STEM week in MA!

Dear Teachers;

Did you know that MA DESE has designated October 22-26^th as Massachusetts STEM week?  This is a great week to highlight with your students the interconnected nature of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  While you don’t have to do anything special for it, if you are looking for a few ideas of inspiration, consider some of the suggestions below:

Websites & Online Resources

• Check out NASA’s classroom resources page:  https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/classroom-activities/en/
• Check out Code.org: https://code.org/
• Code with Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/
• Hour of Code:  https://hourofcode.com/us

Check out these BrainPopJR videos:

• Engineering Design Process: https://jr.brainpop.com/science/beascientist/engineeringanddesignprocess/
• Scientific Method: https://jr.brainpop.com/science/beascientist/scientificmethod/
• Math movies:  https://jr.brainpop.com/math/
• Technology: https://jr.brainpop.com/artsandtechnology/technology/ 

No-Prep ideas

• Go outside, make observations about the living things around you (color, draw, write poetry, take pictures).  Make predictions about what you might see in January, March, and June.  Discuss patterns.
• Pick numbers to ‘count by’ and ‘start with’ and see how far you can get as a class (i.e. starting with the number 17, let’s count by 6’s; 17, 23, 29, 35…)

Robots

• Check out some of the cool things you can do with Dash & Dot (available at all elementary schools – ask your library/media specialist!): https://www.pinterest.com/TeachWonder/teacher-projects-with-dash-dot/?lp=true
• Check out the MiP robot (available at all elementary schools – ask your library/media specialist!): https://wowwee.com/mip

Math

• Check out the different Which One Doesn’t Belong online picture sets, have kids build their own: http://wodb.ca/
• Try out these number challenges in “Splat”:  https://www.stevewyborney.com/?p=893
• Check out these free MashUp Math puzzles:  http://mashupmath.com/freemathpuzzles/

Literacy-Based

• Read the book “After The Fall” by Dan Santat.  Using found objects/recyclable objects, challenge students to create something to help him reach the top shelf cereals or to protect him from cracking if he falls off the wall.
• Read the book “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” and build a “tree” from found objects/recycling that can hold the most magnetic letters.
• Read “Iggy Peck, Architect” and build a bridge with found objects/pattern blocks/etc.:   https://www.andreabeaty.com/iggy-peck-architect.html

Unplugged

• Check out these “unplugged” coding activities:  https://code.org/curriculum/unplugged

Have fun learning and exploring!

------------------------------------------------------
Heather Leonard
STEM Curriculum Coordinator, Reading Public Schools

Twitter: @STEMReading

https://readingstem.blogspot.com/

The aim of science is to discover and illuminate truth. ~Rachel Carson

Every time a student makes a mistake in math, they grow a synapse. ~ Jo Boaler

There's nothing I believe in more strongly than getting young people interested in science and engineering, for a better tomorrow, for all humankind. ~ Bill Nye