eyes, the hands propping up heads, the giggling in the back of the room: these are the all-too-common signs of disengaged students in STEM classes across the country. Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, biology, chemistry, physics—some of the most important topics in U.S. education—are among the toughest to teach well.

STEM Education in the Elementary Classroom In order to meet the increasingly rigorous and technically focused demands of 21st century living, we have seen quite a push in American society to engage our youth in STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). This comes on the heels of the alarmingly overall low performance of American high school students’ test scores in math and science compared to other industrialized countries. President Obama has stated many times that we as a nation must remain leaders in science and technology, as our national economic prosperity depends on it. When we think of STEM education, we think high school students taking chemistry and algebra courses, not third graders and multiplication. But with a little forethought and a bit of tweaking to your lessons, a STEM-based curriculum can be suitable for elementary students.

What is STEM Education? STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications. Though the United States has historically been a leader in these fields, fewer students have been focusing on these topics recently. According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 16 percent of high school students are interested in a STEM career and have proven a proficiency in mathematics. The lowdown on STEM schools A high school student tosses a ball into the air and watches it fall. Then he films the falling ball and graphs the movement on his computer. Nearby, a sophomore scrawls out equations with a blue marker, while a classmate looks over his shoulder and shakes her head. “I think that number should be negative.”

Starting and Implementing a STEM Program - Arizona STEM Network by Science Foundation Arizona Starting and Implementing a STEM Program The STEM Immersion Guide was created as a tool to help educators establish and implement for 21st century schools and classrooms in Arizona. It is written as an over-arching framework to help chart a course for integrating STEM education in Arizona schools and districts. The STEM Immersion Guide contains key design elements that support project-based, interdisciplinary STEM instruction by providing practical tools and information to enable teachers, schools and districts, and administrators that want to improve student outcomes by integrating STEM.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Hopkins Public Schools has integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) into its elementary, junior high and high school core curriculum. All Hopkins students are exposed to STEM concepts starting as early as preschool and continuing throughout junior high. In high school, students can choose from a variety of STEM courses. The Hopkins School District is endorsed by the Minnesota High Tech Association for its leading efforts with STEM. What is STEM? STEM refers to the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. How to Engineer a Great STEM Curriculum for Middle School A MiddleWeb Blog What does a good middle school STEM curriculum look like? We’re hearing this question more and more often as schools across the U.S. and elsewhere get serious about establishing STEM learning experiences for their students in the middle grades.

STEM Education Grades K-5 ~ Instruction ~ School Improvement in Maryland STEM Proficient Students: STEM proficient students are able to answer complex questions, investigate global issues, and develop solutions for challenges and real-world problems while applying the rigor of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content. STEM proficient students are logical thinkers who are technologically, scientifically, and mathematically literate. STEM Education in Elementary School The development of STEM proficient students begins in elementary schools. In the elementary grades, students apply the rigor of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content and the STEM Standards of Practice while engaged in learning activities that investigate the natural world. Students explore technology and engineering solutions and appropriately apply the concepts of mathematics in order to understand and address real life issues and solve problems or challenges.