Mon, Nov 18, 2019 12:08 AM
Good Resource With A few Good Suggestions, Just Not Quite the STEAM I was Lookin
I chose to read and review this article because I am interested in integrating STEM concepts into a mid-level ELAR classroom. I am presently in the process of completing my Master’s in Elementary Education for 4-8 Certification in Social Studies and am taking Elementary STEM Teaching as part of my required curriculum. I am somewhat new to the field of teaching and the teaching I do have experience in, is solely within the capacity of social studies and ELAR. I do not have any college or professional background experience in Science, and I was completely inexperienced with STEM prior to my enrollment in the course.
However, I have very much enjoyed the course and am very eager to integrate the concepts into my current ELAR 6th grade classroom. I have been actively seeking resources to assist me in effectively creating STEAM activities that might tie ELAR reading at the mid-level to specific concepts of Science and Math.
I found the recommendation and description of a makerspace within the article to be quite interesting. Since I have completed a few STEM related activities for my Master’s class, I do have a plethora of supplies around my classroom that are presently just taking up space in a closet. The idea of creating a designated area, “…where people come together to make things,” (Robinson 18), seems really fun and quite plausible.
I also appreciated the resource suggestion of PBS Design Squad and other such resources noted within the article. I look forward to researching these suggestions further to see if I might identify a source specifically intended to tie STEM activities to traditional mid-level reading lists.
Unfortunately, this article did not quite meet the expectations I was hoping for in that its stated purpose is to implement art into a Science Classroom whereas I am looking for a resource that might better assist me with integrating science and math into a language arts and reading class. But, I did find value in a few of the suggestions and am grateful for the information provided. I will continue researching sources within NTSA.