Science should be fun and science should be challenging. Science must be taught in such a way that students from a lifelong love of the subject matter, and, hopefully, pursue a career in the science field. I teach seventh-grade science at a STEAM middle school in a urban area. I have 177 diverse learners who are taught using a hands-on, inquiry-based science curriculum.
My students are diverse.
Our school has many nationalities represented. My students are high achieving and from various different economic backgrounds, family situations like being homeless, or having a parent in the military. Our school is considered a school of need according to the number of students who qualify financially for free lunch programs.
Some students come to school hungry and are not truly concerned with what we have to teach them because they are overwhelmed by the thoughts of where their next meal may come from. Other students question if we actually have something to teach them that will truly make a difference in their lives. Still, others wonder if learning can truly be fun. The goal is to provide an educational environment that welcomes ALL and ensures academic growth.
My Project
Sarah, one of my STEM 7th graders, mentioned to me that another school had the first Lego League at their school and the students were able to use the Lego Mindstorms kits to learn about robotics and coding. That led the students to inquire about receiving this program, too. Students should always have access to new technology and experiences without worrying about finances or being at a high poverty school deciding whether or not the students can obtain the learning experience. The FIRST Robotics Lego League is a national program that challenges students to build a robot and program them to accomplish missions like obstacles in the field. My teams will spend months meeting 5-10 hours a week designing and planning for this event.
We are requesting the new space challenge kit for Lego Mindstorms so the girls can code and program their robots in STEM class.
The upcoming project for my students will be to create their own game that they will have to program their robot to compete. In order to prep for this project, the students will need to see samples of current and popular games. The ink will be used when printing out their gaming materials and instructions.
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