STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Activities

Source: http://blog.memetales.com/ 

Summer slide is the phenomenon where students lose concepts learned the prior year.  Experts have estimated that teachers spend over one month reteaching those concepts when school does resume.  Summer slide has also been targeted as a major cause of achievement gap in students. (click on the infographic to the right)

Believe it or not, school will be out in a few short weeks.  Parents and teachers need to have a plan to help prevent summer slide.  Join me in the month of May as I share ideas for parents and teachers to minimize loss and maybe even promote growth! 

An article from RIF: According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association: "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."

Activities

1.  Balloon Activities: Make a list of fun activities for your child: go to the library, run through the sprinklers, go see a movie, take a hike.  Your local chamber of commerce website probably has a really good calendar of events.  For instance, our little town has concerts in the park in the summer and a Fourth of July parade.  Those are great activities to add to your list.  Write the list on paper strips.  Blow up balloons and put one strip in each balloon.  You can date the balloons if you want that activity to happen on a particular day or leave the balloons undated for a complete surprise.  Every day, let your child pop a balloon and do the activity in the balloon.

I did this when my husband had his transplant.  He had to be in isolation for 2 months and we had to be separated from our two young boys.  Family took care of the boys, but we wanted them to have a good summer and to keep their minds off worrying about daddy.  I bought movie passes in advance and put those in the balloons.  I bought gift cards for McDonald's (a treat in our house) and put those in the balloons.  You would be surprised what you can fit in a balloon.

TheFrugalGirls.com 

2.  Craft Stick Activities:  Are you familiar with chore sticks?  (Link to Pinterest chore sticks board)  Chore sticks are tongue depressors with chores written on them.  Children select a stick out of a jar and have to do that chore.  They are great for kids who complain about chores.  But, what about writing fun activities on the sticks?

You can use the same types of activities as listed above.  To mix things up a bit, add sticks that say, "trade", "pick two today", or "free choice".







3.   Miscellaneous:  Perhaps the children grow in non-academic ways. Interpersonal relationships with family and friends. Physically, through play and rest. Emotionally, as they mature and get ready for the next grade level. Maybe this is an opportunity for them to explore areas not covered in traditional curriculum-dirt and it's properties, cooking with a parent, etc.  The infographic below has some great activity ideas (click on each picture to view it larger).

www.teachingstuff.com

This list is not meant to be exhaustive.  Keep the conversation going and post your favorite tips for preventing the summer slide in the comments below.

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Reading
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Science
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Technology
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Engineering
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math Part 2 

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math

Source: http://blog.memetales.com/ 

Summer slide is the phenomenon where students lose concepts learned the prior year.  Experts have estimated that teachers spend over one month reteaching those concepts when school does resume.  Summer slide has also been targeted as a major cause of achievement gap in students. (click on the infographic to the right)

Believe it or not, school will be out in a few short weeks.  Parents and teachers need to have a plan to help prevent summer slide.  Join me in the month of May as I share ideas for parents and teachers to minimize loss and maybe even promote growth! 

An article from RIF: According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association: "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."

Math 

There are many ways to work on math skills at home.  Playing games is probably my favorite.  Never boring, usually loud, mostly funny, sometimes messy and always engaging. You most likely already have the supplies needed and can get started today!

1.  Card Games:  There are as many card games as there are skill levels.  If your child is young, you may want to play Quick Draw.  Deal out the cards to the two players.  One player calls "draw!" and the two players flip over their top card.  Both players add the numbers shown in their head.  The first player to shout out the correct sum keeps both cards.  Play continues until all cards have been played.  The winner is the player with the most cards.

This game can be changed ever so slightly to work on subtraction.  Or multiplication.  Whatever level your child is on right now, they can do this with cards.  There are many great resources online.  Making Math More Fun is an 89 page eBook with 41 card games for all levels, plus cards to print out.  (Click here to see the book)

If you don't have a deck of cards, you can print them from the book mentioned above.  Dollar stores usually have decks for $1.  If you live near a casino, you can get used decks for free.  Casinos have to change out their decks periodically to prevent cheating.  The decks just pile up to be thrown away.  If you go in and ask at the cashiers booth, they will more than likely give you a handful.  I have done this every year for my classroom and have received over 100 decks of cards, for free.


2.  Dice Games:  There are just as many dice games as there are card games.  Do a simple Google or Pinterest search using "dice games for students" and you will find hundreds.

One of my boys' favorite dice games was Two Dice Toss.  You can use a pre-printed graph or make your own.  You will also need something to write with (mine preferred crayons) and two dice.  Player 1 rolls both dice and adds them up.  They color in a box on the graph with the same sum.  For instance, if they rolled a 2 and a 5, they would color in a box on the 7.  Play continues until one sum reaches the top of the graph first.  Or until your food arrives at the restaurant.  (My boys used to love this game so much, I put two dice in my purse and we played at restaurants while waiting for our food)

A great online resource for dice games is Mathwire.com.  They have games for one dice, two dice, dominoes, and coins.

3.  Reading about Math:  If you want to double-dip and encourage Reading along with Math, there are great books at your local library.  One website has organized picture books by Math concept, so you can select specific books to enrich concepts worked on.  (click here for the list)

4.  Math Programs on the Computer:  There are many apps that work on Math skills.  My boys are particularly fond of Math vs. Zombies.  Whatever works, right?  But, this summer, you can use a customized Math program for free.  You login and sign up your children.  You can select a custom program based on a 20 question test or a program based on grade level.  You can also select a personalized prize (trip to the movies, ice cream, etc.).  After your child takes the initial assessment, the program uses data analytics to customize the lessons your child needs to work on.  Kids can earn access to video games by completing 6 lessons.  They are rewarded throughout the summer to level up and earn more access to games.  And once again, it's free.  (click here to go to TenMarks)

This list is not meant to be exhaustive.  Keep the conversation going and post your favorite tips for preventing the summer slide in the comments below.

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Reading
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Science
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Technology
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Engineering
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Activities
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math Part 2 

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Engineering

Source: http://blog.memetales.com/ 

Summer slide is the phenomenon where students lose concepts learned the prior year.  Experts have estimated that teachers spend over one month reteaching those concepts when school does resume.  Summer slide has also been targeted as a major cause of achievement gap in students. (click on the infographic to the right)

Believe it or not, school will be out in a few short weeks.  Parents and teachers need to have a plan to help prevent summer slide.  Join me in the month of May as I share ideas for parents and teachers to minimize loss and maybe even promote growth! 

An article from RIF: According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association: "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."

Engineering

1.  Oldies but Goodies: When most people think of engineering, they think of professionals designing bridges or skyscrapers.  Although those are great examples of engineering, it can also be defined as designing solutions to common problems.  For instance, how can I collect the water that rains onto my roof and use it in my garden? 

Children are natural-born scientists and engineers.  And, they aren't afraid of failure.  Because, to them, it's not failure; it's just another step in the design process.  If their design fails the initial test, they modify their design and build again.  Over and over.  If your child fails to engineer an electric circuit on their first try, encourage them to analyze why it didn't work the way they wanted.  

Although there are really cool gadgets on the market that can build robots out of soda cans, you don't have to break the bank to encourage your child to engineer.  Legos are a perfect way to get your child started.  And the possibilities are endless.  K'Nex are also a resource at home that can be used to produce many different designs.  K'Nex has the addition of motorized pieces, which adds a really fun element to engineering.  Girls now have GoldieBlox to engineer and read.  

2.  Maker Camp:  What camp?  Maker movement is

a contemporary culture or subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture. Typical interests enjoyed by the maker culture include engineering-oriented pursuits such as electronics, robotics, 3-D printing, and the use of CNC tools, as well as more traditional activities such as metalworking, woodworking, and traditional arts and crafts. The subculture stresses new and unique applications of technologies, and encourages invention and prototyping.^[1] There is a strong focus on using and learning practical skills and applying them creatively. (thanks Wikipedia).

Google hosts a STEM hangout every summer.  From  July 6 to August 14, Google hosts a virtual camp on Google+.  Children are presented a problem or challenge to solve for the week.  They post videos and pics throughout the week of their creations.  At the end of the week, there is usually a virtual field trip or special visitor.  Last year, one such virtual field trip was with NASA.  Yeah, it's pretty cool.  If you are intimidated by wires and circuit boards, not to worry.  Duct tape and chicken wire are pretty typical building materials.



3.  Reading about Engineering:  Why not kill two birds with one stone and read about engineering?  The best book on engineering for children is Dream, Invent, Create.  National Science Teachers Association just chosen this book to be a prestigious NSTA Recommends© book!  After reading about different types of engineers (and lots of cool fun facts), there are engineering challenges in the back.  The book will capture the imagination of young and old readers alike.  (click here to buy the book)

This list is not meant to be exhaustive.  Keep the conversation going and post your favorite tips for preventing the summer slide in the comments below.

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Reading
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Science
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Technology
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math Part 2
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Activities

Innovation Nation STEM Festival

Chief Alchesay Activity Center usually erupts with the sound of clapping from cheering fans.  This last Wednesday, it erupted with catapults launching, rockets zooming, and Legos snapping.  Over 1,000 people attended the Innovation Nation STEM Festival on the Fort Apache Reservation. 

This year, Whiteriver Unified School District took an all-out approach to integrate new Common Core State Standards and new online digital assessment (PARCC).  Classrooms, from Kindergarten to high school, were engaged in project-based learning projects which were fully integrated into their existing, district-adopted curriculum.  Second graders used water tables to simulate weathering and erosion.  Third graders planted a butterfly garden for their life cycle unit.  Fifth graders built hot air balloons.  Seventh graders programmed robots.  High schoolers built a life-sized trebuchet.  What better way to highlight these projects (and all the learning that went into them) than to host a huge STEM festival and invite the entire community?!

This is not your typical Science Fair.  Instead, we had over 40 booths spread around the Activity Center.  Students signed up for shifts to stand near their booth.  Students explained their project to those who visited.  Each booth was also interactive, with rockets zooming across the activity center or paper airplanes flying overhead.  Parents held iPads up to the ceiling and tracked constellations.  Children glued pasta on paper plates to simulate life cycles.  Visitors poured water into pipelines which mimic the coming Rural Water Project and Pipeline.  Toddlers played with wooden blocks and Legos in the Toddler Maker Space.  Grandparents programmed robots to walk across a table.  Children controlled a robotic arm to pick up a stack of dice and set them down in a new location.  Visitors were able to launch water balloons with the trebuchet.

But not all the booths were manned by students.  We also had over 20 booths from local businesses and STEM organizations.  Some raffled off robots and telescopes.  ASU had an engineering challenge.  Gaming had a virtual reality gaming booth.  Arizona Science Museum had logic puzzles.  Even the local library and hospital came with information for attendees.  The local counseling provider cooked hot dogs for all visitors (over 1,000).  With the generous donation of several organizations, over $1,000 worth of prizes were handed out.

What did children have to do to earn prizes?  Engineering competitions!  We had a classic egg drop competition from the top balcony to the basketball floor.  Would you believe that all designs worked and we had 21 winners from that one competition?!  We also had a wind-powered race car competition.  Who knew life savers and straws made such wonderful wheels and axles?

It will be hard to top this next year, but I know 2,000 students who are up to the challenge.........

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Technology

Source: http://blog.memetales.com/ 

Summer slide is the phenomenon where students lose concepts learned the prior year.  Experts have estimated that teachers spend over one month reteaching those concepts when school does resume.  Summer slide has also been targeted as a major cause of achievement gap in students. (click on the infographic to the right)

Believe it or not, school will be out in a few short weeks.  Parents and teachers need to have a plan to help prevent summer slide.  Join me in the month of May as I share ideas for parents and teachers to minimize loss and maybe even promote growth! 

An article from RIF: According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association: "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."

Technology

1.  1 equals 1:  You might have avid readers at home and not need worry about this strategy.  But chances are, you have avid gamers and they could potentially spend all day on their devices.  If so, this strategy is for you!  1 equals 1 is the strategy that each minute spent reading, cleaning, playing outdoors, whatever earns one minute of screen time (tablets, TV, XBOX, whatever).  It would be best to set this expectation as soon as possible so as to not hear grumbles later when you try to institute it.  I'll be honest and it works in the opposite at our home (hey, I told you I beg, borrow, steal, and then adapt!).  I let my sons play with their devices for 30 minutes and I set the timer.  When the timer goes off, they know they have to put the devices down and do something else.  Sometimes, it's putting away laundry.  Sometimes, it's playing outside.  Oftentimes, they end up spending more than 30 minutes doing the real activity but I never set the timer for more than 30 minutes.  If you have a Kindle Fire, the Free Time app will do this for you.  Do what works for your family.

2.  Write:  Although your student can write in a paper journal/diary, this post is devoted to Tech, so I'll share some online resources.

• Novels on Location: Novels on location is basically a huge hyperlinked map.  Each feather on the map represents a novel linked to that location.  As of right now, there are approximately 600 books linked; hardly all the novels ever written, right?  So, have your students create a feather and pin it on the map. Once they have created a feather, students can write a summary of the book. It's a very simple process. Click on this link for a tutorial: Novels on Location.

• Amazon Customer Reviews: Anyone can post customer reviews of books on Amazon.com.  This activity would serve multiple purposes.  One, your student will be reading.  Two, your student will need to synthesize the information from the book into a summary.  Three, your student will type.  These are all big Common Core standards.  By 5th grade, students are expected to type a minimum of 2 pages in one sitting (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.6).  This won't happen overnight.  They need to build up to that stamina.  To  post a review, go to Amazon's help page (click here for the link) and they will guide you through it.  

• Author a Blog at Weebly:  There are many blog hosting sites on the internet.  I, for one, have two Bloggers, two Wordpresses, one Wiki, and one Weebly.  I have found Weebly to be the easiest for children.  It's simply a click, drag and drop, and type.  Teachers report that the simple fact that students are writing to a public audience, they use better grammar, spelling, and content.  I think it's more intrinsically motivating.  Students are able to customize the background to fit their personality.  They can add pics, video, and slideshows.  Your students could use their Weebly to do book reviews.  Or, they can chronicle their summer.  Imagine the first day of school when the teacher says, "What did you do for summer break?" and your student shows off their Weebly, complete with maps!  To set up an account, go to Weebly.com and register.  

This list is not meant to be exhaustive.  Keep the conversation going and post your favorite tips for preventing the summer slide in the comments below.

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Reading
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Science
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Engineering
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math Part 2
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Activities

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Science

Source: http://blog.memetales.com/ 

Summer slide is the phenomenon where students lose concepts learned the prior year.  Experts have estimated that teachers spend over one month reteaching those concepts when school does resume.  Summer slide has also been targeted as a major cause of achievement gap in students. (click on the infographic to the right)

Believe it or not, school will be out in a few short weeks.  Parents and teachers need to have a plan to help prevent summer slide.  Join me in the month of May as I share ideas for parents and teachers to minimize loss and maybe even promote growth! 

An article from RIF: According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association: "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."

Science

1.  Junior Rangers: Many families take trips during the summer; some of them to national parks.  Most national parks and monuments offer a free Junior Ranger program.  The Junior Ranger program is a fun way for children to learn about the science of the national park.  Simply go to the ranger station or museum when you enter the park.  Notify a ranger that your child would like to be a junior ranger.  They will give you a booklet and a pencil.  Some activities require the child to sit still and observe nature; making drawings of the plants and animals they can see.  Some activities are like treasure hunts.  As you explore the park as a family, be looking for clues to the questions in the booklet.  When your child has completed the book, return it to the ranger station.  Some parks have a big pomp and circumstance and officially swear-in your child as Junior Ranger.  Some simply give your child a plastic ranger badge.  Either way, it's highly motivating to children. 

2.  Read about Science:  No, I'm not talking about reading a science textbook.  I'm talking about taking children's literature and turning them into science experiments!  RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) has a wonderful website with resources for teachers and parents.  "Reading Is Fundamental’s  Multicultural Book Collection is comprised of 40 children’s books for grades K-5.  Each book will also have an accompanying set of activities developed in accordance with the new Common Core standards. Educators, parents and community volunteers alike are sure to enjoy sharing this collection and activities with children." To the right is an example activity page to accompany Boy + Bot. 

This list is not meant to be exhaustive.  Keep the conversation going and post your favorite tips for preventing the summer slide in the comments below.

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Reading
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Technology
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Engineering
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math Part 2
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Activities

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Reading

Source: http://blog.memetales.com/ 

Summer slide is the phenomenon where students lose concepts learned the prior year.  Experts have estimated that teachers spend over one month reteaching those concepts when school does resume.  Summer slide has also been targeted as a major cause of achievement gap in students. (click on the infographic to the right)

Believe it or not, school will be out in a few short weeks.  Parents and teachers need to have a plan to help prevent summer slide.  Join me in the month of May as I share ideas for parents and teachers to minimize loss and maybe even promote growth! 

An article from RIF: According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association: "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills."

Reading

1.  Read, read, and read some more: Parents can set up a daily routine which includes at least 20 minutes of reading.  Before establishing your routine, talk to your kids.  Are they early risers and are more alert in the early hours of the day?  Do they seldom rise before noon and can function just fine into the wee hours?  Better yet, maybe the best time is directly after lunch, when they have to wait for digestion before jumping in the pool.  Either way, stick with your routine until it becomes automatic.  You might want to read during this time, also.  Children mimic what they see.  Let them see you reading that magazine or that great novel you haven't had time for yet.

2.  Host a Reading Party:  If summer days were made for swimming, summer nights were made for sleepover parties.  To help stop the summer slide, transform the sleepover parties into Reading Parties.  Guests bring their favorite books, sleeping bags, and pillows.  Imagine the conversations around the living room as the boys talk about the shark facts they just read or comparing the main character in Hatchet to the main character in Sign of the Beaver.  With some planning, the Reading Party could be a child-sized book club with themed food and decorations (done by your budding reader).

3.  Refresh their home library:  If your house is anything like mine, there are books literally everywhere.  Some books get read over and over again, whilst some just sit and collect dust.  Even though we have well over 100 books, my boys still ask for new books all the time.  I found a great website www.PaperBackSwap.com where we can post our books we don't want anymore.  In exchange, we get to "order" books we do want.  There is no money exchanged, save the postage you pay to mail your book.  It's a win-win in that we de-clutter our bookshelves and get "new" books for free.

4.  Go to the local library:  Most public libraries have summer reading programs.  For instance, our library system has the children track their books read on a winding path.  When the kids reach milestones, they can go to the library to get small prizes.  Many libraries also have children's programs during the day.  Programs vary but might include puppet shows, arts and crafts, and sing-alongs.

5.  Go to the Virtual Library:  If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can download books for your young reader.  Many operating systems have eReaders, similar to Kindle.  If you live in Arizona, Read On Arizona has a special offer for you.  Read On Arizona has partnered with MyON (an online library) to provide access to over 7,000 books for free.  Go to MyON's website and click login.  Use school name: Read On Arizona with the username and password "read".  You can search by genre, title, or by using the Advanced button, you can search by grade level.

6.  Set reading goals:  At the beginning of summer, set reading goals with your child.  Perhaps they want to read the whole Harry Potter series.  Or maybe they want to read 25 books.  Whatever their goal, write it on the calendar.  For instance, let's say your summer break is the whole of June and July.  Put their goal at the end of July.  Now, calculate half of the summer.  In this case, that would be the end of June.  Write half their goal on that date (say 13 books by this date).  As that date approaches, check in with your child to see if they are on track to reach their goal.  With a little planning, your reader can write a letter to themselves, to be delivered half-way into summer.  Their letter could ask "Am I on track to reach my goal?"  If they have reached their goal, you might want to set a new higher goal, or reward them with a new book of their choice.

7.  Enter a Reading Challenge:  "The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge is a free online program designed to motivate and excite your kids around reading books this summer. Kids can log the minutes they spend reading, earn virtual rewards and prizes, and enter sweepstakes, all in an effort to set a new reading world record for summer 2015!"

This list is not meant to be exhaustive.  A quick search on Pinterest will yield hundreds of boards and pins dedicated to preventing summer slide.  Adventures in LiteracyLand has a great list of reading programs for readers.  Examples include RAZ Kids and Snap.  Keep the conversation going and post your favorite tips for preventing the summer slide in the comments below.

STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Science
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Technology
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Engineering
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Math Part 2
STEAMing Ahead to Stop the Summer Slide: Activities

Beg, Borrow, Steal, Then Adapt

Teachers are really good at sharing resources.  My mantra is "beg, borrow, steal, then adapt".  Sticker game boards are a perfect example of this.

A co-worker showed me his sticker game board and explained that he uses it for Vocabulary review.  A light bulb went off in my head.  My students will review ANY concept, if I call it a game.  I usually call our Vocabulary review "Vocabulary Pictionary".  They take turns drawing pics and flipping through their vocabulary journals.  I can turn almost any Math concept into a dice, card, or bingo game.  And over the years, I have bought several board games for classrooms.  But this......this.........this takes it to another level.

Summer Break is coming soon and I know that the kids will get bored at some point during the 2 months.  I have always sent home "break" homework packets, filled with word searches and math worksheets to help prevent the summer slide.  But this year, the students made their own gameboards.

A pen pal recently sent us a care package with tons of goodies.  St. Patrick's Day pencils, buttons, stickers, napkins, paperclips, and foam shamrocks and hearts.  I instantly knew what we were going to do with them!

Some of them were not finished when I took the pics, but you get the idea.  I just LOVE the different ideas they all had!  Some decided to make them into Math games.  Some made fact or opinion games.  Some made multiple choice cards.  My non-reader made his for practicing his sight words.  In the end, they had fun AND created a board game to play over Summer Break.

I would love to hear how you would "beg, borrow, steal, and then adapt" this idea. 

Take 'all of the above' approach to STEM instruction

Title 1 Admin recently published their third article about Whiteriver Unified School District's approach to STEM.  

Key points:

• Consider afterschool, summer learning opportunities

• Connect with community resources, local experts

• Showcase students' STEM work beyond the classroom

Take 'all of the above' approach to STEM instruction

Tell a group of students they'll be designing and launching hot air balloons, and then try not to get caught up in the excitement that ensues, said Bruce Goode, tech integration coordinator for the Whiteriver (Ariz.) Unified School District.Thanks to a Tech Ready Grant awarded by the state, the district is wrapped up in a fast-paced effort to create K-12 units that are igniting students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and math while also bolstering reading and writing skills. In addition, the units prepare students for Common Core-aligned assessments.However, WUSD isn't stopping with the web-based STEM units. Instead staff take an "all of the above" approach that infuses STEM into multiple initiatives across the district and expands their efforts beyond the grant work.Here are some examples from Goode; Susan Rodriguez, STEM curriculum developer; instructional coach Meghan Dorsett; and eighth-grade math teacher Kris Van Atten.

• Science camp: Rodriguez volunteered to develop a science curriculum for a local camp in
  
  exchange for fourth-graders visiting the camp at a reduced rate. Students spent two nights at the camp. They completed eight modules that prepared them for 68 percent of what is covered on the state science test, she said. All activities integrated multiple subject areas and involved lots of time observing nature and completing various experiments and other hands-on activities. Students observed real-life examples of erosion and animal camouflage, experienced solar power by baking in a solar oven, and even took a night hike to identify various animal sounds, howl back at coyotes, and recognize various constellations with the help of an app. Based on a pre- and post-test, students' knowledge increased by 27 percent after three days of instruction, Rodriguez noted in a recent blog post.

• Afterschool options: An afterschool STEM Club meets two days a week for an hour per session and serves as an enrichment opportunity for high-achieving students. This year's focus was on the tribe's Dam Project, Rodriguez said. Students learned about building towers and a functioning water wheel, how hydroelectric power is generated, and they also delved into other types of renewable energy sources. Students learned about typographic maps and created a 3D model of the dam and pipelines. Currently, the club's members are working on a website that will help the tribe learn about the pipeline and dam, she said. Rodriguez also volunteers for a STEM Club and Club Tech on early release Wednesdays  at the local Boys and Girls Club. Right now, the program is being piloted with 10 students with hopes to expand as more laptops become available, she said.

• Discovery Learning Camps: These camps extend learning into the summer with life and earth space science topics at the elementary level and a robotics theme at the middle and high school levels. Last summer was the first year for these camps, but sixth-graders are already talking about what names they'll give their robots this summer, Van Atten said.

• Community connections: 
  

• WUSD is a public school district located on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Many families live on federal assistance and unemployment rates are high. However, recent developments to reopen a timber mill and an upcoming dam project have families more hopeful. The district is tapping into the potential for future jobs related to both projects. For example, the tribal hydrologist has presented to students and worked with them on their projects both for the afterschool STEM Club and at the high school level where students built 3D models to scale of the landscape and the dam pipeline and pumping stations. The curriculum developer for the high school is emphasizing various STEM career opportunities, Goode said. That includes lining up internships for some students so they can work with the tribe on the dam project.

• Innovation Nation: This STEM festival drew about 500 people last year, and about double that is expected this year, Goode said. The districtwide event will provide a showcase for each school's winning class innovation projects and include math and science competitions that students can participate in during the event. Around 15 to 20 outside companies, government agencies, and various STEM organizations will set up booths to showcase innovation and creativity.

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STREAM Garden

We seem to be in the news a lot lately.  Our kids worked so hard on their garden.  Here is the link to the local newspaper article about our STREAM Garden.

Many help with building STREAM garden at Cradleboard Elementary                            

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Photo courtesy of Alicia Jimenez

Many help with building STREAM garden at Cradleboard Elementary

    As schools switch over to Common Core standards, Whiteriver Unified School District has adopted a STEM initiative to help integrate all the subjects together. The STEM initiative is district-wide, with each school specializing in one or more units. 

    Cradleboard Elementary, about 10 minutes south of Hon-Dah, is one of those schools. As part of their STEM initiative, they have built a school garden; a STREAM garden. STREAM stands for Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Math. Curriculum is being developed to integrate these standards into the garden, so teachers can take their classes outside to measure the growth of plants, make observations in journals, and create digital posters with their iPads. The STREAM Garden was funded by a grant from Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Program.  

     Over 50 students and community members came out April 26 to help build the garden, despite strong winds and threatening rain. Dads and teachers hauled topsoil in wheelbarrows. Toddlers used plastic rakes to smooth the soil. Grandmas watched over the kids painting rocks for the garden. Colleen Rustin, a grandma, watched the men build the beds and said, “You know? We can do that at home. We’re going to grow vegetables this summer.” Rustin then went on to gather other women in attendance to help build the remainder of the raised beds. The women spoke excitedly about making beds in the community this summer. 

     Each classroom gets their own raised bed, where teachers and students choose what to grow. Many teachers are growing vegetables and plants based on picture books they have read in class. Some teachers are growing theme gardens, such as a salsa garden, pizza garden and Three Sisters (corn, beans and squash).  

     Susan Rodriguez, the school STEM curriculum developer, has plans for a school cookbook next year. “Our goal is for the students to go home and talk with elders about traditional recipes. The students would then transcribe the recipes on the computer as part of the growing Common Core curriculum.”