My students come from a wide variety of learning situations, from struggling to striving. The school is set within a suburban community near military housing. Even though my school is within a large metropolitan city, it feels like a small community and sheltered, an "island in the hills." Within these hills, we have a variety of ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as several families that have moved here from other countries. Many of our students are also grappling with parents being deployed or on active duty.
Project-based, STEAM exploration is engaging and motivating to all students, and a tool to building growth-mindset, regardless of their academic level.
My students are exuberant and creative, and I am constantly challenged to investigate new opportunities for them to test the waters in STEM/STEAM learning for all grade levels TK-5th grade. We also make a concerted effort to incorporate NGSS standards, and make it relevant to the students' world and interests. The curriculum is student-driven and ever-morphing to meet their needs in a problem-based learning environment.
My Project
I would like to incorporate STEAM lessons based on picture books. I have been slowly collecting a library of books for this purpose.
Picture books help to pique student engagement and prepare us to dive into explorations, whether in science, engineering, art, or even human impact and awareness.
They help connect the students to their learning and experiences, and provide another layer to their understanding, especially with concepts that are more difficult to recreate in the classroom.
With so many students (400) and grade levels to teach (7), the more books to choose from the better! The books can be used whether we are distance learning or on-site.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Allard's STEAM Lab and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
