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why STEM is important for students

Why STEM is Important for Students with Tiffani Teachey [ep.148]

Why STEM is Important for Students with Tiffani Teachey [ep.148]

why STEM is important for students

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Episode Summary

We always hear how STEM is important and the importance of STEM in schools. Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, you know STEM is important for kids. The real question is, why is STEM important for students? What impact does STEM have on children’s education? That’s what we’re talking about today. In today’s episode, I chat with Tiffani Teachey, who wears many hats, including Sr. Mechanical Engineer, STEM advocate, and TEDx international speaker, to name a few. Tiffani shares so many great insights into why STEM is important for kids and how you can encourage student engagement in STEM.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why STEM is important for students
  • Tiffani’s STEM education journey
  • How Tiffani inspires kids to pursue a career in STEM
  • How to encourage student engagement in STEM

Resources Mentioned:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Meet Tiffani Teachey:

Tiffani Teachey is a Sr. Mechanical Engineer, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) advocate, TEDx international speaker, and international best-selling author of the children's book What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z, the STEM Crew Kids Adventures series, and three transformative books on women's empowerment and entrepreneurship. She is the host of the Read It Right Radio Show on WDRBmedia and also host of the Engineering Management Institute (EMI) Women in Engineering Podcast. She is the founder of STEM Crew Magazine. Tiffani is the owner of Thrive Edge Publishing and the owner and publishing consultant of Inspired Authors Publishing. She helps underrepresented industry and business leaders publish children's books about their field to inspire children to choose the same path.

Tiffani holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management, both from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is a Leadership Studies Ph.D. student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

As an engineer with over 19 years of experience, Tiffani is very interested in getting young people interested in STEM careers. She was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and enjoys traveling and being a youth mentor.

Connect with Tiffani:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

We always hear about why STEM is important. Whether you are a teacher, an educator, or a parent, you are here listening to this podcast because you keep hearing about why STEM is important and why we need to teach it. But, really, why? Why is it important? Today, I am speaking with a guest who actually works in the STEM field as a senior mechanical engineer. Our guest also educates children about the possibilities in STEM, and she sees it currently in her real job and when she is doing her various projects and outreach as to why STEM is important. It is our future that is where we are going, and she sees it each and every day. Today, I am speaking with Tiffani Teachey, who wears many different hats in the various projects and outreach that she does in the STEM education field. Outside of her role as a Sr. Mechanical Engineer, which influences all the many amazing things that she does, Tiffani does so many things to help us in the STEM education space. She is a STEM advocate, a TEDx speaker, a radio show host, an international children's book author, the STEM Crew Magazine founder, and a publishing company founder.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:31]:

Make sure you check out the show notes for this episode and read her full bio to see all of the amazing things that she is doing. I appreciate her work ethic and all the possibilities and ways that she is positively influencing STEM education. So definitely go see what she is working on because it's absolutely amazing and also helpful to give you the resources that you need to be successful in this elementary STEM space. Also, you're gonna be hearing more from Tiffani over on my kid podcast in a little bit, the STEM Career Quest podcast, where she is going to be talking to kids more about her role as a Sr. Mechanical Engineer. So I can't wait for you to hear the teacher and educator's side of her experiences and why STEM education is important. And then, in a few weeks, go and check out the STEM Career Quest podcast when she's on there. You can go check it out now. Totally fine.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:30]:

But, go check out her episode when that comes out because what she has to say is really powerful and influential for our kids. I really enjoyed my conversation with Tiffani, and I know you are too. So, let's jump into this episode. Well, thank you, Tiffani, so much for being here today.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:22]:

We connected over on Instagram, and I think you had a giveaway going on. And someone told me about you. And then you and I started chatting, and I was on your radio show. And I'm like, you need to be on my podcast. So we've connected past in a lot of ways, and then I'm sure many more, but thank you so much for being here.


Tiffani Teachey [00:03:39]:

Thank you so much for having me. Yes. I'm so glad we've connected.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:42]:

Yeah. Me too. And if you guys watch the video version, she has the cutest background, with books behind her. Are those your books or a combination of others?


Tiffani Teachey [00:03:51]:

These are my books. These are mine. But I do I do have my clients’ books, but these are mine up here.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:56]:

I love that. You're gonna have to tell us about your books because I love a good STEM book, and they're for kids. Yes. So we'll chat more about it, but it's such a perfect background. We might as well show off your work.


Tiffani Teachey [00:04:08]:

Yeah. There you go.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:10]:

So with your background as an engineer, you also do so much when it comes to helping kids in STEM. So how did you get into this space of combining your engineering background and inspiring kids? How did that all happen?


Tiffani Teachey [00:04:28]:

Right. Okay. So getting into the engineering background, initially, I wanted to be a lawyer, and so I thought I could debate and do all that. But my parents, my mom was an educator, and my dad was an entrepreneur. They had my brother and me, he's also an engineer. He's a civil engineer. I'm a mechanical engineer. But, he had us go into STEM.


Tiffani Teachey [00:04:44]:

They had us go into a math and science Saturday academy. So every Saturday, we go sit there. So from there, I learned about how engineering was about problem-solving, and critical thinking. And then also in those math classes, I was asking questions and everything too. And so and then my dad had a client who was a civil engineer. He said you might need to get your kids into engineering. So that's called social capital. And then from being a part of the programs of the Saturday programs, that was what got us into, wanting to do engineering.


Tiffani Teachey [00:05:13]:

So fast forward to knowing that it's a male-dominated field, knowing that, you know, representation matters in this field, I would go and talk to the kids and, you know, they always want us engineers to become teachers love when we come in come in and talk


Naomi Meredith [00:05:26]:

to the kids.


Tiffani Teachey [00:05:26]:

And so when we come and talk to them, I would go and say, how many men are engineering? Not many hands go up. And so after doing hands on activities, after, you know, doing the talk about how engineering is fun, I would say how many men in engineering. So all hands should go up. And it was that moment, that pivotal moment, where I said, okay, I need to put this in writing. These kids need to learn about STEM careers. And so, hence, why I was able to say, let's connect through writing a book and getting these kids exposed to STEM.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:53]:

I love that so much. And you are absolutely right because I have seen the same exact thing, and that's why we're collaborating because, like, I say the same thing. And when I was a teacher, I hosted a STEM career day, because kids need to see themselves in STEM jobs. You've read the studies, I'm sure. And you being in the field, you see, like, the actual facts, which is really sad how, just that underrepresentation. So we need to expose kids when they're young. Yeah. We can't wait until middle school and high school, and you've seen it firsthand.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:28]:

And now you're creating resources for the kids.


Tiffani Teachey [00:06:30]:

Yeah.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:31]:

What are some of the books that you've created? Because we have a bunch, but what are some of the ones that you've done?


Tiffani Teachey [00:06:38]:

Well, that first one was an alphabet book. So I kept it simple, you know, trying to be all creative. I said no, and I'm not even gonna try to rhyme and do all that. I stayed in my lane. I learned to stay in the lane. And so the first book was, what can I be STEM careers who make disease? That rhymes, but that was about it. And so like it has different careers in STEM, starting with an astronaut. And I didn't just do engineering.


Tiffani Teachey [00:06:57]:

I said I wanted all different careers. So, that was my first book back in 2019. And so I've been rolling since with the color and activity book to Spanish, French, Swahili, and Italian translations for the book. And so then I said, okay, I need to start. And then, I have a journal and a teacher's guide. I have a teacher's guide with it, too. But then I said, okay. I need to start writing the storyline.


Tiffani Teachey [00:07:17]:

So, I have the STEM Crew Kids Adventures series. And so they're building up a little powered car. And so also next month after this is coming up is the building of a magical spaceship. And so now the STEM crew kids that's in the, you know, initial book are now doing different activities. And so they get to learn about teamwork and working together. And so those are many of the different, yeah, types of books I've been able to spin off with and be able to get out there for resources.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:44]:

I love that. I'm gonna have to read the alphabet one to get ideas for my STEM Career Quest podcast because there are a lot of STEM jobs I haven't heard of. And I was a STEM teacher, so it was different where I don't have a STEM background in a STEM field. I have a master's in STEM. Completely different. So I'm gonna have to read your book


Tiffani Teachey [00:08:03]:

to get some ideas


Naomi Meredith [00:08:05]:

for some jobs. But I know teachers are going to love that because STEM teachers and classroom teachers are always looking for those connections in different ways to incorporate literacy into their STEM blocks. So we'll link all of your books in the show notes for sure because we're always looking for those resources. So, with you being in STEM, you know it's important, but, like, we should talk about it a little, but why do you think kids need to know about this? So we know the jobs are important, but why else do they need to learn about STEM?


Tiffani Teachey [00:08:40]:

I mean, STEM is everywhere. And when I talk to the kids, I'm like, you know that when you wake up in the morning, some type of STEM career has played a role with this. And because there are so many jobs, there are so many unfulfilled jobs in STEM, you've gotta start early, and these kids gotta get exposed early. So it's just letting them know by hands-on activities, going to do different, you know, visits, going to do a job shadow. I tell the parents a lot of times, take a kid if they wanna be a veterinarian, maybe go have them. If they have a pet, go for days, job shadow them for a day so they can see and learn about those careers and they can start early with that. And so it's just letting the kids know you are making a difference. Why I got into it? Because I knew I'd be challenged.


Tiffani Teachey [00:09:22]:

So kids know that they can make a difference with the work that they're doing with STEM. And that's why I try to share the importance of it because everything we do somewhere, somebody has tapped into it that's in a STEM career. And because the jobs are out there, why not take advantage of being a part of it? And so that's why I say kids should be a part of STEM because it's you're making a difference, and I think that's ultimately it.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:44]:

Absolutely. And do you see that in your job? Like, with you being an engineer during the day, do you see that there are a lot of unfulfilled roles? Is that something they talk about or the trend? Yes.


Tiffani Teachey [00:09:57]:

I mean, the numbers are out there. I've seen where it's 35,000,000 jobs that are out there, unfulfilled jobs for STEM. The statistics are out there. It's just getting in those positions, going, you know, going to school, doing the internships, that really helps with your resume. I tell you that I pushed that a lot, too. I had 3 or 4 different types of internships, but it let me know career wise. So even starting before you go into the job, get those internships, and it lets you know what you wanna do and what you do not wanna do. And so I pushed that a lot with trying to decide if there are STEM jobs out there.


Tiffani Teachey [00:10:28]:

Yes. They're out there but go ahead, getting your go and starting early, getting exposure that helps build your resume to get into those positions as well.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:38]:

It's so true. You do have to experience it. We have a school near me, and it's not a trade school, but it's like an option with, like, electives in high school where the kids can actually try out different, they call them pathways. Mhmm. So some of them are a trade where they do actually, do some mechanical engineering on air local airplanes.


Tiffani Teachey [00:11:00]:

Mhmm.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:01]:

Some do some nursing type of things. Some are, like, doing cybersecurity.


Tiffani Teachey [00:11:04]:

Yeah.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:05]:

But they always talk about, like, because they are partnering with local businesses, a lot of them can get jobs right out of high school if it's that type of job. But, also, like you were saying, maybe you don't really like blood. Let's say you're doing the nursing pathway.


Tiffani Teachey [00:11:21]:

That was not my field. I said I knew it was not going into health care. I said I'm, you know, that I said I'm not trying to see all that. So I knew, yeah, that wasn't it for me.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:29]:

Yeah. Right? And so you're, like, not spending all this money. Like, oh, I'm not this isn't for me. I wasted 3 years of college, and I can't do this anymore, which is fine, but we like, that exposure the younger they argue. Little kids are always thinking about what they wanna be when they grow. We ask them all the time. That's a kindergarten question when they graduate. What do you wanna be when you grow up?


Tiffani Teachey [00:11:51]:

And they're like, woah. I wanna be this, so I wanna be that. Just like I thought I'd be a lawyer. Thought I could debate Yeah. Do all that. But, no, that wasn't my calling for that. So okay.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:00]:

Yeah. I mean, I do I wanna be a teacher, but also, who would have thought in kindergarten I was gonna be a podcaster? Like, did I say that? No.


Tiffani Teachey [00:12:10]:

No. Not at all. Either.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:12]:

Yeah. Right? So, like, there's even, like, you know, there are jobs out there that are going to be in the future that doesn't exist, but all of the skills that they are doing now, like, the problem-solving you talked about, the collaborating, That is so important because whatever job you choose, you need to be a good employee.


Tiffani Teachey [00:12:31]:

Right. And that's where soft skills play a role with it. I see a lot of presentation skills. I mean, those are key things. I tell the kids when I'm talking to them, I'm like, okay, what classes are needed? Math and science, but do not forget English and writing. You cannot forget these things because you gotta have these skills. You do the research, but how will you relate that research that you did? You gotta be able to present it. You gotta be able to write it.


Tiffani Teachey [00:12:54]:

So, I also incorporate that when I talk to the kids. So, not just math and science, but English is just as important as well. So


Naomi Meredith [00:13:01]:

Yeah. It is. It's all connected. Even when I talk to teachers that, like, planning STEM lessons, I just talked to a teacher, and they're all, oh, well, STEM isn't reading and writing. Right? And I said no.


Tiffani Teachey [00:13:13]:

It is.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:13]:

Like, your face. If you guys see Tiffani's face, your eyes got really big when I said that.


Tiffani Teachey [00:13:19]:

Because I'm like, I mean, I have to do it for work. Every day, we've gotta relate a message. We have to be able to present. You've gotta be able to say what is going on. So, reading and writing are definitely important.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:30]:

I know. Oh, oh, no. No. No. Like, it is all of that. Like, I know it's not in the name, but it's what you need to do I'm all the kids research. They're researching for the project. They have to write how they're gonna plan, what went well, what didn't, and collect data.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:46]:

Gotcha.


Tiffani Teachey [00:13:46]:

Gotcha. And so Yeah.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:49]:

Like, no. No. It's everything. So, even if you're not a STEM teacher, you don't have to be. And that's actually really common. I teach some STEM field trips. Actually, why we rescheduled because of that STEM field trip. But I teach them, STEM field trips, in my community, and it's so interesting, Tiffani, that most schools do not have STEM, and they don't know what it is.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:11]:

And I yeah. They don't even know what it is because I'm, like, hey. What's STEM? And I can tell like, that's my first question. And when we do these hands-on projects, it is so clear. Even if they didn't tell me they didn't have STEM, I know that they don't have STEM because the way kids are talking to each other, the ones who do not have it give up a lot faster


Tiffani Teachey [00:14:31]:

Yes.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:31]:

They fight more. They don't collaborate well. They draw, like, if we're doing, like, a planning for a project, they'll draw one way and just sit there. They won't think of anything else.


Tiffani Teachey [00:14:42]:

Know the options. Yeah.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:43]:

Mhmm. And that's the same yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Go ahead.


Tiffani Teachey [00:14:47]:

No. That's it. I mean, the thing is failure, I mean, the whole fixing it, testing it out, you know, going through that that's the whole design process we talk about with, definitely with the engineering design process of knowing you create it, you brainstorm, you go through the whole process, but how do you fix it and how does it make it work? A lot of times, it doesn't work the first time. So those are things, you know, that play a role in it. So when you said that, I had to at least emphasize that piece.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:11]:

It's so true. And you see it in your job, and you teach the kids, like, you know. And I see it, too. And I saw it when I first started when I was in my STEM space, I saw the same thing. And so, like, reiterating those skills, it takes practice. It's not gonna be an overnight thing. It took 5 years for my students to get to where they were in the beginning and at the end, and it needs to keep going. And so even if you don't have a STEM teacher or if you're not a STEM teacher, you still need to do these types of things Mhmm.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:39]:

Because you're actually doing it this service for your students. Like, you don't have to have a background in it. We have both of us together. Tiffani and I Tiffani and I have everything for you to get sort started.


Tiffani Teachey [00:15:50]:

Yes. We sure do.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:53]:

So, speaking of that, you talked about your bugs. Do you have any fun projects going on or what are outside of your or it could be your regular job too, but what are some things you have going on in the STEM world?


Tiffani Teachey [00:16:04]:

Well, I do I mean, as far as different, I'm I make sure that there's opportunities. So I've done STEM Magazine. So, oh, STEM Crew Magazine. That's one thing as far as not just the books, but now I've got STEM Trailblazers. So now I've reached out to other STEM Trailblazers and have them in there. And then I have like 5 activities in each of the magazines where they can do different hands-on activities in it. And then of course contributing articles. So yeah, the STEM Crew Magazine, is another one of my parts of the journey of getting the message out there.


Tiffani Teachey [00:16:33]:

And yeah, the sky's the limit. I'm always going on different platforms and talk, talking on different platforms, to make sure to message out there. Like I was able to do TEDx, in South Africa, University of South Africa. So, just getting the message out there, those are some of my projects, and I'm always making sure that the message is out there about the importance of STEM, especially with our kids.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:52]:

How do you get connected with schools? How do you go to schools, or do you do them virtually? How do you do all that?


Tiffani Teachey [00:16:59]:

Combination. I they said I get asked all the time. So often, their support with the books is like, okay, we want to get these books into the schools. And so, of course, you get the bulk sales with the schools. We're getting asked to, been able to go and talk to the kids. And so I'm able to do reading, book reading, so virtually or either, you know, in person type of activities that's been involved with us. So, yeah, it's a combination. So, Yeah, definitely.


Tiffani Teachey [00:17:22]:

I've always done where I've done talks to the parents. I've done those types of talks, not just to the kids, but to the parents of the kids. I've had those types of sessions where we talk and try to get them engaged with it as well. As far as activities, as far as not just for the kids, I also have a playbook that's coming out, a STEM playbook. The STEM playbook is gonna be where not just, you know, for the schools, but parents and families can now have different activities that they can look at for the kids as well. So, yeah, they're getting into the schools. I'm constantly getting into the schools to get the message out there for the kids as well.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:55]:

Absolutely. We need a lot of people in the line because there are so many kids out there. We need a lot of us help influencing. And if you guys wanna hear Tiffani talk to kids. Actually you're gonna hear this episode before the other one, but Tiffani's gonna be a guest on the STEM Career Quest podcast, so you will get to hear her style chatting with the kids. So Yeah. You'll we were gonna record that after this episode.


Tiffani Teachey [00:18:23]:

Love it.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:23]:

Love it. And so you've talked about it, like, getting the parents in excited, but is there, like, if someone doesn't know or get started or if there's, like, a big takeaway, what advice do you have for teachers and parents who might be hesitant, trying anything in STEM? It might sound overwhelming.


Tiffani Teachey [00:18:43]:

Mhmm.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:43]:

What advice do you have for them?


Tiffani Teachey [00:18:46]:

Well, my advice is don't get discouraged, even if you don't know. You can do a lot of stuff even at home. There are things at home, and it's just getting your kids to start being that inquisitive, asking questions, getting them, I say just that that's the start. Do some hands-on activities and find some materials. Now, let's build something and work together. I think that's key, and just getting the questions start stimulating their minds. I think that's a great start. And then, like I said, the different field trips, the different going to a museum, going to different, you know, natures out here.


Tiffani Teachey [00:19:19]:

There are so many opportunities, not just inside, but you can also outside. So I would say just get started and if you don't know, there are a lot of resources online. And by the way, I can't give a free resource, 10 STEM Scholarships to Organizations. I've looked up and researched, www.stem is the way dot com. And so there are so many resources, and that's a good start. If you can get some organizations where there's definitely a Society of Women in Engineers, there's the National Society of Engineers. There are so many professional organizations that if you look them up online, look up different engineering or STEM organizations. They probably have some volunteer opportunities or mentoring opportunities that you can also get started.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:58]:

That's really good advice. I haven't heard about some of those resources, so we'll link all of that because that's why we're so lucky with the Internet. Like, there's no excuse not to get started. Yes. So with that, where you have a lot of different places, but where can teachers find and connect with you and, learn all the things they're doing in STEM?


Tiffani Teachey [00:20:21]:

I'm pointing them to 1, just like I just mentioned. And then from that point, we'll be able to allow them to connect because then it'll show the books and all that. So www.stemistheway.com. Go there, and then get to get you where you can get free gift of 10 STEM scholarships to organizations, and then it'll connect you to where you can also get the books and everything. And you'll learn more about me and everything I'm doing.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:45]:

And you guys, she has a full-time job. She's doing all of this. So you're a busy lady, Tiffani. I get it. I get get it.


Tiffani Teachey [00:20:53]:

And I'm also getting my PhD. I'm also getting my PhD as well. Yeah. That's another I get it. Yeah. Yeah. I'm almost finished, but yes, I'm getting my Ph.D., in the leadership studies program for applying A and T. My undergrad is in mechanical engineering and engineering management from Winston-Charlotte.


Tiffani Teachey [00:21:08]:

But I also am getting his PhD as well, full-time job as well as the business itself. Yeah.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:12]:

You go, girl. I'm I'm rooting for you. That is awesome. I appreciate that so much. Like, from one hard worker to another, I get you. I totally understand. That's great. Well, you guys heard it here first.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:28]:

There's no excuse. You guys got this. We're here for you, and we appreciate all of your insight, Tiffani, and all the amazing things that you're doing to impact STEM Education.


Tiffani Teachey [00:21:39]:

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:41]:

Thanks.

why STEM is important for students

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is an online K-5 STEM Coach in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there. 

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

podcast activities for students

3 Podcast Activities for Students in STEM Classrooms [ep.146]

3 Podcast Activities for Students in STEM Classrooms [ep.146]

podcast activities for students

Check out the full episode on 3 Podcast Activities for Students in STEM Classrooms:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Have you ever wondered how you can use podcasts in your STEM classroom? Outside of having students record their own podcasts, you can use podcasts as an additional learning resource for your students. In today's episode, I share three podcast activities for students that you can easily incorporate into your STEM classroom.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why podcasts are beneficial to students
  • 3 podcast activities for students
  • Tips for implementing these podcast activities in your STEM classroom

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

I know you are already a fan of podcasts because you are here listening to 1 right now. Today, I'm gonna be sharing with you how you can use podcasts in your own STEM classroom. I'm actually not talking about students recording the podcast, I'm actually sharing with you how you can use podcasts with students as an additional resource. Now you might be wondering how I can actually do this in a STEM classroom. And why should I even use podcasts with my students? They should just be building all day, correct? Yes and no. Let's dive into these 3 different ways and activities that you can use podcasts with your students. It's definitely going to change your mindset on how this can actually be possible in a STEM space. Absolutely love seeing your reviews when you review me on Apple Podcasts.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:36]:

They don't always pop up automatically. They do take some time. And so I wanted to read one of those that one of you out there wrote, and it absolutely meant the world to me. This is from a teacher of STEM, and they say, So thankful. I started working as a TA last school year, and before the new school year started, I was asked to teach STEM. Of course, I said yes. Yeah. Me too.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:03]:

It's been an exciting journey, but it's all new territory. I'm so thankful I stumbled across this podcast and all the wonderful things in her TpT store. Total life safer. Ten out of 10 recommended, not only for new STEM teachers but even the seasoned ones. Thank you so much again for this review. Like I said, they always make my day, and I say that every time, but they really do make my day. And if you have been a long-time listener, but I've never written a review. That is one of the best ways that you can support this podcast.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:39]:

And if you are on Apple Podcasts, hit pause, go into there, and then write a 5-star review. If you're unsure how to do that, send me a message on Instagram at namie meredith_. I have a video I can send you to show you how to do that. So, again, it's absolutely free, but it really does help other teachers like you who are getting into the STEM space and need that extra boost of support or 1 those of you who've been in a while but still need that extra support because most likely you're teaching it alone. So, definitely go ahead and write a review. It would mean the world to me. Now, this isn't the first time we have talked about podcasts on this podcast. That's a funny thing to say.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:24]:

We've actually talked about podcasts before. Back in episode 65, we talked about how students can record a podcast. So, that is something that you are interested in doing with your students? I actually give you some tips and tricks on how to actually record podcasts with your students. I will say the way that I did podcasting with students was very similar to how I did video production. So, if that is something that you're interested in in the realm of how to do it, check out episode 65. And then also, Honestly, the workshop, my stellar school-wide news workshop, would help you with that. You would just have the kids record audio instead of video. So the whole system actually works because I do the exact same thing.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:13]:

Back in episode 80, I also talked with Jerry Colbert, who works on the show Who Smarted, which is a podcast for kids. We talked about how podcasts are beneficial to students and how they help them learn. So, if you're looking for inspiration in the realm of podcasts, including this episode, make sure to go check those out, but you can listen to this one first. As an adult, I'm sure you can see the benefits of how podcasts are really helpful and valuable. I really enjoy that I can learn on the go and do other things. I am somebody who loves to learn. I love to read. I Love all of that.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:54]:

I really do love learning and reading more than I watch TV. I'm a little bit nerdy. I know. If you haven't figured that out by now, Yes. That is me. But podcasts are not only just beneficial for adults, they're beneficial for children as well. And here's a short list that I came up with in terms of how podcasts are beneficial, but you probably can think of more ideas than me. So I thought that podcasts, of course, improve listening comprehension.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:25]:

We always see teachers doing read alouds in class, and we're trying to improve comprehension by not always having the visuals. Some podcasts have some visual things, too, but for the most part, they are audio. Podcasts are also a really fun way to learn about a topic. So, of course, you can watch a video on the topic, but there might possibly be a podcast about it, and it's almost like having ear candy where you're just Really soaking in all of that amazing goodness that is coming through your audio speakers. Podcasts can also be highly engaging. Not all of them are engaging, but really good ones that you enjoy, hopefully this one, are highly engaging, and it's also for students to find that Love as well. Likewise, podcasts are a great way to learn new ideas and perspectives. The big reason why I started this podcast, The Elementary STEM Coach, is to help you see another perspective when it comes to Elementary STEM because because I know how it can feel when you're planning all alone.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:29]:

You don't always know what everybody is doing, so I am here in your earbuds every week to help you learn another that you may or may not have heard before. Along the same lines, podcasts are also a great form of research and gathering information, and I'm gonna dive more into that in the 3 activities of how you can actually use podcasts in your STEM classroom. Now, these are things that I have actually done before with students, and I'm gonna give you those examples. But think about podcasts, you don't have to listen to the entire thing all in one setting. So when we talk about these activities, keep that in mind because that's going to make it seem less overwhelming when you are using a podcast in a STEM space because a lot of times they're really long. So We're gonna go through how this can actually be done. The first activity that you can try when using a podcast in your STEM classroom is using the podcast as a research tool. When I had my students' podcasts in 5th grade, they were creating podcasts all about light pollution, and we actually analyzed and listened to different examples of podcasts to help us research a couple of things.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:48]:

What is a podcast? A lot of kids have actually never heard of it, or a lot of them kinda heard of it or that their parents might listen to podcasts, but they didn't know that that was something for kids. And there kinda are some limited options in terms of podcasts anyway, which I'm helping out in that space, but They didn't really know about that. So it was kinda to build that background. This is what a podcast is. At first, a lot of the kids, I kept asking for the video, And, well, there's no video to these, so that's something too to help with the audio. However, we were analyzing different podcasts and their styles so they could have a feel for what kind of podcast they wanted to create for our project. Their podcasts were really short. They were 5 ish minutes.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:37]:

Some were 10. I don't think any of them were actually 10 minutes. They were around 5 minutes, and that was perfectly fine. There's no time limit on a podcast. It can be whatever you want. It's whatever you choose. So, it gave them that background information of what podcasts actually are, and then we also used it as a way to research the style of podcast. Some students wanted to do solo episodes like the one we're having right now.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:05]:

I am just talking to you, and my camera and the microphone are all solo. And little Frederick, my dog, is in the corner, but it's just me talking. Some like that interview style where they would talk to guests, and so that's how they would write their script, which was really fun. Some would do a mixture sure of all of those things or try to add in fun little segments along the way. So, really understanding different styles of podcasts was a great research tool before they actually created one for that STEM project. I even showed them mine, and I know my Elementary STEM Coach podcast isn't geared towards kids, but they were so amazed by that because this is also a side thing. I told you most kids didn't know what podcasts are, and I told them it's kinda like YouTube in a way where you can share your ideas. Granted, I do record videos for my podcast, but you can do all audio.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:06]:

You don't have to be in front of the camera. So if you're more camera shy but you're really good at talking, podcasting is an excellent option. When it comes to research, we research actually what podcasts are, but you could actually use a podcast as research for a project. If you're going to do this, you could do it as a whole class. So find a podcast That's relevant to what you're learning in class, and then find the section of that podcast you want students to hear. You could assign them the podcast and have them fast forward, but if it's only certain parts, that honestly just might be the best way to do that as a teacher. Research doesn't have to be independent. It can be within a group setting, but find that part you want them to hear to help add to that imagine stage if they are doing the engineering design process. I did this when I was doing a stop motion animation project with my 3rd graders where they were taking on the role of a paleontologist to tell the story of a fossil through time.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:12]:

Well, the living thing through time and how it might have turned into a fossil. And one of the ways that we researched As I found an episode about fossils and living things long ago, we listened to that segment and then we added it into our research when we're learning More about fossils. And it was just a really cool way where students realized, hey, research doesn't always have to be reading. It could be listening to audio. It could be looking at pictures. It can be watching a video clip. It can absolutely be reading, but it can be a lot of different things as well. Also, with podcasts, a lot of podcasts out there actually have transcripts.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:52]:

So transcripts are when the audio of the video or the audio is put into words, and a lot of podcasts out there have transcripts, my podcast does. So, for every episode, when you look at the episode notes, you can actually read through exactly what I say. So shout out to my podcast manager, who edits all of that for me. But Apple Podcasts is actually coming out with a feature where transcript are going to be embedded in the app as well. I don't know exactly how it works, so that's an option, too, if students want to read through that research. That's another way to use podcasts as a research tool. The 2nd activity that you can use podcasts in your STEM classroom is to use it as a warm-up. I know I do have some classroom teachers who listen to this podcast, and I hate to break it to you, and it might not seem like this, but trust To me, when I went from the classroom to being a STEM teacher, I thought to myself, oh my gosh.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:52]:

As a classroom teacher, you have the luxury of time. And I know it doesn't feel like you have a lot of time, but you really do have the kids all day. And I was so surprised when I went into STEM that everything went by so fast. You had 45 minutes, and you're like, oh my gosh, it begins and ends. Some days, 45 minutes is amazing, if you know what I'm saying. Yeah. So, you have that luxury of times when I was a classroom teacher, we actually would do podcast Fridays where we would listen to podcasts for kids, different podcasts for kids, and that was just a really cool thing that we looked forward to every Friday. As a STEM teacher, you may or may not have that luxury.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:37]:

So if you use podcasts as a warm-up, you can break up episodes into different chunks, where you listen to the whole episode throughout the week, but you just take a little bit at a time. And that this could be a really cool routine when students come into your classroom because it's almost like doing a read aloud with your students where they're wondering what the next thing is, what's gonna happen next, I don't know. So that can be really, really fun, for your students. Now, I do have a podcast for kids coming up, so it will be launching on Valentine's Day, my birthday, the STEM Career Quest Podcast, and it's made specifically for kids. Inside the club, I actually broke up the higher episode into segments. So if this is sounding like you're, like, oh my gosh, that'd be really fun to do as a warm-up and to engage my students right off the bat where Everybody's transitioning in, but they always know, hey, we sit down during this time, and we're gonna listen to this part of the podcast. I already broke it up into chunks where it can be accessible, and you can listen to little bits of the episode. And then by Friday or however often you see the kids, you have listened to the entire thing, and you don't have to do it all at once.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:58]:

Now, with my STEM Career Quest podcast, I record it in segments, and it's pretty fun because talking to the guests where I'm interviewing these people with STEM jobs. That part is so easy. I love to talk with people, and that part is really, really easy. And then this set of segments isn't hard, but it's just different. And you can't see it now if you're watching the video version of this, but I actually record my segments for the STEM career quest in front of a green screen. And I had a lot of fun editing the different segments because I changed up the background. I added little overlays and text and pictures. So, I do have a lot of fun editing that.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:39]:

It takes me back to when I did my school-wide news, and I edited every single video on my own the 1st year, and then I watched every single video on my own the next year. And so I really do enjoy video editing. I like being on Camera, but I like video editing too. And you're probably wondering why you are editing video. I film the entire thing in video and then also in a way that would make sense for audio. So, super fun, and I can't wait for you to listen. So adding in that element of having a warm-up For a podcast, it's a really great way to mix it in and probably something that the students will not expect. This can be something that the kids can look forward to when they come into your class and really spark those different types of questions and exploration of topics that they might not have really thought about before. And the last activity that you can use in your classroom when it comes to podcasts is to use podcasts as a STEM station.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:39]:

Double check with your technology and your web browsers and just how to access the podcast. This was a weird thing when I did this as a STEM station where our school Wi-Fi would actually block Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And so the way I had students listen, I actually assigned students the website that the podcast was on. And a lot of podcasts out there actually have a matching website where you can have the show notes. And so I would actually share that show notes page, and that episode was embedded on that website, and it actually had some pictures that went along with the episode the kids could look at. So I told them, like, you guys aren't clicking around. You can look at the pictures, but that's about it. And it's really great too.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:26]:

And so I've been getting in touch with the guests that I've been interviewing, getting real pictures of them in that space because that can be really powerful where You're listening to something, and then you can see some of the things that might match what they're talking about. Couple of ways you could do this as a STEM station. The first time that I did this was during video recording. And I remember there was the book fair going on next store in the library, so I couldn't spread out kids to record videos. And also, that's really hard because you can't have kids that are really close together. So I was really limited on space. I still needed kids to record some videos during my STEM time, but I needed everybody else to be quiet because we know what it sounds like when you get bad audio quality. And so I actually had everybody listening to a podcast that was related to the topic that we were creating videos about.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:24]:

And then, when it was their turn to record, they could pause the podcast and then do their script, and then go back to the episode. So this was a good quiet activity. It was low maintenance, and I even added an element where students had to draw what they were visualizing as they listened. So this could be done in conjunction if you were doing this as a stem station, or you could do it separately. And so while students were listening, they would draw and see because they had unlimited colors. They would draw and see what they were visualizing as the podcast was playing. And you might say this is a very simple activity, why would you do this? Well, When I taught 3rd grade, when I did read aloud, I had a lot of students who would struggle with the comprehension of the stories that we were reading with chapter books because they are longer there are no visuals. And so what I had students start to do was create comic books. Whereas I was reading, every chapter had 1 to 2 squares where they would draw what was happening in the story.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:31]:

So, by the end of the chapter book, they had a whole comic book that they created that would show the visualization of the chapter book. So I took that same concept and used it with podcasting because a lot of kids actually tell me I don't see any pictures in my head. I don't visualize anything. I don't know what's going on. So think about that, listening is a skill. Listening for a long amount of time to comprehend what is going on is a skill. I used to not like audiobooks, Then I got more into it. I used to not like listening to audiobooks that were nonfiction.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:09]:

Now I'm obsessed, and that's the only way I like to listen and read nonfiction is by listening. And so think about that. Even as an adult, I've struggled with it. So your kids might be too, and also support them through that, so that's why this can be a really great STEM station for them. You could even have it be a smaller station. So, again, Maybe they listen to parts of a podcast and have little segments, and then that is part of their STEM station that they would rotate through throughout the day. I did a lot of STEM stations in my k through 2 classes specifically, sometimes with 3 through 5. But if you're interested in hearing more about how to Plan STEM stations, specifically, I have a whole method to the madness.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:48]:

I have a k through 2 STEM planning workshop. It'll be linked in the show notes, where you can check that out and see more about that process. Another way that you use podcasts as a STEM station is maybe you don't want them to actually draw what they're listening to, but maybe there are some specific comprehension questions that they need to listen to along the way. And, again, with my STEM Career Quest Podcast, I know how important it is to have those educational things, and I'm creating the podcast that I wish that I had when I was a teacher for my students. And so every single episode inside of the club has its own comprehension guide that goes along with each major segment of the podcast. So you can use it as an actual station, Or if you did listen through all the way, great, but you could have them listen to different sections of the podcast, and they have that comprehension guide where they answer by writing, and there are some visuals as well to help them make sense of what they're hearing. As a recap, here are the 3 podcast Activities that you can use in your STEM classroom. 1st, you can use podcasts as a research tool.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:01]:

Next, you can split up those episodes and use a podcast like a warm-up. And finally, you can use podcasts as a stem station. I was sprinkling this in along the way, but in case you didn't get the memo, I am launching my very own kid podcast, which is STEM specific, and it is coming out on February 14, 2024, and that is my birthday. I wanted to have an amazing birthday present that I could share with all of you, and I thought what a better way to launch my podcast as a fun Birthday present to myself. And so, in this podcast, it is so much fun. I am interviewing different people who have real life STEM careers, who are passionate about what they do, and they're sharing those passions with our elementary students. Along the way, there are some fun games and different fun facts for you to hear, but just another way to explore the world of STEM on the go and connect it to the lessons that you're already doing in class. After I'm done talking here, I'm gonna play the trailer for you so you can hear more in-depth about the show, but I am very, very excited about this project and so excited to share it with you.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:20]:

You can already follow the show on any of your favorite podcasting apps. So wherever you're listening, Meet To me too, search for the STEM Career Quest Podcast. Give it a follow. It will pop up for you so you can check it out there, and all the episodes will drop when they are released weekly starting with February 14th. You can also go ahead and join the STEM career quest club. So all the episodes are always free, always there to listen to, but inside the club, you get all of those bonus materials that I was talking about. So, the episodes all split up into sections with visuals, video, and teaching slides. You also get all the comprehension guides that go with all of the episodes, monthly STEM activities that relate to STEM careers, and 1 live virtual field trip where it Could be me, it could be somebody else teaching, but a fun, engaging way where you could have a whole event Every single month, it's already set up for you, you just have to show up. So, for being a podcast listener, since I know you already love podcasts, and you're already listening to this with your students.


Naomi Meredith [00:24:25]:

You can get $5 off for just being a podcast listener, so you can join the club and make sure you put in that Promo code PODCASTBESTIE, it will be in the show notes, and you'll get $5 off every single month for as long as you're in the membership and get all of those bonus educational features. I can't wait for you to hear the podcast. I hope you love the trailer, love the show, And this show is not going away. I'm just adding in another one because I'm a little bit extra like that, but I can't wait to expand and continue with you in your STEM journey.

podcast activities for students

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is an online K-5 STEM Coach in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there. 

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

stop motion animation for students

Discovering STEM Careers Through Stop Motion Animation for Students [ep.145]

Discovering STEM Careers Through Stop Motion Animation for Students [ep.145]

stop motion animation for students

Check out the full episode on Discovering STEM Careers Through Stop Motion Animation for Students:  

 

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Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Stop-motion animation is one of the oldest animation techniques, so why teach it in your STEM classroom? Is it even possible to make stop motion animation meaningful for students? In today's episode, I'm sharing all the details about stop motion animation for students and how to make it a meaningful experience in your STEM classroom.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why you should teach stop motion animation in your STEM classroom
  • Examples of stop motion animation lessons for students
  • The tech needed for implementing stop motion animation for students

Resources Mentioned:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

Stop motion is one of the oldest animation techniques out there. So why use stop motion in your classroom? Also, how can you make the lessons meaningful instead of just having them take random pictures of random things moving? And doesn't it take a lot of technology to make it actually work? I have all the answers for you inside of today's episode.


Listener Message [00:01:00]:

Naomi, you are a lifesaver. I have used your products for about 5 or 6 years now, and they always come out with great compliments from all of the kids. This week, I heard the best compliment I had to pass on to you. It was when we were using some of your engineering Makerspace mats, and the kids said, where do you come up with these ideas? Question mark. I just find such pleasure having you in my back pocket whenever I need fun STEM activities for my kids. You are amazing.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:39]:

Thank you so much, Kristen, for your extremely kind message. It absolutely made my day and especially hearing your voice is absolutely so sweet. If you wanna leave an audio note Just like this one or even ask me a question, head on over to naomiemeredith.com/voice and record away. The first time that I ever did stop motion animation was when I was actually a student. Stop motion animation is really old. And as I said in the intro, it is one of the oldest animation techniques out there. And this is what filmmakers actually did when they wanted to make objects move. So if you think about the movie Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or the show Gumby, those are really good examples of stop motion animation. And so when I used stop motion animation, I was in middle school, and we had this little camera, little digital camera, And we had a bunch of Lego minifigures and Lego bricks, and we had to tell a story using those materials.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:53]:

And I'm pretty sure my video was something like the Lego minifig was walking along and got in a Car and then someone was trying to steal the car. I don't know. Something like that. Remember, there was a car, but there were so many pictures that we had to take to make it look smooth. So stop motion isn't new, but why should you even teach it in your STEM classroom? Because, Sure. You could have kids just take pictures of random things, make a move just like what I did, and not have it connect to anything. We're gonna talk about actual examples later in this episode, so hang tight because that's not exactly what you're going to be doing with students. But even thinking aside from the lessons, there are a lot of benefits when teaching stop motion.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:42]:

The biggest one that I have seen is that it's a great way to teach patience to your students. If they want a video that is going to look really, really good, you have to take a lot a lot of pictures and tiny tiny movements. Like, a lot. Like, I'm talking like 100 pictures. So it really is teaching that patience. Likewise, it does take a lot of problem-solving because if you know you want your objects to look and move a certain way, You have to problem-solve as to how you are going to break this down where the objects can move so that it can get to where you want it in the end. So it's a lot, especially for elementary students. They have to visually think through that process before it even happens. And what's really cool too is, yes, it's called stop motion animation, but most of the work is done in front of the camera, not behind the camera, in front of it. Because they are manipulating these pieces to make it work you have to stay on top of it and really stay focused because if you make these really huge jumps with the movements of your things, It's gonna look really weird in your video. So students have to really think through in front of the camera how this is all going to work together.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:11]:

And with that, the technology is super, super, super easy. It's funny because I taught a stop motion summer camp club for a few summers. I actually built the curriculum for that, which you can grab that whole entire lesson plan and more about stop motion animation. I have a getting started with stop motion book ebook that I made, which I'll link in the show notes. It's in my TPT shop, but It was funny because some kids who were signed up for my club had done variations of stop motion animation, But what they were doing is that they were just taking pictures with their iPads and then swiping through it really fast to show the movements. Well, they had hundreds of pictures in their camera roll, and, I mean, that gets really annoying. It takes up a lot of storage. So The technology is really easy, and we're gonna talk about what devices and all of that in a second, but it is so easy Because everything is done in front of the camera, like I said. So let's explore more about those lesson plans and how to make it meaningful when it Comes to stop motion animation. Now when I was thinking through how I wanted to use stop motion animation in my classroom instead of a summer camp? Because I feel like you have a little more leeway in an after-school club and a summer camp, and it's a really great time to explore, I highly recommend if you need ideas for that.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:40]:

But when it comes to the actual classroom, whether you're a STEM teacher or a classroom teacher, And you wanna have something meaningful, I thought about wouldn't it be cool if I connected these stop motion animation lessons to STEM careers. So when I was planning out my whole k through 5 STEM year-long plan, I knew that there were certain standards I needed to hit in this area where it was really talking about modeling a concept and what is a better way to model than through animation. And so I knew I wanted to use those standards where it talks about showing the process of things. And then, as I was digging in deeper when I was creating my year-long plan, which you can get the entire plan for free. And it's at Naomimeredith.com/yearlongplan. When I was going through that, I thought, oh my gosh, “How cool would that be if all of these lessons were connected to STEM careers?” Researching about a career could be boring. I guess it depends on what the career is. It could be boring, but what if you flipped it around and students are taking on the role of the career? Same kind of concept. They're learning about what this person does in the job, but they are looking at it through a different lens. Side note, if you need more support when it comes to STEM careers in general, I have my whole audio workshop that is all ready to go as soon as you get in there, where I talk through the whole process of setting up a STEM career day from start to finish.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:20]:

Also, I have an upcoming podcast For kids called the STEM Career Quest podcast, which could even be a research tool when students are creating their stop motion animations. So when they take on that role as the STEM career and they're showing what types of things that person might be learning and it connects to the standards, It makes it really really exciting and also not random. I don't know if you've guessed this already or said it a lot on here, but I am not about doing random things in the classroom. I really wanna ensure that the lessons that I am teaching are Extremely meaningful and purposeful, they are connected to standards, and also they are exciting for kids, and they want to learn about them. So what do you actually need when you are setting up a stop motion lesson? Well, not as many materials as you might think, which is awesome. All about streamlining and keeping it simple. So first are devices. And I will say, if you have some sort of tablet, it does work the best when it comes to stop motion animation. If you don't, I have another option for you.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:38]:

It works best just because of the layout of the camera. If you do have a tablet, you wanna make sure that there's some sort of stand where that keeps the device steady because you actually do not want the kids holding the device and taking pictures because they can't get the same exact angle every time and then it actually messes up the pictures because They're starting and stopping in different places and it doesn't really make sense. So whatever tablet you have, you want a way for it to stand up. Whether it's the case that the actual tablet is in or if it has a stand on there, that's excellent. Maybe you can buy an actual tripod where you can actually have the tablet go flat while it's in the air. That's what I did. I wrote a grant for tripods that actually would hold the device, so I'll link that as well as a good option for you. When you're on the app, you just need the free app called Stop Motion Studio.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:33]:

You really don't need to buy it. I had the paid version. The teacher before me had purchased it, and it was already on the tablets. There are some extra Editing features, but really not necessary and with the time you have with kids, you might not even have enough time to use all those extra features. The free one is really, really, really good. So that's what you need if you have tablets, and then if you are using laptops or Chromebooks, If you have an outside camera on the outside of the device, that's awesome. That will help a lot, but you might not, so the layout might get a little bit trickier but not impossible. One thing that I've tried with stop motion on my computer is If you have the device laying flat like normal and then you tilt the screen down, and then you could put like a whiteboard or something on top of the keyboard, then you could have the camera, like, really focusing in on the things and then if you have an external mouse, You could have that plugged in, and then it could click the shutter button on the screen so that way you're still using that Chromebook camera and it's all set up for you and it's not moving around? So that's a good workaround; you just have to play around with the angles.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:49]:

And a Pretty decent app that I found, and at the time of this recording, it's free from what I can see. It's called Cloud Stop Motion, and it looks like they have things that they will support educators with when it comes to setting up accounts and everything. So Check that out. You do wanna have some sort of software where it will put the pictures in order. When you export the pictures, it will make it into a video. That's the whole point of creating an animation. If your devices don't have a camera, there are some external camera options. One popular camera to use with students, and you could actually use this camera for video too, is the Hue document camera.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:30]:

And I know it says document camera in the name, but it actually is just a camera. So all it is is a USB port, it plugs into your device, and it's all set up and ready to go? And they actually have a bundle where you can get the Hue document camera and the software, which will have the whole stop motion software in there so it can connect together. You do not need 1 for every kid, so if you're looking into the option of An external camera, you can maybe write a grant for I would try at least for 12 if you typically have 24 kids, 1 per every two students. So you could start there, and that's a great option, especially if you are teaching all the kids in the school, You'll get a lot of use out of them, and also if you're hoping to do more video projects or if you're doing something like the school-wide video news, which I also have a workshop about that, then you're gonna use those cameras a lot anyway. So, if that's something you're looking for, that's definitely worth the investment. Okay. And then what do the kids actually use to make the animations? Are they using Lego bricks? What are they using? Toys? Sure. You can use that if you would like. No problem.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:47]:

Having a variety like that and having those physical props is really fun, and sometimes Kids will bring in their own things to use in their videos, so it's definitely up to your discretion if you wanna allow that. I also love the Crayola modeling clay, so not the air-dried clay that's soft and fluffy, but the actual modeling clay. It's really inexpensive, they have class kits, and it doesn't dry out, which is amazing. When I taught my summer camp, I got a kit of modeling clay, and then I divided up all the colors so they had a bag of colors they could mix and match so you could actually blend colors together and they had their bag of modeling clay if that was an option and if the bags were left open, it Didn't matter because it didn't dry out. If you're teaching all of your students in this school, that might get a little bit expensive. My trick with stop motion is I actually use paper, and I have students draw their props. I might even have some things that are already predrawn that they can color and cut out. And so, that is my biggest trick and tip, and it is so, so easy to store, they lie flat, and you probably have unlimited paper, and so that's actually what I use for the props. So now we have all of the materials covered, and devices, What do you actually do in these stop motion lessons and connect them to STEM careers? Let's talk through it. I am going to talk through each grade level, starting with 5th grade, and give you an overview of the lesson and what they are trying to accomplish in their stop motion lesson. All of these lessons will be linked in the show notes, and I also have a bundle of them together.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:43]:

So if you're hoping to do stop motion k through 5, You have all of the things laid out for you, all of the planning documents students will need, all of the note taking sheets. So as they are learning about these concepts, when they're taking on the role of the STEM career? They have an easy way to keep track of it. Starting with 5th grade, they are taking on the role as an ecologist. So somebody who is Studying the Earth's landscapes and how it all connects together and all the different things and what they are doing in their stop motion video is How can they can create a stop motion about Earth spheres and how they interact with each other? When you're talking about Earth spheres, you have the different things like the biosphere and then all the things within that, the water, The grass, all of those different spheres, and they have to visually show how it connects together, and they're creating that model. So Not only are they learning about the spheres and what is in them, they had to visually show a way how they could explain that to somebody else, which Takes that levels to a whole other dimension because oftentimes I've seen with this actual standard Is that they're just labeling pictures of the spheres and then the end, they probably won't remember. So this is making that really interactive. In 4th grade, they are taking on the role as a tsunami warning specialist, and they are learning about the concept of Waves and waves in 2 ways. So they're thinking about, yes, a tsunami makes a wave based on an earthquake happening underwater? So we have that water wave, but also are really looking in that role is they are looking at the Hypes of waves and the data that a tsunami actually makes when it is Becoming closer and closer and closer, so they're taking on that role.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:46]:

So students will actually have examples, and I this one was interesting to plan. I did a lot of research on impactful tsunamis throughout history And even made a map where it shows where it's at, more information, a timeline of what happened with the tsunami And students will pick 1 of the tsunamis to show in their video, but also explain what a tsunami is, How it works and how the waves the wavelengths are actually shown in that video. So really taking on that role of the tsunami warning What do you need to know about all of this and also educating others how can you stay safe. So my students really really had a fun time drawing the waves. And really anything with natural disasters, they're like, yeah, I'm all about it even though it's a little scary. And I live in Colorado, so I have to remind kids, like, we don't get tsunamis in Colorado and if we did get one in Colorado, that's, like, really, really bad. So they were super into this lesson and, really liked seeing and learning about waves, The different kinds of waves, so, those 2 kinds of waves in a different way. 3rd grade for their stop motion animation is they were taking on the role as a Paleontologist. And instead of doing, like, let's dig up fossils out of this dry clay, That's cool.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:17]:

They're really telling a story of how fossils are formed from living things long ago. In my little example video, I show a snail living his happy snail life and then sadly passes away and he had the right time, right conditions where he ended up becoming a fossil? And so students will actually learn about the different types of fossils and have those resources And then they will have examples of different fossils that have been, found throughout time And students will actually, think about, okay, so there was this fossil formed, what was the story? It's like they kinda have to infer and make up, How did this living thing live its life and then how did it go from that to eventually being a fossil that we found? So paleontologists do use evidence to infer, so they are doing that while they are creating the research and the script and props for this project. For 2nd grade, I feel like this is one of my favorite ones, but I love animals. And so I had a lot of fun planning this one And also challenging too because a lot of times you've probably seen with these standards, there's not a lot of kid-friendly resources is out there so I just end up making it so that my students have benefited and so can yours. And so Students in this project are learning about different types of pollinators so they are taking on the role as a zoologist. They are studying different types of pollinators, some that are commonly known like bees, but some that are not fruit bats, which is one I learned about. And they actually have the articles that I wrote, short out articles that help explain what the animal is, how do they pollinate, and why is it helpful? So there are short articles already in there and the audio is read to them so I actually read the article. And so students actually will choose one of those pollinators and then they will show in their stop motion animation how that animal helps with pollination. In 1st grade, students are taking on the role as biomimicry researcher. Biomimicry is when inventors are looking at nature and how Things in nature work to help inspire their ideas.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:40]:

So, for example, you have a turtle and they have a shell, and the shell protects that turtle. Well, with the helmet, the helmet we could say, I don't know if this is actually true, but we could say that a helmet Takes elements from a turtle and its shape and its purpose to help humans keep their heads safe when they're riding a bike. And so students will have different examples of biomimicry. Again, I wrote the articles in a kid-friendly way, recorded my voice, But different examples of inventions that use biomimicry in our everyday lives and things that you See, like windmills and reflectors. And so students in their video will actually show a human problem being solved with biomimicry? And it could be an invention that is already out there or even more fun, They get to plan the invention and then show it through their videos. So a lot of problem-solving in that one. And finally, we have our Cutiepie kindergartners, and they are taking on the role as a meteorologist, and they are creating a stop motion animation to show the weather from the week? And maybe it's things that, like, you have to look up the weather from the past week and then put in the data in the weather journal that's I did for them and, of course, talking about different types of weather and then they're gonna show that in their stop motion animation. You could do where you live.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:13]:

Now if you live somewhere really sunny all the time, that would be a really boring stop animation. So look up a place like Colorado, Look up Colorado in December or maybe January 2024 because we've had weird weather, so you say, hey, we're making a stop motion of Colorado weather because you get different things every day. It will snow in the morning and then be sunny that afternoon. So, they are making that stop motion animation to show the weather. As a recap in this lesson, we talked about how you can actually have meaningful stop motion animations in your classroom as it relates to STEM careers and then really showing those standards where it talks about modeling a concept. So we talked through, first, the origin of the stop motion careers lessons, next, we also talked about ways to set this up and getting the materials re ready, And finally, we talk through all of those different challenges. All of those lessons will be linked in the show notes for you? And then also if you are looking for more ways for students to connect their experiences to different STEM careers, I invite you to my STEM career day workshop, where I walk you through the entire process, give you all the templates of how to set that up in your classroom, And then also, make sure to keep an ear out for my upcoming kid podcast, the STEM Career Quest podcast where each week I will be interviewing guests Who have real life STEM careers and who are talking to kids to help inspire them. Thank you so much again, and I will see you in the next episode.

 

stop motion animation for students

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is an online K-5 STEM Coach in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there. 

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

What You’re Missing By Not Hosting a STEM Career Day Event [ep.144]

What You're Missing By Not Hosting a STEM Career Day Event [ep.144]

STEM career day event

Check out the full episode on What You're Missing By Not Hosting a STEM Career Day Event:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Last week, I shared how to host your own STEM Career Day Event at your school. Now, you may be wondering about the benefits of hosting a STEM Career Day Event, which is what I'm talking about today. I'll be diving into how a STEM Career Day Event can greatly benefit the students at your school, the significant impact these types of events can have on students, and more.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why students benefit from attending a STEM Career Day Event
  • Behind the scenes of the responses from both the students and guest speakers when I hosted a STEM Career Day Event
  • Why we should encourage students to start thinking about their future careers early

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

You want to host a STEM career day event for your students, but it just sounds like a lot of work. What are your students even missing out on anyway by not having a STEM career day? I hosted a STEM career day in my 5th year of teaching STEM, and this was the first time I had ever done this event for my students. And I was so bummed that I hadn't put on this event before. Well, what did my students even miss out on? Why was I so sad about it? Let me explain inside this episode. 


Naomi Meredith [00:01:13]:

In the last episode, episode 143, I talked about all the things that you need to do to set up your STEM career day for success. If you haven't taken a listen to that episode, make sure to go back and listen to it after you listen to this one. It's okay if you listen to them out of order. Now, an event like this, when it's something for your entire school, could be a lot of prep work when it comes to all of the little details, the scheduling, making sure everybody knows about it, communicating with your guest speakers, and getting the guest speakers. How do you organize it all on top of all of the lesson planning that you are already doing for your school and even all of those after-school clubs and everything in between? I totally understand and was 100% in your position, but also knew that this was extremely important for my students to experience in elementary. So, while I was planning my STEM career day event, I saved every single thing for you. Yep.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:22]:

I saved every template, system, routine, and even examples of what went on that day so you wouldn't have to go digging and figure it out on your own. You can just plug and play, adapt what you need, and have a successful event in no time. I am spilling all the secrets and letting you steal all my ideas for your own event, and you can find this in my audio workshop at naomimeredith.com/stemcareerdayworkshop. You don't need to join me live. It is audio only, so I will talk you through it in short segments. With all of those templates and all of that planning, you have me in your back pocket, and you will be on your way with this awesome day for your students. This is linked in the show notes for you so you don't miss out on this awesome resource. So, what are you missing out on anyway by not having a STEM Career Day? You don't have to put it on.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:23]:

It's probably not required of you. Why does it even matter? Why should you even do something extra? Who cares? Here's what your students are missing out on. The first thing that they are missing out on by not having a STEM career day is learning how to dream big. Okay. So maybe your kids are dreaming big already about the cool projects that you're doing, but dreaming big in a different way. I had a parent presenter at my STEM career day that I hosted for my students and she's actually a guest on my upcoming kid podcast that will be coming out sooner than later. But she was saying even in that episode that the first Experience that she had at a career day wasn't until early college, and she already had an idea of what she might have wanted to be when she grew up, but she had this experience, this career day experience, and it actually changed the trajectory of the career that she went into her pathway, and because of that career day, this is the job that she is actually doing today and is super passionate about it. Now, thankfully, that experience happened for her.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:37]:

Everything happens for a reason. But what if she had known? You never know. But what if she had known about this career and learned about it at a career day in elementary school? Our kids are already thinking about what they wanna be when they grow up. They're not waiting until college to think about what they wanna be when they grow up. This can definitely change. Absolutely. Jobs are going to change. But even as a little kid, they're not too young to think about the possibilities and the passions and the interests and the things that they might wanna do when they get older.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:20]:

And how cool is that where you're bringing in these different experiences and jobs that they might not have ever heard of and even jobs you might not have even heard of as an adult to help them dream big in these different ways. We're always hearing as teachers, and you are probably told this as a kid, that as teachers, we are preparing our students for jobs that don't even exist yet. And some of those jobs and those careers that are being presented on this day might not exist when your kids get to be older, but it doesn't mean you need not to have them come in. These jobs now that are currently happening are evolving, and they are changing and they are sparking new jobs that your students might be in whether they're ones that are being created or maybe they're they are a job that those students actually create. You never know what it's going to be like. My teachers never told me, hey, maybe one day you could be a podcaster. No. They never said that.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:27]:

I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but also I never knew as a kid there were all these other pathways and things that would end up putting me in this position of teaching in a different way with the involvement with technology and all of that. However, I did have experiences that led me to where I am today, so you never know what types of experiences are gonna Spark that passion and that interest for your students, and a STEM career day is a great way to do this. One of the parent presenters Even emailed me after the event, after we sent home all of the thank you notes. And one of the parent presenters sent me this really kind email, and they said, Thank you so much for putting all that work into STEM career day. My son and their cousins are all still talking about it. They were kids at the school. And that was also very sweet of the kids to write thank you notes for you to send them home with my son. They were fun to read.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:26]:

1 kid said, I would consider this a career option as I age. Hope you're enjoying your last couple weeks at the end of the school year. So it's pretty cool to hear that from one of the parent presenters that kids were thinking about what they were saying and presenting to them. The second thing that your students are missing out on by not having a STEM career day is having a different way to connect STEM to the real world. This can often be tricky in the elementary STEM space, thinking about, okay, we're doing these really cool hands-on projects, But how is this connecting to a bigger picture? Because our little kids their worlds are small to them. So, how can we make those STEM projects come to life in a way that actually makes sense? A STEM career day is a really great way to do this. You might even get that question all the time, why are we learning this? What does this have to do with anything? Why is this even important? A ton of my parent presenters, because I had the chance to go around and watch them, so many of them said how they use math and why math is important in their jobs. And so it was really cool to hear parents and their parents, But hearing them say, here's how I use this skill in my job.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:49]:

This is why it's important. Here's how I have to work together with others. Here's how I need to know how to present because I present projects all the time in front of a team and have to share my ideas in a way that makes sense to others. So those tidbits that all of the presenters were sharing were so important. Students had the opportunity to ask them questions about their jobs and the things that they do, and the things that are exciting for them. It wasn't just a set and get kind of day. Kids were able to interact with the presenters in all of these special ways. In one of the presentations, one of the parents is in finance, and she was talking about her job, but then she did an interactive activity where the students had a budget, and then they had to actually figure out where all of the different funds would go And thinking about rent and taxes and all of those things, they did a budgeting game and to see how much money was left over at the end.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:57]:

An absolute real life challenge. She paired it down definitely based on what she does for her job. But this was really cool, too, because in my STEM classroom, We also used a budget when it comes to purchasing Makerspace supplies and where the funds are allocated, how much money have left, how to make returns and get money back and change. So it was really awesome to hear her give this presentation and make it interactive because it definitely reiterated what I was doing in the STEM space, but, also, I know for a fact a lot of those math problems that classroom teachers were doing as well. So this was a really cool way to just really touch upon those real world examples. It's also cool in this STEM career day experience. It's twofold in a way when you're talking about how it all connects to the real world. First, students learn about projects that happen in the real world.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:56]:

So many of the parents shared, hey. This is what I work on in my career. And then they're also learning how the career is supporting the project, so they're hearing about the projects and how the career is supporting the projects. There was 1 session where there was a parent whose company is a STEM company, and her job isn't necessarily a STEM job, but it's supporting the STEM company. So her skills are really valuable in this company where she does marketing for this business and also works on creating content and podcasts and all of those types of things to help support what that company is doing in a STEM space. So that was really cool to hear that type of perspective where Not everything is a STEM job, but there are ways that those kinds of things can collide together based on the passions and the skills that you have. The third thing that your students are missing out on by not having a STEM career day is having a unique opportunity to learn from multiple perspectives. I hate to break it to you, but as a teacher and as a STEM teacher, you don't know everything.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:16]:

And guess what? Neither do I. I definitely don't. I do a lot of research on things, but I don't know everything either. And I can't share everybody's perspective of what they are experiencing in the STEM space. I can't. And oftentimes, there are a lot of people in STEM that we're constantly sharing about, but we're not broadening that perspective from students to learn from. And some of us might not even be sharing about other STEM careers and jobs at all. So this is really helping break out of, okay, I am the teacher in the classroom, I teach STEM, but I'm not the only person who knows about all these things.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:59]:

There are a lot more people out there who are way smarter than me and who can explain these topics and bring them to light in a way I could never dream possible. This type of event is so cool because it really is brought to life. It's in person. Students are learning from industry experts who are doing this in their day to day jobs. These people are doing this all the time, and so they get a break out of here's what I do all day, and you can learn more about it. That is pretty darn cool. Bringing this into your school building really provides that access for students where they were already there at school. It was during the school day.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:42]:

It wasn't an after-school opportunity. If you are in school that day and making good choices, you have to come to STEM career day. It was brought to them. We didn't have to go on a field trip. We didn't have to think about the funding. I planned everything out for them. They literally just had to show up with their classroom teacher. And so when you're thinking about all of those details, that's all inside the workshop for you.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:05]:

So it's all laid out. Not too bad. There is careful planning, but such a cool way for them to learn from people who are doing amazing things every single day. These people that you are bringing in are doing cool things, and they are immersed in this STEM space And they're using those up to date things where I probably don't know about all of them. For example, there was a parent who did a lot of coding in their job. And they were showing the kids how they use Computer coding, so that was actually pretty cool too to see some of the lines of code that he writes, so saying that advanced level of coding. But he was actually showing them how he uses the AI tool, chat g p t, to actually check his code, Make sure there are no bugs in it, and then it will actually give him suggestions on how to make the code better. This is also when chat g p t was, like, a really big buzzword.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:08]:

It Still is, but people are getting more accustomed to it and its capabilities. So not only did kids get to see real life code for a project, and the dad explained what it was and what it's used for and, like, kinda what he does in his job, but then also talked about A real life AI tool and show them how he uses it to check the code. I could not have done that. I never would have thought of doing that. I wouldn't have known how to talk about it. Now I can share about it because I watched it at STEM career day. But even something like That is something I could not give the kids as a teacher. And so it was just so cool where there were moments like this constantly throughout the day where something you never know is gonna stick with a kid, and they might want to explore that more.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:58]:

So It's just so cool that they can actually learn from these people and hear their passion in what they do And it really rubs off of them and helps those kids say, I never knew that was possible. Kids definitely need to see people like them doing amazing things. If we want our kids to get involved in STEM, we need to be providing diverse opportunities for diverse people so they can dream big. We can't wait until middle school or high school to provide opportunities like this. It could be too late. We never know. Better late than never, But why not start it in elementary? If you're thinking, we've never done an event like this, my school hadn't either, But I made it possible where, oh, this is something that we can do in the elementary space. I'm not gonna wait for somebody else to host it for us.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:59]:

I'm not gonna wait for my principal to give me the idea. You need to get it started. Be bold, Get an event like this up and running on the ground, and you'll be so thankful that you did and wish you did it before like I did because I wish that I had done this every single year because it was such a powerful, powerful day. As a recap, here are those Three major things that your students are missing out on by not hosting a STEM career day event. 1st is the opportunity to learn to dream big. Next is connecting the real world to STEM. And finally, students are missing out on that opportunity to learn from multiple perspectives. If you are nervous about all of those details skills, where do you even get started, and how do you fit this all in? I save you so much time inside of my STEM career day workshop, where you get all the planning templates, all of the emails that I wrote, all of the posters, and all the video examples where you don't have to think about this from scratch, you can edit and make this work from your school so that You will have a successful day for your students and an event that they will always remember.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:19]:

You can grab that link in the show notes or jump on in at naomimeredith.com/STEMcareerdayworkshop.

 

STEM career day event

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is an online K-5 STEM Coach in Colorado supporting elementary teachers world-wide navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there. With over a decade of experience teaching, 5 years teaching elementary STEM, along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM Certificate, Naomi helps teachers world-wide to navigate best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She offers a variety of tools to help teachers feel successful teaching STEM to their elementary students through lesson plans, online courses, coaching and speaking events.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM, innovation and hands-on learning in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

3 Must-Haves When Hosting a STEM Career Day in Elementary Schools [ep. 143]

3 Must-Haves When Hosting a STEM Career Day in Elementary Schools [ep.143]

career day in elementary schools

Check out the full episode on 3 Must-Haves When Hosting a STEM Career Day in Elementary Schools:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Have you been thinking about a STEM career day for your students? Although It's a fun and exciting event, it can be a lot of work. In today's episode, I'm sharing the top 3 things every STEM teacher should know when hosting a STEM career day in elementary schools.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • 3 things to be considered when hosting a STEM career day in elementary schools
  • My experience with hosting a STEM career day with 500 K-5 students and 15 guest speakers
  • The importance of having guest speakers for a STEM career day in elementary schools

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

Ready to set up a STEM career day for your elementary students? Setting up an event like this is so exciting, but it can be quite a bit of work to make sure that the day goes along smoothly. But I will be sharing with you 3 main things that you should consider when hosting a STEM career day that is super successful at your school. Take it from me, when I was a K-5 STEM teacher, I hosted a successful STEM career day for my K-5 elementary students for over 500 students in 15 presenters, and it went along beautifully. How did the STEM career day do so well? Let's jump into the episode. 


Naomi Meredith [00:01:19]:

I know how important it is to bring guest speakers into your elementary space. Guest speakers are able to provide something that you, as a teacher, can't always give them, and this isn't a bad thing. Saying this is just the reality of it. These guest speakers are able to bring in multiple perspectives for your students, share that industry experience that they have, and even talk about things that they are super passionate about, which in turn might be things that your students are passionate about too or things that they never knew that they would be passionate about and want to learn more. It is so important for kids to see other people like them who are doing amazing and great things for our world, especially in the STEM space. I remember my 1st career day experience that I got to attend as a student. I was in middle school, and we rotated throughout the school to learn from different people and all of their super cool jobs.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:38]:

At this point in middle school, I was in 8th grade, so almost in high school, I already knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I knew I wanted to be a teacher, and truly, I have wanted to be a teacher ever since kindergarten. So the STEM career day was super cool and really awesome to learn about these different jobs, but I already knew what I wanted to be when I grew up anyway, so it didn't change my mind. Now, I might be an anomaly. You probably have students like this already, but having a STEM career day in the elementary space isn't too young. We often hear about these events in middle school, high school, and even college. We can do this in elementary school. A lot of times at those kindergarten graduations, we even ask them, what do you wanna be when you grow up? Well, let's give them different options to think about. There are so many jobs that even I, as an adult, have never heard of, and most likely, your students haven't either, so let's bring them that experience with a STEM career day.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:43]:

Now I know it's a lot of work getting this set up, and we're gonna talk about those top 3 tips. And when I did this for my school. I kept you in mind the entire time. Yes. I kept the event in mind, but I kept you in mind while I was planning this, and I saved every single template and every schedule and every video that I used to prep this day because I knew there were other teachers like you who would wanna do an event like this, but maybe all of that planning and prep work behind the scenes, is actually holding you back. Now think about this, if you're listening to this episode live when it comes out or whenever you're listening to it. Do you think it's actually crazy that if you were given all of the things to help you be successful, the templates, the way to schedule, how to set up your guest speakers? If you had all of that for you now, would it be so crazy to say, oh, I could actually get this set up to have an event in the next month or 2? I don't think that's crazy at all.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:54]:

And if you don't think that's crazy at all, I have it all ready for you in my newest workshop, my STEM career day workshop, where everything is laid out, and I walk you through the whole process from behind the scenes, from start to finish, and after where this event will be a piece of cake and a breeze. To get all of that info, it'll be linked in the show notes, but you can also get started with this workshop if you head on over to naomimeredith.com/stremcareerdayworkshop. It will be this audio workshop format for you where I will walk you through everything you need to know and help you for success. I did a poll over on my Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore, and 83% of you said that you have never done a STEM career day before. So let's change that perspective. When I ask again in a year, have you ever done a STEM career day? Let's have that percentage, that 83%, be a yes instead of a no, and I am here to help you out along the way. The first thing to do when you are setting up your STEM career day is to think about the guests that you are having and have a variety of guests who are going to speak and formats. This kind of evolved on its own. I had an idea in my head of having different throughout this day, and I did provide different options for the parents while I was emailing and getting interest for this event.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:27]:

I was giving ideas to the parents right off the bat in my emails. You could do something hands-on. It can be a presentation or anything else you can think of because I did want the day to have a lot of different things where students can experience these careers in their own unique way. Instead of just having a parent stand up there, just talking to the kids, hello, here is my job and what I do. These parents brought in the coolest things and the coolest ideas to make this day come to life. I had 15 parent volunteers, and they were so gracious enough to be with us on the higher school day for K-5. They did so many different cool things with our students. And what was really awesome too is a lot of them at their jobs, they said that their bosses didn't either make them take the day as a personal day or some of their companies even have volunteer days and really encourage them to go do events like this.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:36]:

So, if you are scared even to get people to come into your building, these parents were more than willing to come in. And I had others who were interested, and they just had things going on that day. And so if you can get at least 10 parents to come in and do an event like this, you're gonna have a really successful day. Here were some of the types of jobs, some of the 15 that I had Khan speak to our students, and it was super, super cool. We had a systems engineer for Lockheed Martin, and they work on a lot of different things that get sent up into space. We had a clinical pharmacist, we had a husband and wife couple who are founders of an Art Academy, so you could even call this a steam day, and they had a really fun presentation. The kids really liked theirs. There was a hacking engineer, so showing the students how things are packaged before they get shipped and how they are packaged in specific ways to really help save room and cut down on cost.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:43]:

We also had a mechanical project designer. And like I said, these are only a few of the amazing people who came in to speak with our students. Some of you might be wondering how much you paid them. How much did this event cost? This day was absolutely free, 100% free. These parents volunteered their time. It happened during the school day, so I wanted my students to be able to experience all of these careers and not be limited by, oh, my mom and dad won't bring me in. No. Everybody, if you were at school that day and making good choices, you got to come to STEM career day, which was absolutely amazing.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:27]:

I did host in the morning as parents were coming in. We had some leeway leeway time. I did host some coffee and donuts for the parents. My PTO actually did not have fun with that. I personally paid for the coffee and donuts for the parents for their time had that little station available. It was the least that I could do for their time. But otherwise, the event was absolutely free, which is so important and so amazing that all the students got to experience this day. When it came to the actual presentations, there were a variety of things that were presented.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:05]:

Some parents had presentations up on the screen where they had pictures of them working in their jobs, and some had presentations even provided by their companies where, again, they encouraged them to do some community outreach and have those resources already available for them. One of the parents, who is a financial planner, had a whole comic book and video that went along with what they were talking about provided by their company, which was so amazing. There were also some hands-on stations where kids actually got to feel and touch things or look at things up close. 1 parent had actual computers that were taken apart, and students loved seeing the inside of electronics. They absolutely love that. 1 parent had a connection with their old company where they had a real working Enigma machine from World World War 2, which is a cipher that decoded messages from different places and things in World War 2, and the kids actually were allowed to touch it. So that machine was definitely built to last. It was absolutely amazing that they were touching history.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:20]:

There was also a station where a parent at their company had an intern who designed and illustrated a children's book to share more about that career and what they do in that career, and then the parent had the book and read it to the students, which was so cool. So like I said, I gave some options for parents of what they could present, but they really took off with it and had a lot of fun with this. And the kids absolutely loved the variety of different things that they got to experience in each of these stations. The second thing to do when setting up a successful STEM career day is to have a set schedule. Events like this definitely need to have clear cut times and locations of where everything is happening. If you don't plan this beforehand, that can be an absolute disaster. And so I worked with our PE teacher, who had an indoor field day schedule. And if you don't do indoor field day, ours was a backup day where the Colorado weather is very up and down, and we always needed a backup option to do field day inside.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:38]:

She had already created a schedule that worked with the lunch schedules we already had, and so I worked with her when it came to the scheduling piece because it was already done and how students would rotate in the building. So I had that set time schedule of where every class would be at which time and at which station, and then we also had a map of the locations of where they would visit each speaker. The sessions were only 10 minutes long, and it was interesting hearing from the speakers because they were the same people all day. In the morning, they had the older students, 3rd through 5th grade, and in the afternoon, they had kindergarten through 2nd grade. They all said the same thing where they felt like the 10 minutes was too short for the older students and they felt the 10 minutes in the afternoon was too long. And that is the transition time built within that 10 minutes, so I thought that was really interesting. So when you're planning this event, maybe consider that point of it where, if you want to, the students have a smaller amount of time. I kept it the same because the way the rotations worked, the teachers still had their planned time during this event, and the kids actually didn't have specials that day.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:00]:

And the kids and the teachers were like, oh, I'm so sad about it. Why aren't we having specials? I want to experience everything. Well, you don't have to go to your planned time, you get to experience most of the stations, but you actually get more time away from teaching than you do with actual specials anyway. And the same for the kids, you're getting more time doing something fun than you do in special. So it's one day out of the year. I don't think it's a big deal. I was a classroom teacher, but you might have some teachers like that, so just keep that in mind. For the fun stuff, you know, I like to add a little bit of flare.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:44]:

I also made signs with each of the parents' pictures on them and their job descriptions, and those were hanging in the locations where they would be. This was really helpful when students were traveling to the different classrooms and also for the parents to know where other people were and all of that. So that was actually a really nice touch, and the parents could keep their poster as a souvenir if they wanted to. Along with printing all of the schedules and the maps for the teachers, I also made class sets of a thank you card template that I created for them. We had 3rd through 5th grade go in the morning and k through 2 in the afternoon, as I said. So, for half of the day, the other grade levels were not participating in some career days in terms of the stations. This was a great opportunity for them to write a thank you note about their day if they wanted to do this during that time. I also collected all of those thank you notes back, and then me and the substitute I had covering my station for the day.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:53]:

I had a sub cover my stations, so I could be running around and help troubleshoot or anything like that. But we sorted all of the thank you notes based on the presenters if there were specific ones. Then, we just sorted the ones that were more generic out evenly. And so by the end of the week, the parents were given a stack of thank you notes to thank them for their time. I did read every single one, and I actually took pictures of the ones that were really amazing and powerful. They really made me tear up because I knew that this day was going to be really successful and really powerful for the students, but hearing their perspective talk about STEM career day was so powerful to me. Here are a few of the thank you notes that they said, and they were so cute. 1 student said, thank you for helping us learn, and this is to the presenters, not to me.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:53]:

But they said thank you for helping us learn. I can't wait to tell my family all about it. Another student said, thank you for sharing such cool stuff with us. This is one of the most fun events we ever had at school, which I'm all, oh, compared to field day, I'll take that. And then this one was really, really sweet, and they had a picture of a rocket in the bottom. Really, really good handwriting. And they said to one of the parents, thank you so much for taking time off work to come teach us about your job and how it uses STEM. I learned a lot about rockets and all their parts.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:31]:

I really liked how you let us touch some of the parts of the rocket and showed us a timeline video of the rocket being made. Thank you for teaching me and my class here. I think when I'm older, I want to be a systems engineer like you. How amazing is that? And knowing this student, I never actually would have guessed that might be something that they would be really passionate about, so that was really, really cool. The last thing that you definitely wanna do when setting up a successful Strum career day for your school is build hype and promote it. You are setting up an event, and just like any event, you want to build up that hype. I did this for my own wedding. You do this for events. I am that kind of person.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:23]:

If I am passionate about something and there is a project that I'm working on, first of all, I won't start a project unless I am passionate about it. You betcha. I'm gonna build hype about it because I want everybody to have an amazing experience and really be into what we are doing. And you wanna do this for STEM career day. It's not just 1 little email. Hey, guys. We're gonna do STEM career day on April 5th. I hope you have a good time. No. You are building this up.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:54]:

If you're not hyped up about it, nobody else is gonna be hyped up about it. When at first glance, it actually might sound boring. Hey, you're gonna hear parents talk about their jobs. No, you need to make this a whole thing. You wanna build that hype. And I did save everything I did for this, and so inside of that workshop, you get all the templates and all the things to help you hype up your day, so you don't have to think about all the words. I was putting a bug in people's ears, like talking to some of the teachers. What do you think about this idea? They're like, oh my gosh, that's amazing. I'm thinking about doing a STEM career day. What do you think about that? So, putting a bug in the air like months before this was actually gonna happen.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:41]:

Talking to our admin. Hey. I wanna put on this event. I will plan the whole event. It'll be during the day. It'll be educational. It'll be amazing. And just getting those dates confirmed, putting it in parent newsletters and classroom newsletters, and getting interest.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:00]:

Once I had that interest from parents, then I could collect more information. Here's how you can present that day. So, really building that hype. Also, as a teacher, I always talked about this with kids. And once I kinda knew the people who would be presenting and it was connecting what we were learning, I was like, oh my gosh, you guys. We have somebody, somebody's parent, who's actually going to talk about their job that relates to this project that we are doing. Isn't that amazing? And they're like, oh my gosh, that's so good. So you definitely wanna hype this up.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:35]:

Another huge thing, too, when it comes to events and hyping up is I promoted this all the time on our school-wide video news. And if you're interested in how to do this, I have a workshop about this, too, which we will link in the show notes. So, if you wanna know how to do a school-wide news team, I will show you every single thing in there. All the templates are in there as well. As I said, I kept you guys in mind when I set all of these events up. But anyway, I made videos for the news. I would say, hey, guys, here is the session that I am presenting on. I did have a backup session just in case anything were to happen, but I put that on the news.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:15]:

I even had parents who were presenting. They made videos that went on the news, and the kids went insane when they saw their parents on their screen in their classroom talking about their jobs. How cool is that? So, really building up this hype, sending those email reminders, having all the materials prepared for teachers. So it's like you get you don't have to teach for 2 hours this day. A little side note, I actually plan mine. It worked out perfectly. We had our STEM career day on Pi Day, so 3.14, pi, the mathematical pi, you know. We had it on that day.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:53]:

It's also Star Wars Day, so that was pretty cool. And the next day was a teacher workday, and that was just such a lovely treat for the teachers. So, even the timing of STEM career day was hype in itself. So, really building this up to be an amazing event and why this is so important will even help it go a lot quicker because the kids know, oh, Miss Meredith is so excited about this. We should be excited about this too, and we should really behave and do a good job because this is a very special event. So, really build up that hype. It does make a difference. It really, really does.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:33]:

Get pumped, and everyone will get pumped about it and support you on this amazing day. As a recap, here are those 3 main things that you should keep in mind when setting up a successful STEM career day for your elementary students. First, have a variety of guests and formats. 2nd, have a set schedule. And 3rd, don't forget about this part, build hype about your event and promote it. If you are so pumped up, just like I am, to get started and set up a STEM career day in no time at all and not have to think about all the details and how all of this works and how did it all go, how do you collect this information. I have every single template and everything laid out for you where I will walk you through this step by step in this workshop this is an audio workshop, so it is really special and different from other workshops I've done in the past where each little thing will be broken up into a segment that you can listen on the go, where you will have all of those digital templates and all the things need to get set up, but you will hear me and listen to me while you are on the go, and I will talk you through the whole process. You don't need to join me live.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:50]:

I know you are busy, and you all have different schedules of when you would set this up, so I kept this in mind where this is ready to go for you to get into this special day and set it up for your students and feel confident that it is going to work. You can grab all of that information in the show notes or check it out at naomimeredith.com/STEMcareerdayworkshop.

career day in elementary schools

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

advocating for girls in STEM

Inspiring and Advocating for Girls in STEM with Alexandrina Satnoianu [ep.141]

Inspiring and Advocating for Girls in STEM with Alexandrina Satnoianu [ep.141]

advocating for girls in STEM

Check out the full episode on Inspiring and Advocating for Girls in STEM with Alexandrina Satnoianu:  

 

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Episode Summary

With so many studies and statistics out there signifying that there is a significant gap of women who work in the STEM fields compared to men, advocating for girls in STEM is important. By closing this gap, we are giving more opportunities to various careers, creating a more diverse workforce, and helping limit bias in various projects. In today's episode, I interview Alexandrina Satnoianu, who is a gender equality expert and communications professional. Alexandrina shares about her work in advocating for girls in STEM and so much more.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why advocating for girls in STEM is important
  • How Alexandrina Satnoianu is advocating for girls
  • Tips and strategies for encouraging girls to participate in STEM

Resources Mentioned:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Meet Alexandrina Satnoianu:

Alexandrina Satnoianu is a gender equality expert and communications professional, running communications campaigns at the European Institute for Gender Equality. She’s originally from Romania but has been living and working in Vilnius for the past 13 years and calls Lithuania her adoptive country.

She is the mother of two girls: a 23y glider pilot, aerospace engineer and commercial pilot in training, and an 12y intrepid and creative girl, whom she also raises with an interest in science and technology.

Inspired by her background in gender studies and parenting experience, Alexandrina is currently working on an innovative concept for STEAM education that aims to empower girls to feel they have the right, the skills, and the confidence to pursue a STEAM career. Her dream is to open a STEAM centre that would bring her ideas about girls’ science education to life.

This year, she took one step closer towards her dream and volunteered to run a STEAM Girl’s Club for 6th graders, at her daughter’s school. She is an active member of the international school community, gives lectures to parents on opening STEAM opportunities for their children and documents the journey towards her BIG dream on a #STEAMparenting blog.

Alexandrina loves hiking, pole dancing, running, biking, strives for a healthy work-life balance and a reduced carbon footprint.

Connect with Alexandrina:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

Why is it important to advocate for girls in STEM? There are so many statistics and studies out there that show there is a significant gap of women in STEM careers compared to men. By closing this gap and making it smaller, we are giving an abundance of opportunities to various careers in the STEM fields. This also helps create more diverse work environments and limits bias when it comes to the different types of perspectives when working on various projects in these spaces. For us as educators, we have the opportunity to inspire our young students, especially girls in our education space, to bring to light these amazing opportunities that are out there, specifically in STEM. And our guest today definitely has that same passion as we do in this elementary STEM space. Today, we are hearing from Alexandrina Satnoianu, and we first connected over on Instagram. And what is so amazing about this virtual world is, well, we've never met in person, son, and she's all the way in Lithuania, and we have the opportunity to connect and chat on Instagram. She is also a member of my STEM teacher bookshelf membership.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:35]:

And when I had her in on a call, she was so amazing. It was the middle of the night for her, but just hearing her story and her passion and what she is doing, advocating for girls in STEM is absolutely amazing and I knew that I needed to have her as a guest on this podcast. Alexandrina is a gender equality expert and communications professional and the work that she is doing is so important for not only girls in her community but her own children. She is the mother of 2. One of them is an adult, and one of them still is a child. And it is so amazing to hear all of the things that she has done to raise her girls where one of her daughters, her adult child, is actually in the STEM field today where her daughter is an aerospace engineer and also a pilot. Likewise, Alexandrina is doing amazing work for her younger daughter to advocate for her in STEM and is also starting up and continuing a STEM club for her daughter and girls at her school to expose them to lots of different ways to collaborate, critically think, and get excited about STEM. Alexandrina finds her inspiration from her experience of gender studies and also her experience as a mother and providing those opportunities in the STEM and STEAM space where we can close that gap when it comes to women in STEM and make a positive difference.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:15]:

She is working on so many more projects that I am mentioning here. So when you are done listening to this episode, make sure to go and check out her bio, which will be linked in the show notes because her full story and also the things that she'll be describing today are absolutely amazing and powerful and also inspirational to help us as educators and also other parents who are out there listening to this, how we can make STEM more accessible for all children but specifically girls in this space. I am so excited for you to listen to this episode. So let's jump on in and get inspired.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:55]:

Well, thank you so much, Alexandria, for being here today. We have connected over on social media, and you send me some blog posts. And, I know that you are a listener of the podcast and even join in our STEM your bookshelf community, and I'm so glad that you're here as a guest because when I knew what you were doing was so impactful and powerful, but when I heard you speak about what you're doing, advocating for girls in steam, and we'll get into that. But just, like, hearing your story, just a little snapshot in our book club call.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:00]:

I knew I had to have you as a guest, and then, side note, I'm grabbing your daughter for some other secret project coming up. But I'm really curious as to you have such a big background in the business world and everything that you've done. How did you get into the actual work of advocating for girls in STEM or STEAM?


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:05:23]:

Yes. STEAM is, what I, prefer. So thank you so much, Naomi, for your invite and having me here. You know me. I'm really passionate about the STEM education, and I have to thank you and the amazing content that you are putting up for deepening my interest and knowledge into STEAM. Actually, my background is in, gender equality. I graduated from gender studies, and I think that's the start, with my interest in in STEAM. Having access to the evidence and having, seeing that there are not enough, women professionals Working in science, technology, engineering, art, and math altogether. Actually, made me, become more of an advocate.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:06:18]:

I am of a curious nature, always, passionate about scientific discoveries. I think I got this from my father and from my mom, the appreciation for math. She was a seamstress. So, basically, thanks to her measurement and calculations, she was making dresses, and I've witnessed this, in my childhood. So I think because we do not have enough, women working in these areas, we are not yet that 40% gender balance, then there is not this critical mass, that, would help them Push through the innovations and take advantage of the existing technologies. So the work that they are doing, does not actually end up, representing, different, realities and needs of of women. And I can give a very trivial example. I think many of us, women, passing through the airports were queuing at the toilets.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:07:17]:

Yes. You have 2 toilets for women, 2 toilets for men, but the reality is that we need more time. This is a physiological reality, and sometimes due to our caring responsibilities, We also come in with with children, so that takes us even more time. But maybe there are not enough women to reflect on these needs, and there are maybe not enough women in the decision making positions to actually approve The constructions of 2 extra toilets that would be solving these needs. So I guess this is a very simple, out of everyone's realities type of an example of why we need more women in STEAM.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:01]:

That is a great example and so true. I actually was just at the airport last night, but I even listened to this book. It's not a STEM book, but it's great. It's called Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, who is the CEO of Facebook. Right? Book. Yeah.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:08:20]:

Right?


Naomi Meredith [00:08:21]:

Yeah. And she talks about that in her book. She's not an engineer. She has a STEM job, but she advocated for, having parking spots that are actually closer to the building for women who are expecting because she didn't ever think about that until she was super pregnant, and she said that her pregnancies were horrible. And she was so uncomfortable, and she advocated for that, but she's, like, being in an industry that's male dominant that that wasn't ever something that was talked about or even thought about, and she felt bad not even noticing that because she was experiencing it, and they actually kept the parking spot. So that's really great that that's something. But like you said, like, trivial but also important, it's daily life


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:09:07]:

too. Yep. Yep. Yep. And, I think women, just because they are encountering the situations, are more prone to finding solutions or innovative, solutions to solve these issues. So that's why I think, it is a matter of Democratic representation, but it is also a matter of having, women working in these fields having access to the resources and opportunities to bring in big change, that would solve some of the problems. And I think You and I and all other women, viewers and listeners can come in with many other examples, but these are, Yes. Just 2.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:09:50]:

So let's push for having more girls and women in STEAM because, honestly, just the numbers are going to be saving or changing the situations.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:02]:

Oh, absolutely. I even notice with girls, even in my LEGO, robotics club that I'm hosting right now at different schools. It's so interesting, and I've seen this too in other clubs where the girls, they can definitely tackle a challenge no problem, but they always not always, but very often, they add these artistic elements in the design part and the storytelling And just that little bit of creativity, not to say boys can't, but I've noticed that as a trend especially where, Oh, we need to have this part here so that the kids can wash their hands, or we need this part for the family. And so there's that element of that empathy and realizing how everything's connected together. So the next time you are doing a project with girls, Listen to how they're talking about things because the way that they discuss their, projects and their ideas have a different flow than typically what groups of all boys do, and I don't know if you've seen that in your STEM clubs with your girls.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:11:12]:

Actually, I was, thinking whether to start the STEAM club as a girl's club or not, but it was the book of Gitanjali Rao, an innovator's guide to STEM. Yes. This is hard to refer the acronym, that she kind of convinced me that the girls need a safe space in which they could have the freedom and feel they have the right to tackle, problems a bit differently or at their own pace or If they want, however they want, because it might be that sometimes, they don't know how to do it, and they are questioning, and They are turning the problem, to see it from different angles, and only once they have some sort of a deeper understanding, they actually work on developing the solutions where the boys are more prone to taking action, Testing and improving and testing and improving. There are different, approaches to to innovation that girls and boys take. And in the mixed class at this age, just because boys, they also might feel more confident. They could have even taken more space. Girls could be feeling more intimidated, and they would not get involved as much. So in the end, I decided to run a STEAM girls club, and I have to say that there are issues that they are bringing to the table that I think pertain to their experiences.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:12:47]:

And I'm super happy because, in my opinion, it's not only about having the skills and knowing how to work with the tools in the case of girls just because, as I said, they are a minority in all these, Fields, they also need to feel they have the confidence and the right, and they need constant empowerment From my point of view, from my gender studies, from my reading, from my parenting experience, yes, it kind of led me to believe that we need a bit of an Innovative approach with, with STEM education that takes this, empowerment into account.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:27]:

I agree with you, and I actually ran an all girls STEM club at my school, my 1st or couple years in that position, and it was a wonder workshop, wonder lake competition where it was robotics and building to solve the problem, and that was really important for me to start off with that because The kids don't really have STEM anyway as a class, but having that where it was girl specific and just really and I even recruited some girls where They didn't actually sign up. I sought them out knowing that they would I really wanted to push them in that direction. So if that's something as a teacher. I know it can be hard if you're teaching all the kids in the school or you have your own class. Maybe if you're a classroom teacher, you do a girls' STEM club, like a lunch club, and you do it once a week, or, you do run an after school club because I think those connections where girls are empowering other girls too, like, we're empowering them as the teacher, but also Them empowering each other is so important for them to learn at a young age so that they can be supportive and, like, it's healthy to have good disagreements and come to a conclusion, and so it's really teaching them those soft skills that are essential in whatever career they decide as they grow up. What are you doing in your club? What are your what kinds of things are you guys doing in your girls' club?


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:15:00]:

Well, you know, it's, fresh. We've just started this, year. So this the school year started in September, And it is actually open to girls, from the 6th grade. Also, because my little one, I have two daughters. So my little one, she's a 6th grader as well. So, yeah, I kind of had this Double agenda on one hand, to put my ideas in practice, on the other hand, to create this entourage which, my daughter and some other girls, they feel safe to develop their kind of interest in science and Get to play with the tools and get to experiment. So, yeah, we started by, I started by introducing the girls to Gitanjali Rao, and they were very, very surprised that a girl almost their age. Well, they are 12.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:16:03]:

She and Gitanjali were 15, at the age she received the prior. But they were really impressed that you can be an innovator at such young age, and we discussed about The problems that they encounter in their real life and which would be the ones they would pick, for which they would like to work for their own developing solutions. And, I was really surprised that most of them in one way or another said climate change. It's either fighting pollution or, mitigating climate change effects or, getting to improve the rights of the of the children in Africa working in in mines, Also a bit connected. So we kind of agreed together, took a bit of, democratic approach. So we took climate change, as a topic, and the girls, wanted to work on developing Scratch, animations or videos through which they would be kind of inspiring their colleagues on, what they could be personally doing to mitigate the climate change effects. Like, really, don't take the elevator, compost the, organic, leftovers. Don't buy new clothes, sell your games, and board games on Vinted.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:17:38]:

We have here an application, an app that is quite successful for, commercializing secondhand items. All sorts of ideas they came up with, and this is what we are currently working on. But just because it was Halloween, we had a very special edition Inspired also by your podcast on, how to work with pumpkins, for steam activities, And we developed, pumpkin batteries, which was super, super cool. So let's see.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:16]:

Definitely send pictures if you have any, and we can put them on here. This could be a whole blog post for you. You could write a blog post about each of those.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:18:26]:

I do have. I do have tons of pictures because the girls, they were honestly So involved and so happy. And it was for real estate project because, it was the Electricity part, the surprise part in which we got to connect the pumpkins. We had 4 pumpkins. We connected, In in a series, and they add, altogether, they had enough voltage for light up, LED, like, and then it was actually the whole, pumpkin battery experiment for, a pumpkin competition, pumpkin contest at school, and they created a poster. So there was also the artistic, aspect of it. And they were really, really, really Well together, and, I was super proud of them. Unfortunately, they did not win, but they are winners to me.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:19:24]:

Yeah. And I have a prize with them. Oh, that's so


Naomi Meredith [00:19:27]:

sweet. Oh, I'm sure they love it. How many girls are in your group?


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:19:31]:

Well, this is it. I was not so I'm sure how to take it. We started with 5 girls, and I was a bit bummed, but Then I thought, well, this is the reality. It's true that the club was announced a bit late. So 3 weeks after school started, many many of the kids have already enrolled to some, after school activities. And there was also this perception that, it's not so much for girls even if it's dedicated to girls. So there is this issue that girls do not see themselves, as working or studying or being passionate about this area. But I'm super happy also because I do not have the hands on experience.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:20:22]:

I don't know if I would have handled a bigger number of girls. So 5, he's already quite a lot, to be honest, because I'm not I'm more than teacher, and I do not impose, the authority of a teacher. And sometimes it's really they it's after school, and they are so relaxed with me that, I have to say, yes. I I need to improve also my way of getting them, involved and keeping them focused on what it is that we are actually working on. But the battery experiment was a super hit. I think they love this kind of activities.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:03]:

Oh, definitely. And they're gonna talk about it more and more. Like you said, it's not they don't see themselves in this type of club, which is why you should have that. So you're doing great work. Yeah. And having a small amount, you can for you as the teacher, you'll learn your tips and tricks, and I'm sure more girls will want to start joining, and they'll talk about it. And, I mean, it's great you have your daughter in there so she can help promote for you.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:21:31]:

Yes. Yeah. I was actually not sure how she would see it because it's the age that we, you know, kids, they tease each other. So I was very gentle, to be honest. Really asking her if she wants to join, if she's okay with it. And she's a big, big Support her. I think she does a great job talking about this the STEAM club with with the other girls, and She seems very cool and at ease with it. So just because she's, so authentically seeing herself as a steam girl, I think it it is convincing for the other girls.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:22:12]:

And to be honest, I've also read in a study that this is what makes the difference. So they looked back in the study, and asked the girls that they graduated and become engineers. What exactly made them, choose this, career? And they had some some options. And among The most important factor, it was also that they saw themselves as engineers. They picture themselves in this role. Besides having good math skills, having a good impression about education in general, an interest in natural sciences. So I think it's very important to normalize. That's why I say that we have to give the girls this feeling that they have the right to be in this air in this area.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:23:05]:

They don't need to be special in many ways. I also think the parents expect the girls to be geniuses, but that's not the case. Any normal Girl can be a steam girl. And, yes, I know what I'm talking about since I have a graduate girl who graduated aerospace engineer at home. So yeah. She's very normal.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:30]:

Yes. Yes. Well, tell me. Okay. You told us in the book club, the STEM teacher bookshelf a little bit more about this, and your daughter's actually gonna be helping me with a project that is aligning with exactly what you're saying, helping kids see themselves in STEM. So you have done some things at home since that you're so passionate about this, but also just to help your daughters. What types of things have you done for your daughters? Because your daughter didn't just step into aerospace engineering. I know you were doing some things at home to kinda help her see that could be a possibility for her and also your little one too.


Naomi Meredith [00:24:07]:

You told me you do things with her as well.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:24:09]:

Yeah. Yes. Well, I am happy that I've overcome my negative experience in high school, where I encountered a misogynist teacher who was telling us, the girls in the class, You are beautiful but stupid? Well, those were the times. You know? Many, many years


Naomi Meredith [00:24:31]:

ago. Bitch.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:24:32]:

Yes. And, of course, it stirred me away for good because I was studying math and physics high level in in high school, but encountering On daily basis because I had math day daily classes of math, encountering this type of an attitude, it's Totally steered me away from, studying sciences or math. But somehow, it it It remained with me and this appreciation for for math. I passed it on to my daughter. Actually, we were, solving problems together as a mother daughter activity, helping her out to participate in some math competition that she wanted to to score the highest, 1 100 points, and she had very good math skills and confidence in her math skills. So there is a bit of a difference because girls nowadays, they do have good math skills, but they don't have, the confidence. So I think it it makes a big difference. Other than that, both myself and my husband, I think we took, nongender stereotypical, bringing, approach in a sense that, She got really exposed early on to robotics classes, coding classes.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:25:57]:

She was taught how to fix her bike. We treated her not really as as a girl that should be in a certain way, but this a child that should have many, many opportunities. And we opened up, I think, in this way, and her interest in STEAM, but that onwards, it's her own merit for Keeping up, for not being intimidated. Of course, I was coaching her and supporting all the way, But sometimes it's difficult since you are the only girl in the or there is another colleague, in the computer science class are, later on when she decided she wants to study, aerospace engineering to be among the few girls in in, in her group or in the hangar or whatever project it can be deterring. So this empowerment, I think it's very important. It played a huge role. And I wanted to learn or to think in retrospect and see what can I learn from this experience of raising my older daughter that I can apply with my little one, but she's totally different? She's an alpha generation child, digitally native. She doesn't do things just because I say so or give, the example of her older sister doing stuff.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:27:32]:

So I had to take a bit of a different approach. So with with her, again, very gentle, giving examples, providing opportunities to do things together, just to Play along to tease her interest, but no real push. Stepping aside if I see that it It's something that she doesn't like, so totally honoring, and respecting her her interests. And so far, it worked Well, and this is what I'm writing about in my STEAM parenting blog. Yeah. This generation is totally totally different, and we raise them. I think to have a voice, to be aware of who they are and their interests, and you cannot overstep that.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:28:30]:

So I think yeah. STEAM education has to take into account, their interests. Yeah.


Naomi Meredith [00:28:39]:

Oh, you're doing you you're a great job, mom. Like, I love that. Like, if I ever had kids, like, that's like, feel like I'll call you up. Hey. Can you just, like, raise my kids for me? Can you just do it


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:28:52]:

for me? Well, you know, every kid is different. Then they, I don't see this with my girls, so you have to you have to adjust. But, you know, there are some Principles, and I also know that I don't want to do things that I wouldn't want to be done to me. So I think that's that's the basics.


Naomi Meredith [00:29:17]:

Yeah. You're doing great, and you're sharing that with other kids in the school community, and that's going to grow. Yeah. What are all the different projects that you have going on that teachers and parents can check out?


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:29:31]:

Yes. I've mentioned that I am documenting my parenting experience with my little one on a teen parenting blog. I am fully admiring, the pace with which you are developing content and podcast. I am still catching up. Oh, good. But I would love I would love to to, to write and post, With an increased frequency at the moment, Yeah. It's, it's still a project to to grow. I started, as you also said, to talk with parents at school.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:30:11]:

So I'm, I'm involved. I'm a school counselor. I'm involved, with the community. I held presentations. Also, I kind of became aware of maybe 10 small improvements that we could make or micro adjustments to our parenting. I've made a a presentation, at the Spring International Steam Summit. I always seem to forget the title. And the presentation is on the ten things, or 10 steps you could be taking for more intentional STEAM parenting.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:30:58]:

Mhmm. I'm sure that many of us are doing all these. Just to give you an example, not, restricting, steam, or connecting STEAM only to Lego Robotics coding. STEAM can be just because of the use of technology can be any area. Something I said earlier, do not expect your girl to be showing, signs of genies. She can be very, very much herself with her interest in unicorns and, pink, fairies, whatever, take her from, where she is and just, provide her with an opportunity to know more. So include visits to museums in your travels or in your Weekends routines, make experiments, integrated scientific vocabulary, or, prone, conversations that lead to more inquiry. So there are many small things we can do that in a way leads to a big change.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:32:19]:

So I think This is, one of my, my strengths, my interests overall, having, As I said, my background in gender equality, the, reads, the studies, and then my Parenting experience, it kind of led me to believe that we need this innovative approach in STEAM education where we make the girls feel they have the confidence, the right and the skills to pursue a STEAM career. And I'm working on this innovative concept of steam education. I will I will see how I will be, able to develop it yeah. Presented at conferences or just study more, but it's definitely, I need an interest, a a passion, for me. So, yeah, this would be, my interest, I'm talking about it on my blog, on my Instagram. So I think, peer viewers, parents, teachers, if they have questions, interested, want to reach out to me, I'm fully open. I'm really, really happy to be part of this team community.


Naomi Meredith [00:33:45]:

Well, you are definitely walking the walk, not just talking the talk. You are doing great work, and you should be so proud of what you're doing. And you're doing this in such a kind way, and not you're it's just like a very welcoming way in the way that you are presenting this where it is so needed, did, and it's not making people feel bad, but making others be aware. And we'll have the links to everything in the show notes. So the International Steam Summit, by Wonder Workshop. You might still be able to watch it. I think they leave them up. It's free.


Naomi Meredith [00:34:20]:

Yeah. You might still be able actually to go and watch it. But then if not, you guys have to follow her on her blog and Instagram and see what where she's presenting next. So, I appreciate all the work that you're doing, Alexandrina, and, definitely a topic that isn't talked about enough, whether it's in the parent community or even in the STEM teacher community or teacher community in general. And so I'm So grateful that, you are a guest on our show. Thank you so much for being here.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:34:53]:

Thank you so much for the invite. It felt really, like, long needed conversation between the 2 of us, and I hope that, many more will follow. And thank you once more for everything that you are doing. It it's really inspirational. So much of my work is also, thanks to you.


Naomi Meredith [00:35:15]:

Oh, thank you. That's so kind of you. We need we need a big community to help keep this going in our world. So, we'd


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:35:24]:

Yeah.


Naomi Meredith [00:35:24]:

I can't do it alone. So we need everybody to, raise up their voices and keep doing great work in our STEM world and overall world for kids.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:35:36]:

Yes. And this is how we will be actually bringing In the change that we've talked at the beginning that it's so much needed. So, yeah, let's, let's promise each other that we will be talking in 5 years From now and hopefully with improved statistics and Yes. More positive outcome.


Naomi Meredith [00:35:56]:

Absolutely. And I can't wait to see what your little one ends up doing, how she pursues her dreams and uses her talents. So I'm excited to hear. She'll be way older in 5 years, so she might always be done in high she'll be close to being done at high school. So I can't wait to hear what she ends up doing too.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:36:13]:

Yes. Correct. That would be a perfect timing. So by then, I think she would have to be decided on what she wants to study because now she is so much gravitating between, different careers. But honestly, I don't feel…how to say? I'm not worried at all. I feel like I'm doing my best. I'm opening up my heart's interest in STEM. As I said, many of the areas, they are potential team areas.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:36:46]:

So whatever she's choosing or will be choosing, it's going to be fine. She's going to be great.


Naomi Meredith [00:36:53]:

Well, I can't wait to hear it. I know we'll keep in touch over the next 5 years, but I thank you so much again for being on the podcast. You're amazing, and keep up the awesome work that you're doing as an advocate.


Alexandrina Satnoianu [00:37:05]:

Thank you so much. I will.

advocating for girls in STEM

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

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The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

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stem professional development books 2024 list

12 STEM Professional Development Books 2024 List [ep.140]

12 STEM Professional Development Books 2024 List [ep.140]

stem professional development books 2024 list

Check out the full episode on 12 STEM Professional Development Books 2024 List:  

 

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Episode Summary

Is one of your New Year’s Resolutions to read more this year? I got you covered! In today's episode, I am sharing my list of 12 STEM Professional Development Books for 2024 that you definitely want to read this year!

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • My STEM professional development books 2024 list
  • An overview of each STEM professional development book from my 2024 list
  • An overview of the STEM Teacher Bookshelf Membership

Resources Mentioned:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:

Is one of your New Year's resolutions to read more this year? I got you covered. In this episode, I am sharing my list of 12 STEM professional development books for 2024 that you definitely want to read this year. Over on Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore, I got an extremely kind message from 1 of you, and I wanted to read it here on the podcast.


Naomi Meredith [00:00:58]:

It's kind of like a way for me to keep track and remember these special moments. This is what this teacher wrote to me. I have really appreciated your support. You have been my biggest supporter and have helped me so much. I am loving STEM and just got a bunch of praise from my admin today with how things are going. I have shared what I've been working a lot on with your professional development, and they love that your lessons are higher level. You know who you are that wrote this and absolutely made my day. So thank you so much, my teacher friend.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:36]:

The goal of this podcast and all the resources that I create is to make a positive difference in STEM education for you and your students. I know this, and that is why I am doing this. But when you guys write to me or leave reviews on the podcast or share with me all of these things, it absolutely blows my mind that things are really working. And I know it's going to work, but it just, like, makes my day, and just hearing from you, and I appreciate it so much. I read a lot, a lot of books, and I mean a lot. I am such a nerd and enjoy reading more than I like watching Jing TV. Now my teacher, Honey, and I do watch some shows together, but when it's up to me when I'm by myself, I'd rather tip back and read a good book rather than watch some TV, and I was even the same way as a kid. On my Goodreads account, which is an app. I think it said that my end of the year book count for 2023 was 77 books, and I'm usually reading 3 books at a time, an educational book, a business book, and one just for fun.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:50]:

And I do mix in audio and physical books, and so that's how I can get all of that reading in, which I absolutely love. So, I am excited to be sharing with you my 2024 STEM professional development book list, and you can definitely read all of these on your own, and these are books that are excellent for you to keep going with your STEM professional development, but it's way more fun to read a book with a group and be able to talk about it. And this list that I'm going to be sharing with you are the books that we are going to be reading inside of my STEM teacher bookshelf community. So, of course, in the group, you have that private teacher community to discuss the books and other STEM topics that are related to the things that you are reading and what you're seeing daily, but there's also more to it. You also will get a monthly pacing guide that will help you easily read the book within a month and also a curated workbook that I put together that applies to each book that focuses on ideas in that and also help you brainstorm new ones to apply to your classroom. So it just gives you that tangible takeaway to really dive into each of the readings. There are often bookmarks related specifically to the book that you can print out and create, any related classroom handouts if they work with that book, and shareable quotes for social media because we know that we love to share quotes as teachers. Also, a monthly live call with me and other teachers to connect with and have opportunities to share the book with others and help you save on your membership.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:31]:

A new bonus within the STEM teacher bookshelf community is something that I added, but is a unique collection of LEGO education building directions, and right now, there are a bunch for LEGO WeDo 2.0. So that's just a fun bonus that I've added at the end of 2023. For this episode, I'm gonna share about each book, a short description, and why I chose this book. This list took me a while to put together. I've been creating a running list over the last year, previewing different books, and really deciding what would be the best fit to create a cohesive book list for the 2024 year. All of these are gonna be linked in the show notes, so don't feel like you have to memorize them and pause and write them all down. You can see all of them listed out for you, and I even created an Amazon shopping page where all of the books are there for you if that's how you purchase your books. So don't feel like you have to write this all down.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:33]:

I've got you covered. Alright. So I'm gonna go in order based on the order that we are gonna read them throughout the year, and, of course, you can read them at any time, but I did put them in specific months 4 specific reasons, so let's get into it. Our 1st book is Visual Thinking by Temple Grandin, and this book a friend recommended to me. And funny enough, Temple Grandin is based in Colorado, which is where I live. I have not met her yet in person, but I absolutely love to. And when I read this book, I listened to the audio, and it's actually not read by the author. And she gives an explanation at the beginning, which is really interesting, where she just really doesn't wanna read it.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:19]:

And if you don't know about Temple Grandin, she is a person with autism, but she is an awesome autism advocate and how people with that ability are able to do great things, and she also advocates for animal rights and many of her inventions, has to do with that. So she's amazing. She is absolutely brilliant. And in this book, Visual Thinking, she talks about how people think differently and how everyone has the capacity to think visually. But for some people like her, this is their greatest strength, and this is amplified for them. She relies heavily on it to communicate and think through problems. She even talks about how visual thinking is an asset in STEM careers, and when people work together as a team, having this ability where everybody thinks differently and being able to see the problem from different angles is a really huge asset and definitely needed. And I love this book for our starting off the year because it's really awesome to hear from other perspectives and a voice from an author who is using what they were born with to be an advantage to what they are doing, but also advocating for how it is a strength and how she uses it as her strength and how others should use it as a strength. And it's just an excellent, excellent audiobook for this time of year to kick off the year.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:50]:

Our 2nd book is AI for Educators by Matt Miller, and AI stands for artificial intelligence. I know that AI is a big buzzword right now, but for good reason, and it is something we shouldn't shy away from as educators. What I like about this book is that it is actually pretty current. Matt came out with this book fairly recently, and it also talks about how AI impacts education and how we can see it from a teacher's lens, especially in the STEM field, and being an educator in this realm, we shouldn't be shying away from new technology. Test teachers. We shouldn't be shying away from new technology anyway, but especially in a STEM field, you gotta brave it and try it out. And we should be educating ourselves about it so we can educate others. It doesn't mean that you have to be an expert in AI or all the new technology, but we do need to be able to prepare our kids for jobs that don't exist. And thank you to all of my past teachers who helped prepare me to go into STEM education.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:57]:

I had no idea. I had no idea as a kid that I would be a podcaster, but thanks to my teachers. They help me out. Our 3rd book for the year, just getting into that springtime, is Mathematical Mindsets, the 2nd edition by Jo Boaler. This book is all about that m in STEM, and there are some really cool ways that it will get your wheels turning on how you can apply this to your lessons. I read the 1st book of Mathematical Mindsets years ago and even attended a conference that Joe hosted at Stanford when I was a 3rd-grade teacher. I got picked by the admin at the time and all of that, and I actually did meet Jo, which was pretty amazing. And absolutely changed her book and this conference absolutely changed the way that I taught math and also helped me as a teacher the way I can show students to think about the way they think about math and how they should have that positive mindset towards it.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:04]:

You can totally read the older version. I actually still have my older version, and it's all written up with notes, but there are some good updates as well that will help you think through the math component in your STEM lessons and how to get students in that, well, mathematical mindset. Moving into our 4th book, we have Engaging Young Engineers by a collection of authors. So we have Angela Stone McDonald, Kristin Wendell, and Anne Douglas and Marylou Love. And what I hear a lot from STEM teachers is that they really struggle with engaging their youngest learners in the STEM space and what actually to do with them, and how to have effective lessons. And so this book is really beneficial because it has those tips and tricks to help you rethink how you're going to teach STEM to your younger students and really help them shine in this space just as much as those upper elementary students. So, definitely will give you that boost, especially the time of year that we're reading this where you're like, I just don't know what to do with the little kids anymore. Well, this book will have you covered.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:15]:

Going towards the end of the school year, we have the book Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner, and this also has an audio component, which I thought would be a really good refresh for the end of the year going into the summer. I really like listening to audio all the time, but especially at certain times of year, audiobooks work really well when you feel like you just can't sit down and read. So, if that's one way you want to read more books this year, get into audiobooks. It is a skill you have to this, but the more you do it, the better you're gonna get at it. In this book, Creating Innovators, it gives real examples from people who have made an impact in the STEM field and what characteristics they have as an actual innovator. And in turn, this can help us as educators provide those opportunities for our own students. So a really good way to round out the year. This book and the next book really do go hand in hand.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:15]:

There are some overlaps, but also there's even more to it. And the next book is Thrivers by Michele Borba. And continuing with that same theme of creating innovators, it's going more into that growth mindset. And I like in the description for this book, it said how thrivers are different. They flourish in our fast paced, digital driven, but often uncertain world. Why? Which is an excellent question. And so I love how they're taking a look at those qualities of these types of students and people and how we can cultivate that for our own students, so a really great way to dive into that. Alright.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:00]:

The next one jumping into that summertime is STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream by Christ Emdin. And this book examines the need for the arts, including culture, to serve as an anchor for our instruction in the STEM space. And it also talks about the ways and the needs for having making or that Makerspace or hands-on creation to really establish that relevance in learning. And this book is super powerful, but also perfect for if you are at a school or school district or have admin who are hesitant to add STEM into your school or thinking about adding STEM or even thinking about taking it away. This book will support all the reasons why you need STEM and how it is beneficial in today's world. It's not just playing with cool tools, it's doing something more than that. So this is a really powerful book to support that evidence. Moving into the end of summer, we have Launch by John Spencer.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:10]:

Launch is a really great way to teach problem-solving and critical thinking, and it's similar to the engineering design process. I read this book when I first got into the STEM space, and while I didn't use the actual launch cycle, there are some elements that can definitely apply and connect with the engineering design process. I also have a friend who was teaching at a school where they all used the launch cycle as a way to problem solve. So whether or not you use it in the specific cycle, it mentions or takes bits and pieces from it. There's a lot of great information as it pertains 2 problem-solving and projects in general. Alright. The next set of books, I got really creative with this book list. And for that second half of the year, when it gets into the back-to-school time.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:00]:

I chose books that would be really fun and light for you to read as a teacher, but, also, there are things in these books that you can pull and use with your own students because they are also written for kids, but it has that good balance where it's engaging for adults. So this next one is one that I loved when I taught 3rd grade, and it's still definitely relevant today, but it's The Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome by Robbie Nowak. And I know the kid president is grown up. He's probably in college now, but your students don't need to know that. They can think the kid president is still a kid. And the book is really, really fun and encouraging. It's not one that you have to read from cover to cover. It has a lot of images and short stories that are inspiring, and even just the intro about the kid president himself and the actual child who plays the kid president has this whole journey of growth mindset as it pertains to his health.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:02]:

So I'm not going to give that away. Pick it up. Join our group. Read it. It's so great. Next to that, still that back to school time is I actually have 2 books by the same author on our book list this year. And this book is Calling All Minds by Temple Grandin, and this is, again, another book that you can chair with your students, and it is made for young learners. And I really like to learn from so many different avenues, and one way I like to learn is to hear how others speak to children about complex topics.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:41]:

I did this when I went to Chicago. I took a 3D printing class made for kids, and I just really wanted to hear the language that they used with kids when it came to explaining how 3D printing works. So similar vibes for this book. It is made for kids, but it's gonna help give you the language when it comes to teaching them about being an innovator. Alright. Finishing off our list, we have The History of the Computer by Rachel Ignatofsky, ski, and this is again one that is made to be read with adults and children. And the illustrations are absolutely beautiful, but they are well researched. And the author, Rachel Ignatofsky, I actually had on the podcast and she is extremely passionate about what she does.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:28]:

And not only is she an amazing artist, but she researches so so so much for her books to make sure that they are accurate in not only the words, but also the pictures. And so this is such a boring topic, the history of the computer, but it's put in a very fun way that is comprehensible and fun. And so I picked this book for November because then it can you can read it and be prepared for computer science week at the beginning of December. And then finishing off our year is a very fun book, an excellent, excellent, excellent audiobook. It is not read by the author, but the person who is reading it is amazing. And Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace is that Ed is the president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation. And when I listened to this, I was building and taking apart computer carts in 2020, and I was super engaged. And not only did I love hearing the history of Pixar and how it was created and invented and not everything was figured out right away, but it's good to hear these types of stories as a teacher to help build your background knowledge and also share an example to your students.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:39]:

So there you have it, our full list of STEM professional development books for 2024. I'm not gonna read them all out loud again. Remember, go and check out the show notes. They are all listed and linked for you, and you can read these all on your own this year, but it's way more fun in a group. Trust me. And I invite you to join my exclusive STEM teacher bookshelf community, where we will read these all together and also have those fun bonuses to go along with it. Happy 2024, and I am excited to see you all in the membership and also all of the more things to come.

stem professional development books 2024 list

stem professional development books 2024 list

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

would you rather STEM teacher

Would You Rather? – STEM Teacher Edition [ep.137]

Would You Rather? STEM Teacher Edition [ep.137]

would you rather STEM teacher

Check out the full episode on Would You Rather? STEM Teacher Edition:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

This time of year is such a busy time for STEM teachers, so I decided to do something fun in today's episode. Today we're playing Would You Rather STEM Teacher edition. A while back on Instagram, I asked you all to vote on these would you rather questions. So today, I'm sharing the results and my answers to the questions.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The Would You Rather STEM teacher edition questions I asked on Instagram
  • The results of the Instagram poll
  • My answers to these questions

Resources Mentioned:

 

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


It's a busy time of year, and I have a fun episode and game that we are going to play together, and it is Would You Rather STEM edition. Get ready to think of your answers and laugh along with me with these STEM specific questions. And some of them are a lot harder than you think. For this episode, I knew I wanted to do something fun for this time of year.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:03]:


I love sprinkling in these fun and more personal episodes. It is so much fun for me, and I knew I wanted to do something really cool during the holidays when this airs. And it popped into my head one day when I was walking my dog, Frederick, just like everything I plan, it pops into my head when I'm walking him. And I thought, oh, it would be so fun to play a would you rather game and get all of your responses and then share them on the podcast. This is what I do. I just, like, think of stuff, and I say we should, and then I just do it. A while back, I actually asked the questions. I came up with some STEM specific questions for this would you rather game, and I did post them on Instagram.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:55]:


And 50 of you answered and played along with me, and it was so Funny reading the messages that you guys would write to me after you would vote. Like, a lot of you would vote, and then you're like, I'm not sure what to say or, Oh, that was a hard one or, oh, I need to change my answer. It's not what I thought. Or you guys would just send me emojis about the questions. And so this is so much fun to put together and I wanted to release this episode even sooner because I knew it would be a lot of fun to record and see the final results. And I was even sharing the final results with my teacher honey, which one of the fun episodes that I did is I interviewed him the week of our wedding, so you can actually listen to that interview. There's no video. I told him we won't do video, But he actually was laughing at the answers, and he teaches high school Spanish and so completely different than the world of elementary STEM.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:55]:


But he was laughing. He thought they were pretty funny. I asked him if he would vote, and he said no. So, at least he listened to the questions, which is props to him. That's good. So what I'm gonna do for this episode is I have a handful of questions, and I'm gonna read them. And I want you to think about your answer. How would you answer this? And maybe if you did play, is it the same answer at this time of year? Think about your answer.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:23]:


I'm going to share the results, And then I'm gonna share with you my answer and probably some side comments or stories that I have related to all of these because all of them, while I was writing them, I was making myself laugh, and that's a daily thing for me. I do all sorts of stuff to make myself laugh. So let's get into these fun would you rather STEM teacher questions. Alright. The first one is, would you rather have unlimited tape or hot glue? Really think about it here. Unlimited tape or hot glue? They will get progressively harder, by the way. Alright. So 79% of you said you would like unlimited tape, and 21% of you would like unlimited glue.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:12]:


And some of you are messaging me, is it any kind of glue? Yes. Unlimited glue of anything. I would also agree on the tape, and I talk about my tape love, hate relationship very much here on this podcast. And one trick that I figured out actually during COVID was creating baby tape rolls, And I have a couple videos if you scroll way back, in my feed on Instagram, but baby tape rolls are essentially a baby version of a big tape roll. So what you do is you take the amount of tape that you want students to use, like, a couple of feet, And then you wrap it on a popsicle stick around itself, and it doesn't lose its stickiness, and students can save their baby tape roll for future projects. You do have to teach the kids how to rip the tape, and also the younger kids like to squish the tape in their hands. I'm like, no. Don't do that.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:11]:


Like, I can't I can't fix it. So baby tape rolls are my thing. I called them baby tape rolls, and it's something that actually stuck after COVID because we weren't allowed to share materials. So I'm really, really fast at making baby tape rolls, and you can actually see me, like, Do it, like, mindlessly. I have a 1 Instagram reel where it's, like, explaining STEM teaching through Taylor Swift songs. And in one of them, I'm actually making baby tape rolls because I've made probably thousands of them. So, I definitely would go for unlimited tape because I swear the kids eat tape more than they eat pencils. Alright.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:50]:


Second question, would you rather have Your classroom magically clean itself every day or plug in all of your devices each day. Magically clean itself or plug in your devices each day. 85% of you would like a magically clean classroom every day, and that left The 15% of you would like the plug in devices. I would pick the plug in devices. My room, I actually would keep pretty clean, and people would know that about me. I'm not like a scrub kinda clean, like, get on my hands and knees, like, scrub stuff. But I'm actually very, very, very organized, and so I didn't have an issue with having, like, a super messy classroom, and I made my students clean and Do all of that. So I really hate the plug in in devices.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:49]:


I think it's so annoying, especially if you were teaching all the kids in the school and then you have shared devices. It is one of the most annoying things. I hate it. Like, You develop, I swear, you develop these pet peeves as a STEM teacher that you never thought you would have before. Definitely developed pet peeves when I came into the K through 5 STEM space. 1 was plugging in devices, and another one was when Kids would come into my room, and the first thing they would ask me is, what are we doing today? And my response was, I'm gonna tell the whole class at the same time. So plug in devices is what I would choose for that question. Alright.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:29]:


Next question. Would you rather teach August kindergartners or May 5th graders. August kindergartners or May 5th graders? And I got the most comments on this one. This one, you guys cannot The side. So here's the results on this one. For kindergarten, 47% of you said You would teach August kindergartners, and that left the remaining 53% of you who would teach May 5th graders. And I would say both are very, very comparable, and those results make sense to me. I would rather teach August kindergartners.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:15]:


I love the little ones. I was so close to getting my degree in early childhood, but went a different pathway, thought there'd be more opportunities in elementary. I actually did teach at a preschool and college, and I just love that age group. If you hear squeaking, by the way, that is little Frederick, who is acting like a toddler and wants me to play with him right now. So he keeps throwing toys at my feet. But I would definitely teach August kindergartners. May 5th graders are so annoying. No.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:47]:


Like, I would take a little kindergartner who pees their pants any day over a stinky 5th grader in May. Alright. Next question. Would you rather go on a field trip with Miss Frizzle or have an in house field trip with Bill Nye, the science guy? I told you the questions are going to get progressively harder. Alright. 46% of you said Bill Nye, and 54% of you said Miss Frizzle, and I feel the same way. I am so torn on this question.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:29]:


I'm obsessed with Bill, and I loved that show as a kid, and I want him on my podcast. And I have reached out through Instagram before and didn't get a response, which he has so many followers. It probably was in the, the hidden messages. So I need to try a different avenue know, because ever since I started this podcast, I've wanted Bill Nye on this show. I think it would be amazing. It'd be a childhood dream. I've told my Students, I want them on the show.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:00]:


I have been manifesting Bill Nye to be a guest on the Elementary STEM Coach podcast. So go, like, at him on Instagram. Go message him. Tell him to be a guest because that would be an absolute blast to have him on this show. But on the flip side, Miss Frizzle's not real now. I guess Bill Nye is not real. He's a person playing. Well, Bill Nye is no.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:22]:


Bill Nye is real. That's his real name, But he, like, plays kind of a character. Anyway, miss Frizzle's a cartoon, and I'm talking about the original Miss Frizzle. Okay? Not the new one, but the new one's good. I was Miss Frizzle for Halloween 1 year, so I was Miss Frizzle, and Frederick was Liz, the lizard. I found a little lizard costume, and we dressed up as them for 1 Halloween. And I also had my 1st keynote speech. It was all based on lessons from Miss Frizzle, which is episode 100.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:57]:


You can hear my 1st keynote speech that I did for Wonder Workshop. So I took a lot of lessons from her, and her field trips would be pretty cool, but also I think really scary when she does the field trips where she's really, really tiny. So I would take Bill and I probably a little bit more over miss Frizzle because, like, that's a little bit dangerous. And also okay. Question. Would you rather go on a field trip where Miss Frizzle by yourself, or would you wanna go on a field trip with Miss Rosalynn all the kids, because some of those kids are freaking whiny. What's what's his name? Ralphie or Ronald or something? The one with the orange hair and glasses is So whiny and so annoying. He he I'll take his spot.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:39]:


You know what? I'll go with the kids, but he has to stay back. Like, he can't come. That kid's so annoying. So Bill Nye for me, but Miss Frizzle a close second. Alright. Last question. Would you rather teach year long STEM on topics you're unfamiliar with, but have unlimited resources. Okay? So, this is a little confusing.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:06]:


Or teach your favorite stem topic with minimal resources. So we have Unlimited resources, but you're teaching stuff you've never taught before, or limited resources and you know what you're gonna teach. That one's pretty hard. Unlimited, but you don't know what you're gonna teach. Limited, you do know what you're gonna teach. And here for this one, I thought it was interesting. So 61% of you said you would rather teach unlimited resources with unfamiliar topics. And then 39% of you said you'd rather teach familiar lessons with limited resources.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:45]:


And I feel like I've been in kind of both situations. Now I wasn't with unlimited resources when I taught Stan. But when I first got started, I had a really big budget and I don't know why. So I was really lucky and was able build up my program and trial these materials and, in turn, give my students a lot of experiences, but also I remember those and can share those with you. And a lot of us who are in the STEM space don't know anything we're teaching, and so I think I would be, like, the majority on this question, I would definitely want the unlimited resources and don't know what I'm teaching, but I like that open ended, like, What if, what could we do, what are the possibilities? That's why I like Miss Frizzle, but, I definitely thrive in those types of environments. And when I feel really restricted, I can actually do a lot with limited materials, but if I'm teaching the same thing over and over and over and over again, I get really, really bored. I think partly why I got a little bored teaching 3rd grade because it's the same topics every year, but that's just my personality. I like keeping it up and make it get fresh.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:54]:


So that's definitely a hard question, though, because I can definitely see the other side. Alright. Well, that is it for this fun Would You Rather game. If you liked it, send me a DM. If you're watching the video, put it in the comments below. But I love doing these fun episodes, sprinkling them in for you. Thank you so much for playing along and voting on Instagram when I posted these. And, also, for those of you who are listening along with me wherever you're at, I know you were playing along too, and you were thinking of your answers.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:26]:


And I appreciate you guys so much, and I can't wait to do more fun episodes like this and keep bringing in All of those fun STEM concepts for you in the new year.

would you rather STEM teacher

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

hour of code lessons

3 Last Minute Hour of Code Lessons for Elementary [ep.136]

3 Last Minute Hour of Code Lessons for Elementary [ep.136]

hour of code lessons

Check out the full episode on 3 Last Minute Hour of Code Lessons for Elementary:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Have a STEM question? Leave a voice message for the podcast!

Episode Summary

Another year of hour of code has arrived. Are you ready for it? If not, that's okay because, in today's episode, I am sharing three hours of code lessons you can implement in your classroom. These lessons do not require you to be an expert coder, and they are easy to implement.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • 3 hour of code lessons you can implement in your elementary classroom
  • How I implemented each lesson for K-5
  • Strategies and resources for implementing these hour of code lessons

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


It's another year of the Hour of Code. Are you ready yet? It's okay if you're not because in this episode, I will share a 3 hour of code lesson that you can try last minute in your classroom. Before we jump on in, I wanted to read another awesome podcast review from 1 of you.


Naomi Meredith [00:00:53]:


If you haven't already, I would love for you to leave a review. So go in on Apple Podcasts and write a review. It would mean the world to me. Not only will let me know if you're enjoying the show but will also help other teachers like you find this show to learn all about the world of elementary STEM. This is from n c meg 1118, STEM power. If you are a STEM teacher or just a teacher who wants to incorporate more STEM into your classroom, this Elementary STEM Coach podcast is for you. Naomi is full of tried and tested and revised ideas and is a joy to listen to and learn from. Go no further if you are new to teaching STEM and want to learn and be empowered by one of the best. That is so nice of a review and it just makes my day.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:50]:


Like I said, I am in my cute little pink office when I am recording these. My little dog, Frederick, listens to me the whole time, and I'm just talking to my camera and to my microphone. So, reading these reviews totally make my day and just lights up a fire for me knowing that what I'm doing is especially important for you out there in elementary STEM and also, in turn, your students. If this is your first time hearing about the Hour of Code and you're wondering what this is, let me give you a little snapshot of what the Hour of Code is. This is like your Spark Notes version. If you know what I'm talking about, you know I'm talking about millennials, and the Hour of Code got started in 2013 as a way to engage kids and get them excited about computer science and coding. Now, I don't know about you, but with my series when it comes to computer science.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:48]:


I had a lot of it growing up, especially with my dad being a computer engineer. I had a lot of experience with having new technology all the time and problem solving with that technology. About one thing I for sure did not grow up with, and maybe this is unique to me, but also maybe you have a similar pathway, is I did not learn how to code as a kid. And it's so funny because when I talked to my dad, a little bit about elementary STEM, and I've joked about this before. When I first got my K through Five STEM job. He was like, how did you get that job? You don't know anything about computers. I'm all dad. This is basic stuff for little kids, like, if a little kid can do it, I can do it.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:35]:


So we joke about it now, and he'll ask me questions about what coding is like for little kids. But, anyway, this isn't always as common in the elementary space to teach younger students how to code, and even to this day in 2023, it's still not that common And so the hour of code is just one of many ways to spark this in a school of any kind. The 1st time I experienced the hour of code itself as an event was when I taught 3rd grade. It was one of those 1st couple years that I taught 3rd grade, and I was so amazed by what this actually meant with coding. Again, typically, with coding for younger students, you start with arrows or directional coding. There is no reading involved. Oftentimes that will move into still that directional coding but with some words attached to those arrows, and then they move into different forms of block coding where the block coding, they are blocks, like, just like you think of. They look like puzzle pieces, the block coding will move into blocks that have images on them that represent the action. Oftentimes, they are put together from left to right, but not always, it depends on the coding language, and then from there, the coding language will get more advanced, and it will be more of that traditional block space coding that you see in Scratch or a lot of popular programs where students are dragging the codes, and there are words that represent the action, and they are put together from top to bottom.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:19]:


You don't have to be an expert in coding to implement the hour of code. I will say I'm not an expert coder, but I can effectively teach younger children how to code and what this all means. And if you haven't done this with your students yet, you don't have to be a STEM teacher. This is a great way to get kids excited about this world of coding, how important it is in our lives, how relevant, and how much behind the scenes coding actually is. I've put together for you an hour of code freebie where I break down different examples of lessons that you can get started with your kids k through 5. Again, it's absolutely free. These are things that I've tried with my students over the years. That will be linked in the show notes, but you can also grab it at nami meredith.com/tpthourofcode.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:14]:


It breaks up different lessons and different little things that you can try with your students, different websites or apps, or maybe you find a similar website that has a certain language that aligns with that, but it's just a great way to help you get started because I know the Hour of Code website is an amazing, amazing resource, but it can also get very overwhelming. And we'll refer back to that because that is very important to remember when you launch this with your students. Also, go ahead and check out episode 38 of this podcast, where I talk about even more ideas when it comes to hour of code lessons that you can use in your classroom. Alright. So, if you haven't started planning yet and you're wondering how I should implement this in my classroom. Do I still have time? Yes. You still have time. I did hour of code for a month because I had 4 groups of kids, and I saw them 5 days in a row for 45 minutes each for each class.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:15]:


So I did Hour of Code for a month, and I usually started in mid-November because that's just the way it lined up with all of my lessons. So you can do this at any time, but all of these are easy ways that you can implement this, and honestly, it is the easiest unit that I have ever taught in STEM because everything else I've created from scratch, no pun intended, Scratch is a coding program, but everything else I created from scratch, the arrow code for me is so nice because I can just fit it in and everything is done for me. So, let's jump into those ideas. The first great way to implement Hour of Code in your classroom is to create a very, very simple choice board, and I did this in a couple of different ways for k through 5. For my 2nd through 5th graders, I created a 6 choice board with different coding challenges that went from a beginner level to a more intermediate experience for my students. I tried to pull in a variety of different coding languages that they could experiment with, especially for my students who had had me for many years. This is really great for them to experience different types of coding languages. So what I would do is I would start off my day with a coding video that would teach more about a concept.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:44]:


BrainPOP and BrainPOP Junior have a lot of great options when it comes to computer science and coding and different backgrounds of how different things came to be. I couldn't even finish all of the videos within the week, but there are so many amazing things on there. So, if you have a subscription to BrainPOP or BrainPOP Junior, check those out. There are so many different ones. You can also browse things on YouTube. SciShow Kids has some fun things about computer science that you can implement as well. So what I would do is we would introduce a coding concept, and then I would go over some of that key vocabulary.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:25]:


Most of that vocabulary is actually in my vocabulary cards or little anchor charts that I created that are in my hour of code bundle. So, I put together a bundle of activities that you can use and be ready to go. I even have a bulletin board in there for you where it's winter-themed, and you can hang that up as well. We would start with that video, we would go with the vocabulary, and then I would introduce the choice board. And I pre-created this choice board because, as I said, the Hour of Code website is absolutely amazing, but it is very overwhelming. It is pages and pages and pages of different coding programs. The one thing that is a little bit tricky on there is you do have to test them out or read more about that activity when you click on them because it will let you know what types of devices it's compatible with or not compatible with. There are some search features that you can click through that will help filter out those activities, but still, double check if you can even try to test it on your student devices just to make sure it will work.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:40]:


I initially made a choice board for my students where I linked all of those activities on the choice where it had an image of the game and then I had the link. That was it. That's that's the choice. And I made it at home, and one of them was so cool. It was about the FIFA World Cup, but the game actually didn't end up working at school, for some reason, it was blocked by our Wi-Fi server. So I was super bummed about that. So, just double check. It will help with the search features, but just make sure it will work on your student devices.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:17]:


So, on the 1st day, a little more talking, but I would talk through the different towns just kinda show them how they would all work, and then I sent the choice board into their Seesaw accounts. The cool thing about having this shared with them is if I had a substitute or something last minute, I could refer them to the hour code choice board for the second half of the year because I knew they already used it when they were with me. If you don't use Seesaw, you can share it on another platform of your choice, like Google Classroom, Schoology, or any of those types of places as well. But make it very, very simple. Have a picture. You can link the picture if you even make it in Google Slides. You can even make it in Canva if you want to, but having that 1-page grid, no more than 6 challenges. Even 10 is overwhelming because kids are just gonna click around and test them the whole time, and they're not gonna sit and focus.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:12]:


Six is plenty, and they can have at it. I also recommend having students bring their headphones, or if you have a class set of headphones on hand, especially if you teach all the classes in the school, the game sounds get super annoying when you hear at least 4 classes a day. I definitely recommend having the kids bring headphones. It will keep your sanity. For k through 1, I actually did something similar. I had access to iPads, and I had the students experiment with different apps I found that would work well for their grade level. So check out the different apps I mentioned in episode 38. I'm not gonna go through all of those, but definitely, if you can just search for great free coding apps for younger children, there are a lot of great options for you.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:04]:


But I would do the same thing where I had certain apps loaded on the iPads for this hour of code time, and then I had the same thing on the screen just on my TV screen, where I have the different pictures of the apps and then the students could all try them during our class time together. So I also did the video and the vocabulary thing, but when it came to the actual devices, we used the iPads. Another tidbit with this is I actually didn't keep my iPad loaded up with apps all the time. I only kept certain apps on the iPads for very specific units. And if we were done with that unit, I would actually take the app away because I knew I wasn't gonna be using that, and I wanted kids to be focused, and I didn't mess with any of that management software because also we weren't allowed to use that in my district. But I actually would take away applications, so the iPads weren't very fun because I didn't leave any games on there throughout the year. So we did that the 1st day and then the 2nd and 3rd ish days, we would do half and half. So half of the class would be coding on the iPad, trying those different applications.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:17]:


For the other half, I did something screen free, coding related or or not. It might even have been free building with Lego bricks just to help them, you know, get their energy out, and then they would switch halfway through. Then the 4th and 5th days, I would have them on the iPads, and then I also use the Osmo coding kits, which is so much fun, and it is a great tactile way for kids to actually do coding hands on and what they do in real life. It's augmented reality. So what they do in real life is like a backward augmented reality, what they're doing with the little chips. It reflects back onto the iPad, and then it checks their work, and the kids absolutely loved it. I did that half-and-half method, or I might have even done, like, 3 groups of kids just because I didn't have enough of the Osmo kits.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:14]:


But that was a really cool way to implement those coding kits, and it comes with 3 different apps that actually work with the same pieces. So if you're looking for something to buy, I recommend those. That was a lot. That actually was only one of the 3 ways, but the other 2 won't be as long for you. The 2nd way that you can have some last minute prep ideas for Hour of Code is look for what edtech companies are promoting and providing. Hour of Code is a really cool event where not only teachers who are in this space come together and are bringing this experience for their students, but EdTech companies like to give back during this time and help show you other ways that you can implement coding in your classroom during the hour of code and also beyond. And a lot of times, they're offering free workshops or free resources or things to try. So definitely follow your favorite brands on social media because I'm sure they're talking all about it and want to give that support to you.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:23]:


One of my favorites that I have seen is with Wonder Workshop. Again, they actually have a whole landing page of things to support you with the Hour of Code. Now during the time, the week of Hour of Code, on Monday, so in the afternoon. If you're listening to this live, my episodes come out on Monday. But Monday in the afternoon, they actually have a live webinar from Brian Miller, who I've had on this podcast, you've actually heard from a couple of times, who works for Wonder Workshop and he's hosting a free webinar that is actually for your students. So it's pretty cool where he'll actually chat with the kids, they'll learn a cool coding concept, They'll plan that concept of the code and then they'll actually be able to implement the code and see it in action with virtual dash. So we all know, Dash the Robot is my absolute favorite robot, but they actually have a virtual dash option in their Make Wonder paid platforms, which is so much fun. And I know that they are giving free access to virtual dash for the week of hour of code, which is a huge deal.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:31]:


You can have 1 to 1 robotics coding. So pretty cool. They have some other resources of coding activities, short term thing, and they also have some past challenges from their WonderLink robotics competition, all for free for you to use to help empower your students. So I definitely recommend I'm not sponsored by them to mention all this. I just really love what they do and how they help support teachers in this coding space. So definitely check out Window Workshops and what they're providing and also see what are your other favorite EdTech companies offering and how they can support you in our code. And the last idea to help you with your hour code is trying coding unplugged options. The kids don't have to be on the devices the whole time.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:16]:


They don't. And it's okay if you give them options that are off of the computer. I like to use this station if I did a 3 station rotation with my younger students, is doing a human robot coding where the students are coding their friends to perform different actions, which this is another activity that I have in my hour of code bundle where it has all the cards and all the directions ready to go. I might try this with my dog and see if he will listen to me if I can code my dog unplugged, but we'll see. I don't know if he'll like it very much. I've also seen this too where you have printed block codes that students can create a code and actually plan what their robot might do or plan what the code would do and then implement it with the device. Another fun way that I've done this with my students is we did a Goldilocks game. It was actually it goes along with the story where, for digital citizenship.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:17]:


Goldilocks isn't very safe. She shares unsafe information, and the bears catch her and it's a whole big deal. With actually talking about private and personal information and you create a whole coding unplugged game, which is also in the bundle too. So there are some really neat things also on the hour of code website where it is coding unplugged, so check that out. It is a nice break for students to think through those big problems, how to can they have that computational thinking, and really be hands on with their coding experience where it doesn't always have to involve technology. As a recap, here are my 3 last minute ideas when it comes to our code activities that you can try with your elementary students. 1st is you can create a choice board where there are specific activities that you want your students to try out for the week. Next, look for some online events and resources from your favorite EdTech companies.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:17]:


And finally, try some coding unplugged options where computer devices or robots aren't always needed. I hope you have so much fun with this amazing event and spark that interest when it comes to coding in all sorts of forms for your students. And if you need even more help, I've put together a free hour of code guide that you can download, which will be linked in the show notes. Also, there is a brand new bundle that I put together of Arab code activities and resources. There are many coding unplugged options and vocabulary in there to help support your week and make it not overwhelming but a very fun experience in your classroom.

hour of code lessons

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

earth science curriculum project

Earth’s Engineers Makerspace: Earth Science Curriculum Project [ep.135]

Earth's Engineers Makerspace: Earth Science Curriculum Project [ep.135]

earth science curriculum project

Check out the full episode on Earth's Engineers Makerspace: Earth Science Curriculum Project  

 

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Episode Summary

Makerspace projects are so much fun for kids to build and explore. When they are thoughtfully planned with standards in mind, you can make a bigger impact on the types of projects students can explore. Take, for example, Earth science curriculum projects. In today’s episode, I’ll be sharing with you what I teach inside of my Earth’s Engineers lessons for K-5 and how they connect to Makerspace.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How to plan and implement Earth science curriculum projects
  • Strategies for creating Earth's engineers Makerspace units
  • Implementing Makerspace units for different grade levels

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


Makerspace projects are so much fun for kids to explore with recycled materials. When these types of projects are thoughtfully planned with the standards in mind, they can explore the world in so many different ways than from the traditional science classroom. Take, for example, Earth science. In today's episode, I will be sharing with you the lessons that I teach k through 5, as it relates to Makerspace inside of my Earth's engineers lessons. 


Naomi Meredith [00:01:04]:


Before we jump on in, I wanted to read another awesome podcast review from 1 of you. These mean the world to me and also for other teachers who are also looking for a podcast that fits their elementary STEM needs. This is from a stegosaurus teacher, and they say standing out in STEM. I'm leaving 2nd grade this year and moving into a k through Five STEM position. It's exciting but also overwhelming. I'm grateful for all the tips and advice you share through your podcast. I'm looking forward to listening to more. Thank you for sharing this content.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:45]:


Thank you so much again for this review. If you haven't already written a review for this podcast, pause this podcast if you're on Apple Podcasts. Go on over there and write a review. I think you can also actually leave star ratings on Spotify. I'm not 100% sure about that, But that would mean the world to me, and it costs absolutely nothing. And, again, help other teachers like you find this podcast. If you have a very limited budget when it comes to purchasing your stem supplies, Makerspace projects are an Excellent way to go. In fact, you could do Makerspace projects all year if you really wanted to.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:29]:


I was really lucky when I was a k through 5 STEM teacher, and I had a fairly flexible budget. And I was very strategic in my purchasing, so the years where it was really low, I really zoned in on those consumable products to build up my maker space. I also think that it's so important for kids to explore with recycled materials, and I don't think kids do that enough. For a while, when I wasn't able to do STEM clubs Due to COVID restrictions, I actually had some take home STEM kits that I sent with students because parents were asking me, what can I do at home? What can I do at home? And a lot of the materials where recycled materials are very simple things that kids could get their hands on, and they absolutely loved it. I'm in the works with something else with this right now, but I'm currently not doing those kits, at the time of this recording. But it's So cute. I would always give my neighbor's kids a set of these kits. I did it for 6 months, and they are still asking me, it's a couple of years later, do you have any more of those STEM kits for us? We love them so much.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:45]:


So think about your students and how Makerspace can be so much fun. It doesn't have to be Crazy. And it can also be really purposeful in the way that you present this to students. I don't see it as a free for all. I'm not like that when it comes to anything that I do in the classroom. It's not a free for all, but I do allow a lot of choices in strategic ways. In the terms of the flow of my k through 5 STEM year long plan, which you can get the whole year long plan for free at Naomi Meredith.com/yearlongplan and see all the lessons that I taught to my students k through 5 in the order that they happened. Here is how the beginning of my year would go.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:31]:


I would start off the month and kick everything off with STEM survival camp, which you can listen to in episode 4. Then we would go into a digital citizenship unit where I utilize A lot of the digital citizenship curriculums that are out there and also integrated my own hands on way to implement those themes. You can hear more about all of those in episode 28. Then moving into the 3rd unit, this one that we're going to talk about today is my Earth's engineers Makerspace unit. And this is where we were really diving into my entire Makerspace of supplies. STEM survival camp had little bits of Makerspace, but it wasn't open to everything that students can choose from. There were very limited supplies in each grade level that students could use. So Earth's engineers, we are gonna be exploring today all the things in my Makerspace accessible to students? But again, not a free for all.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:33]:


Now how did this entire unit come to existence. Some of the origins of my units are really creative and some are just, Well, here's how it is, and this is just what happened. And so with Earth's engineers, I knew I wanted to do Makerspace for my 3rd month of the year. By this point, let's say, they come to school August, September, October, They're ready for some Makerspace time. And so I knew I wanted to do Makerspace. And as I was mapping out my whole Prior year, my k through 5, 7 year long plan, I was taking a look at all of the standards k through 5, and I noticed that there was a lot of standards in all of these grade levels that have to do with Earth science, which makes sense. That's a really important topic to talk about. But I also knew that I didn't want the kids to do the same thing that they were doing in their traditional classrooms during science time as they were in STEM.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:37]:


I was always thinking of how can I do this differently where maybe some of the Concepts are repeated? There is nothing wrong with that. I would even tell my students, if you are hearing things over and over again. It must be important and it must be something that you want to remember. So the concepts, Sure. Maybe they have learned about it before, maybe they hadn't. I didn't always line things up with classroom teachers because, again, If they're building a background knowledge with me, great. Or if they're hearing it in a different way in STEM, great. So I took upon on those standards and thought of ways how I can make this more hands on and implement Makerspace, which I knew at my school was something that wasn't happening in all of the classrooms.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:24]:


And so I had a safe bet that these lesson ideas were going to be good to go. Implementing these lessons during the 3rd month or the 3rd unit of the school year was awesome because by this point, My Makerspace was set up and ready to go. So that's a good little trick for you. If you don't have everything set up yet, Don't plan lessons with those items. And then if you know it's gonna come up, then you can take your time to get it all set up. And this is actually there was 1 year where I Was working on the labels with my Makerspace labels that have words and pictures, which you can get all of those. There's even options to create your own, All the colors, all the things. So when I was switching out labels, I was so thankful that this unit was 3rd on my list because my labels weren't ready to go until that 3rd unit.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:14]:


Also, I just made sure that all of my supplies were ready to go, so all the recycled things were stocked inside of their drawers. If I needed to ask for any donations, that was something that I would do. If there were things that I knew I Could just personally collect at home, I started doing that. I even put in the teacher's lounge a box collecting thin cardboard from all of those teacher lunches, And teachers were, like, hey. No problem. And they're just throwing their cardboard in there, and I had more than enough for this unit and many more units to come. So knowing that, not starting off the school year with a full fledged Makerspace project, it does, again, give you time to collect and organize those materials, so we were good to go as well. Now I'm also gonna talk about in when I'm explaining the lessons that each of them had certain materials that were specialized to them.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:06]:


So I also gathered those materials as well that were reusable that were being added to those designs. So when you're thinking about your Makerspace projects, not every single little thing in their project has to be consumable, meaning when they use it up, it's all gone. You can even think about depending on the project, But you can even think about if students don't want to keep their project or if that's not even an option, They have to deconstruct those things and put the items back if they can be reused again. And it's a great way to even teach a simple way of conservation, and how things can have more than 1 life. I also for this unit, because it was a full fledged, you get all access As to everything in my Makerspace, I did use my Makerspace money and menu where students, when part of their planning process, would create a shopping list of what supplies that they wanted to use within their budgets, and then they would purchase their supplies before they would start building. If you wanna hear more about those 2 systems that I use in my classroom, so how I set up my Makerspace, labeling with pictures and words, And also the Makerspace menu and money, I recommend for you to go back and listen to episodes 5 and 6. Alright. So what are the things that students did in this Earth's engineers unit? Well, They, I, I would tell them you are studying the earth and you have a different role of being an engineer to learn all about it.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:44]:


We're gonna start with 5th grade and go all the way down to kindergarten so you can see the whole scope of how this entire unit went with my students. 1st up with 5th grade, we talked about ecosystems and how there is a transfer of energy within those different food webs. I did know that my 5th graders actually had some background knowledge when it came to ecosystems coming into my classroom. This is a 5th grade standard normally when it comes to the ecosystems and, by diversity in ecosystem and transfer of energy in the Next Generation Science Standards. At the time, my district actually wasn't requiring us to teach the new standards. So for Colorado, in 4th grade is when they would learn those things, and we were still teaching them. Now for me and my STEM classroom, I was teaching the current standards. So I was really trying to do that for them because That's what they're being tested on anyway.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:43]:


But I just wanted to make sure I was teaching the current next generation science standards. But my students did come in with a background all about ecosystems, and they did a whole project. I even helped the teachers do a whole project on this. But I did also create the resources about those different ecosystems if they wanted to research or explore more about them. This Makerspace project was very unique because they did have access to those consumable items, so cardboard, paper, tape, but they also had specialty items that they could purchase from and use over and over again. So their challenge was how can you create a Rube Goldberg machine to show the transfer of energy within an ecosystem. When I proposed this challenge, the kids were like, what did you just say? And I'm all, okay. Trust There's 2 things going on.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:36]:


You're making a Rube Goldberg machine, and you are showing the transfer of energy in an ecosystem, and you're putting them together. And I did have to give that background knowledge on what a Rube Goldberg machine is. And once I started showing them videos and all of that, they're, oh, okay. That's what it is. And even 1 student said, You know in home alone, there's a Rube Goldberg machine. I said, oh my gosh. You were so right. Let's look that up.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:05]:


If you are to do that in your classroom, there is a video about the child setting up the whole Rube Goldberg machine for the robbers. Don't play the video of it actually hurting the robbers. It's not a 100% school appropriate. But, I mean, you can kind of infer what's going to happen when he's setting it up. So just Just beware. But I had different resources to share with them what a Rube Goldberg machine is and also the research resources for them to pick out the ecosystem that they wanted to represent in their Rube Goldberg machine, and then they set up a small version of the Rube Goldberg machine that would show the transfer of energy. What was really hard about this challenge is that they had to set it up and take it down every class time, And so they really had to be strategic in the way that they built their designs. Hence, I had them take a lot of videos and photos in Seesaw because they could rewatch their work and help them remember what went well, what didn't, and how did we set this up the day before.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:05]:


For 4th grade, they took on the role as a civil engineer, and they were to design a city based off of the data that they were given, and also what are the needs of that city. So they're kind of creating a model using fake data or GIS data, geographical information systems data, that I gave them. So we learned about different roles that civil engineers can have, how they can work with architects in a space, and what are those things that Communities typically need to get started to run effectively. So we combine that knowledge, And then with the data that I gave them, the data showed them where certain things in their landscape were located, where the grassy fields were, where a muddy pit was, where the river ran through, where there was a tiny lake. They had that data, and then depending on the time I had with them, there was also data showing how High, each of the features were in inches, and they had to add on the clay to show the landscape. You don't have to do the 2nd part. It's really up to you and the time that you have. The 1st time I ever did it with the clay, I I had the most disastrous experience.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:26]:


I personally made salt dough at home, and I made it way too sticky, like Extremely, extremely way too sticky. It was all over the place. The kids are screaming. I was laughing because I thought it was really funny. It was all over the place. I skip the clay part just with time, but it's actually a really, really cool part of the experiment because it does actually change how they will build things in their landscape. Using their landscape and using the list that I give them, then they create their tiny city and also how it would function in a, well, functional way. For 3rd grade, we touch on different natural disasters, and then we really zone in on flooding and different flood inventions.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:08]:


And they are challenged to create an invention that will help keep the house safe from the flood. Through that research, we look at current inventions, and they can even improve those inventions that already exist or create an entirely new one. And then I even taught students this is a math standard, but I taught students how to measure with measuring cups to gather the water and pour it in increments to see how much of the house can withstand when it comes to the water. This is a fairly new update, so if you do have this lesson or you have the k through 5 semi learning bundle or a variation of that bundle, the 3 through 5 or 3rd grade bundle, Then I would go and read down that lesson because that math piece is added where students actually keep track of those increments and if the house actually got wet. The kids are actually way more excited about pouring water and measuring the water because I showed them how to do that. A lot of them have Done that before, which is exciting. And then they were excited to keep track of how much water that their house could handle. In 2nd grade, their challenge was to create an invention that will help slow down or possibly stop water erosion.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:23]:


We did talk about the other ways how erosion can happen, but like 3rd grade, we zoned in on one type of erosion and that was water erosion. I've done this one a couple of ways. It depended on the weather. Colorado has really crazy weather, but I have had buckets of soil where I actually reuse it each week because on Friday, it would dry out over the weekends, and then throughout the week, it'll be dry for all the students. But I had buckets of soil that students could actually put their inventions in to help test and then using the water. But I also have taken students outside, and they carried a cup of water and a measuring cup, and then we went outside. A little tip for both of these lessons, because they do involve water, is I asked classroom teachers if they had any measuring cups in their science kits, And I knew not everybody was doing an experiment with this in their classroom at the time, and so I got a ton of of donations where I could borrow their measuring cups and then give them back when we were finished. I also always kept on hand a ton of dry wicking towels, So they would soak up the water.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:35]:


I always seem to be using these a lot. I did a lot of experiments and things with water. Having those on hand is extremely helpful. Going into 1st grade, their challenge was to learn more about Earth's light and how this can be seen naturally through bioluminescence. The 1st graders were super impressed with themselves that they were learning the word Bioluminescence, which, yes, that is a very big word. We researched about that, and I actually wrote articles, Short little articles for the students where has my voice reading to them about different things in on Earth that have bioluminescence. From that research, students were thinking of a living thing that they wish had bioluminescence, and then they had to explain how the bioluminescent would actually help that living thing. So I always would give the example that I always wish that my dog, Frederick, his big little ears, he's a 10 pound chihuahua mix, so I call his big little ears, would glow because if we take him out at night to go to the restroom, then we would more easily be able to see, you know, what that comes out of his body.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:47]:


So, that was my example. I can draw a little Fred pretty good. And so the kids really enjoyed that project using the Makerspace, and then Depending on the year of my budget, I would have glow sticks that they could use to show the bioluminescence. If I didn't, they would use shiny aluminum metal or shiny bubble wrap or yellow paper to show the parts that would glow. Really, for 1st grade, we talked about how different animals change the land to create their homes, and we zone in you get the theme here. I really zone in a part of that standard, but zoned in on ants and how ants, they change the land to create their home. I always make them laugh when I would say, you know, A little ant and their ant friends, they don't have a Home Depot where they can go get some shovels and say, hey, let's build our house right here. They literally have to figure it out and create the homes themselves.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:42]:


So we talked about Anthills and how different rooms have different purposes, And then they created a marble cardboard maze that shows a different anthill, the different homes, and then the marble represented the ant. For kindergarten and 1st grade, I did bits and pieces of the engineering design process, and we finished their projects in in 2 to 3 days. And then my other 2 days of the week, because I did see them 5 days in a row, I played around with some different stem stations, which I don't have available quite yet. But I played around with some different stem stations, and that worked out really, really well. You do get your hands on those lessons. I always give you more than enough than what you have to teach because I don't even know what of your teaching. A lot of you are in the STEM space, but some of you are in library or maker spaces. Some of you teach homeschool.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:34]:


Some of you teach gifted and talented. And even a growing number of you are in the classroom and you need more of that support. So I always give more than enough in my slides, but then pick and choose what would work best for you. As a recap, here are the 6 lessons that I taught in my Earth The engineers Makerspace lesson that you can try with your students, and they're also included in my k through 5 STEM year long plan or also bundled in their own little bundle. 1st, we have 5th grade, and they created a Rube Goldberg machine to show the ecosystem, and the transfer of energy. So we have 4th grade, and they were creating a model of a tiny city using GIS data. Then we have 3rd grade. We zoned in on the natural disaster of flooding, and they had to build a structure to keep the house safe.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:27]:


Then we had 2nd grade where we talked about water erosion, and they had to create an invention to either slow it down or stop it. Then we have 1st grade and we studied Earth's light, and they did that by creating a living thing that could possibly have bioluminescence. And finally, in kindergarten, we talked about how animals changed the land to create their homes, and we zoned in on anthills and Made a little cardboard marble maze for that. If you haven't tried Makerspace yet or you're hesitant, this is A great way to integrate those standards in your classroom and also get the hang of doing a Makerspace project. It isn't perfect. It might not turn out exactly how you want it, but again, this is a really cool way for students to floor the world in a different way, and also hit those important standards.

earth science curriculum project

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!