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Project Based Learning Lessons with Jeff Imrich from Rock by Rock [ep. 34]

Project Based Learning Lessons with Jeff Imrich from Rock by Rock [ep. 34]

project based learning lessons

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Episode Summary

Have you ever felt stuck or overwhelmed when it comes to lesson planning, specifically project-based learning?

It takes a lot of time and careful planning to create these meaningful experiences for students.

Today, I had the pleasure of talking to Jeff Imrich, the co-founder of Rock by Rock. We had a meaningful conversation on what learning can look like in STEM and engagement in the classroom using project based learning lessons.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Who Jeff is, his teaching background, and all about Rock by Rock
  • An overview of Rock by Rock’s projects
  • Examples of Rock by Rock project-based learning lessons
  • Jeff’s favorite projects

Meet Jeff Imrich from Rock by Rock:

Hi, I’m Jeff Imrich, a co-founder of Rock by Rock. I’m a former teacher (I taught grades 1-7), and I’ve spent my career teaching kids, partnering with teachers and parents to help rethink how we design schools and supporting teacher professional development around the country. I believe deeply that teachers are the key to students' success, that their jobs are huge and that they need better support to make the job easier and more enjoyable. 

I’ve visited hundreds of classrooms, and you can always tell when the magic of learning is happening inside. You get that tingly feeling because the air is actually electric. Usually, that happens when kids are on fire in their learning. They are doing a project or having a debate, or working in teams. I know I loved teaching this way, but I also know how hard it was to plan really engaging interdisciplinary projects. 

We created Rock by Rock to empower teachers with the tools they need to do real-world projects without starting from scratch. Our platform provides fully planned projects with a real-world mission, diverse virtual experts, rich information texts, videos, games, and a culminating project that empowers kids to make a change in the world. Projects support STEM, SEL, and ELA and build skills kids need to thrive in our creator economy. 

Our program isn’t scripted. It’s flexible. We give you the tools, but we know that you know your kids better than we do, and we know you’ll adapt our tools to your setting. You decide how long to spend on a topic, if you want to add a lesson, if you want to do a debate or teach the whole class at once or do small group centers

We’re also here to help! Teaching is still the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and we’re looking to grow a community of teachers who started teaching because they know in their gut that authentic learning experiences are the best way to teach. We are built by teachers for teachers, and we want to learn and grow with you.

Connect with Rock by Rock:

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

Have you ever felt stuck or overwhelmed when it comes to lesson planning, specifically project based learning? It's a lot of work, and I know this based on my experience as a classroom teacher and K through five STEM teacher and coach. It takes a lot of time and careful planning to create these meaningful experiences for students. I had a great conversation with Jeff Imrich, the co-founder of Rock by Rock. We were definitely on the same wavelength and had a meaningful conversation as to what learning can look like in STEM and engagement in the classroom and beyond. Jeff is a former teacher and has spent his career teaching kids and partnering with teachers and parents to rethink how we design schools and support teacher professional development around the country. He believes deeply that teachers are the key to student success, their jobs are huge, and they need better support to make their job easier and more enjoyable. Jeff and his co-founder created Rock by Rock to empower teachers with the tools they need to do real-world projects without starting from scratch. Their platform provides fully planned projects with a real-world mission, diverse virtual experts, rich information texts, videos, games, and a culminating project that empowers kids to help make a change in the world. There are a lot of key points in this interview that I am sure you're going to resonate with, and the mission of Rock by Rock is one that definitely aligns with my STEM philosophy in the classroom. I can't wait for you to listen. 


Naomi Meredith  01:56

Thank you, Jeff, so much for being here. Today. We were chatting a bit before, and I could already tell this is gonna be a very fun interview. You have a lot of great stuff that our audience is going to be excited about. We have mainly STEM teachers who listen, but I know we have a lot of classroom teachers who are here or ones who might be interested in teaching STEM or just teachers who want to learn more about it. So I'm just really excited to have you today. So if you wouldn't mind, tell us about yourself, your teaching background, and also about Rock by Rock and its mission. So it's a whole thing you're telling us about.


Jeff Imrich  02:30

All right, awesome. Well, first, Naomi, I'm super excited to be here to talk with you today. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast, just the experience I'm getting today has been amazing. So I'm excited for our conversation. I started out as a teacher. I've taught first through seventh grade and sort of in various settings. For the last six or seven years, I've been working with teachers, parents, kids, and schools to try and think about how we could redesign schools to help more kids get to and through college and have access to career pathways. What would we do a building like on all of the lessons we've learned? One of the biggest takeaways and this is not going to be surprising for you, is that when kids are doing real-world authentic projects, and they realize their learning has a purpose, it's like the air is electric. It's like this magical feeling. You walk into a classroom, and you're like, Yes, right? This is what learning should be like. In the schools and programs that we, my co-founder and I, were working on, we heard a lot from our teachers about how our kids loved learning this way. We love teaching this way. It's just really hard planning this type of project, like a deeper learning, project-based learning, a project with speakers, a Take Action Project, and all of these different resources. It's like really hard to plan from scratch. We thought, gosh, like, there's gotta be a way to make this easier for folks. Like, can we provide a toolkit that gives teachers a leg up? We empower them with a set of resources that they can use to do real-world, project based learning in their classroom, that like, just makes it easier so that any kid and any teacher can do this type of learning, and that's why we started Rock by Rock. I can tell you a little bit more about what it is and what we offer. But that's kind of the story behind it.


Naomi Meredith  02:31

I'm really excited about that because I think you're absolutely right. The questions that I get asked the most, even before I started this podcast, all have to do with lesson planning. I'm really big on having more meaningful projects so let's just play with robots today and do some random building. I think it can be more purposeful and still be really fun. So I'm excited to hear more about it and just give teachers another option because we're so busy. It doesn't matter what you teach, and you know, you taught everything, and you don't have time to do all of that, or you might not even have the resources or even know the right people. Like if you're lucky, you know someone who does this, or maybe they're not even good at presenting, like that can happen too, so I'm really excited you have it all packaged up and all ready to go, which teachers really love.


Jeff Imrich  05:09

Yeah, and I mean that resonates 100% with my own experience. It's like 10 o'clock, and you're like, What am I doing tomorrow for this hour of the day, and you're like googling to try and find something, you're like, oh, Does this meet the good enough bar? I think so, like, I'm gonna give it a shot. Then you go into class, and you're just crossing your fingers, this is gonna work. So our projects are all anchored around empowering kids to solve real-world problems. They're aligned with national science standards. So kids are learning science content, and they're practicing reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills through the project. Each project also has a social-emotional anchor. So empathy, curiosity, creativity, courage, kinship, impact awareness, and the way the projects are set up is that there's standard PBL, right? Because we didn't invent project based learning, we're just trying to make it easier. There's a driving question. So how can we help prevent traumatic brain injury from bicycle accidents? How can we help improve rainforest conservation? What are the pros and cons of video gaming? How can we raise awareness about that? So each project gives kids a challenge. They grapple with content, both online and offline. So we have online learning and hands-on and the online component includes video, interactive video, and interactive games, and every project has an anchor text. So there's an informational text that kids are reading to learn more about the topic, and then they go offline, and they do experiments, make mini projects and sort of either explore phenomena or process what they're learning, and that's to understand, like the mission and the core content. Then when they're done with that, they do something to take action, and that might be a graphic design campaign, a letter to Congress, a podcast, a public service, a video, or a mural. So each project comes with all those resources, and the last thing I'd say is that our third through fifth-grade projects, projects also feature virtual experts. So when kids are learning about the brain, they're learning from neuroscientist Dr. Jones. When kids are learning how to make a graphic design, they're learning from graphic designer Maurice Jerry. You're getting sort of the experience of having the expert come to your classroom without having to find that expert. Now, if you've got another expert in your community, by all means, bring them in. But it's a starting point. So that's sort of how our projects are set up. It's also a library because we want teachers to pick the content they need, so what are your standards? What are your students' needs? What are your student interests? Which project is going to be right for you at what time of the year? We really want this to be giving you a lift, and we're trying to set it up in a way that you, as the teacher, are in the driver's seat about making choices about when, where, and how to use it.


Naomi Meredith  07:44

I love how you have the questions written too. You have them as how can we, so it's not like, can you solve this, like, I feel like you have it more open-ended because you're not eliminating it to one solution. I can tell you want kids to think of multiple solutions to solve the problem. That's really project based learning. Like there's not one answer to this. They might not ever find the answer. It might not even work, but they're thinking about it. These sound like questions kids would actually care about because you want them to be really, in a way, you do want it to be obscure to pique their interest. They might not even have any background knowledge, which is even better sometimes because they're more engaged in finding out the answers. So I like how you have all the use of like multimedia, text, videos, and hands-on digital because that's how we as adults learn. We learn using all of this stuff. So you're doing stuff that kids need to know how to do.


Jeff Imrich  08:37

Yeah, I'm so glad you zeroed in on that because that's exactly it. When you look at it, take you and your podcast, right? You are a creator, you are a teacher, you are a content creator, you have a podcast, and you run a business, that's what life is like today, right? Projects give kids the chance to build those skills in an authentic way. You're 100%, right? Like, we really want kids to grapple with the nuance. There are a lot of gray areas in life, and there are pros and cons and reasons to do something and reasons not to do something. We want you to grapple with that, and maybe you have the answer, and maybe you don't. But the process of like going through that process of trying to understand, seeking to learn, and asking questions, that's where the real learning happens.


Naomi Meredith  09:21

Yeah, it's so funny because I just had a guest a little bit ago, and she was talking about SEL and STEM, and she mentioned the same things that you're talking about, which is good. That means this is what we need to be doing, working on those soft skills. You have this project, and it is an avenue into those life skills. That's so nice for teachers too. They can pick and choose what works for them. So maybe they're a STEM teacher, and they know in the classroom with their homeroom teacher, they're going to be working on a specific topic like animal habitats, and then they could do the rainforest one in STEM, so they're not exactly repeating what's done in the regular classroom, but they're extending it in a different project based learning way, which it is like you said, it's hard to. I've done training like being trained on project based learning, and that was just when I was a third-grade teacher, and it takes a long time to make it good. And it does, it's not always good like yours was done.


Jeff Imrich  10:15

It's true, you're singing our song, like, I love the way you're thinking about this because what you're describing is exactly what we want teachers to be able to do, right? Like, oh, we're working in a team, I'm going to work on this, you're going to work on that. Now, all of a sudden, there's coherence across different sections of our day. We even have teachers who have a morning meeting. So we have some teachers who say, oh, this project has a focus on empathy. Empathy is also going to be the hook for our community circle for the next three weeks. That way, as you're going through, you know, when you revisit parts of it, and ELA or parts of it, and STEM, you can also make connections back to the discussions you had in morning meetings. So there are lots of ways that you can actually make this come alive if you've got a springboard instead of, you know, trying to plan everything out.


Naomi Meredith  11:01

Yeah, and it shouldn't be isolated. That's like one thing, if I were to go back to the general education classroom, is just having more of those experiences because there's definitely a place for it and helps with behavior too. Even your hardest kids, they can get so into it, and they can really shine. You're just like triggering talents that you might not know they had or interests you didn't know they had. So it's just really good to do this. You don't have to do it for every single subject, but you can. It's just good to be doing this, and you want to be engaging with the kids. So you need those engaging materials. With those lessons, do you have an example lesson? So you've kind of mentioned specific topics, but like zoning in on examples of lessons that teachers could try using Rock by Rock?


Jeff Imrich  11:45

Yeah, that's a great question. I want to just respond to something you just said, I'm gonna answer your question. Yes. I feel like we're having this, like cross-country mind meld in the way you're describing things. Because when we talk to our teachers, that's what we hear, right? Like, if my kids are on fire and motivated, I'm seeing stronger evidence in their writing because they care about what they're writing about. But also, I'm making fewer phone calls home because the kids are like really engaged in what we're doing. We've also heard exactly what you said from some teachers who say, Oh, you know, I have a heterogeneous group of kids who are seeing different strengths that they don't normally have a chance to bring to the table. It's like they're developing this new mutual appreciation for each other. Because it's like, oh, I didn't know you were so good at that. The other students were like, well, you know, I also haven't had a chance to shine in that way. So it really is impacting motivation and classroom culture on lots of levels. So I'm really glad that you mentioned that. Okay, to answer your question, though, resources, yes. So we have a free trial on our site, and you can sign up for the free trial. That gives you access to the entire library. In the library, there are two ways to access the content. So there are the full projects, right? So you could say like, oh, I want to try part of the full project out, so I want to look at it. You might do the whole thing, or you might try a couple of the lessons in that you can sort of decide. We also have what we call our mix-and-match library. So as I was describing the projects, I was mentioning components, like there's a text, and we call it the zine. There's the virtual field component with the expert. There's the Take Action Project, like the podcast or the mural, which is broken into chunks in our library. So if you said, you know, I already have a project, like we do a food deserts project every year, and I love it. But I would like a way for my kids to have higher quality output from that project. So I'm going to use your podcasting module, which I should, you know, get tips from you someday. Or I'm going to use your module. So you can sort of pick and choose, or you might say, Hey, we're already doing a unit on forces in motion. But I'd like a way to make it more relevant. So I'm going to integrate, I'm going to use the Save Our Brains text as a piece of reading in my class, we might not go full on and do the Save the Brains project yet. But that's like an entry point. So those are sort of the two different ways you can try things out.


Naomi Meredith  14:13

Oh, that's so cool and very helpful. I feel like teachers have different strengths when it comes to planning. My favorite part is finding the resources, which I know are not other people's favorites, but I like them. But sometimes, it's hard to think of what the output will be, what type of project, and just get that inspiration. So that's really nice that you can mix and match. You're like, oh, I never thought about teaching podcasting this way. Like maybe you have done it in the past. But then, like using a different resource, you see it through a different lens. Oh, I never thought about it that way. Because oftentimes, I mean, I'm an island, I teach by myself, I don't necessarily have a team, and sometimes it can happen with classroom teachers. Maybe you're one who really wants to try something exciting, and you're looking for resources, and your team's not really on board. So that's really nice that you have that option. Teachers can go full-on out or just pick and choose what they want. That's so teacher centered, for sure. That is so great.


Jeff Imrich  15:13

Yeah. Well, I would like to say, like, I'm glad this is resonating. I've been on the receiving end and involved in scripted curricula where you get something, and it's like, you need to be on this at this minute, this at that minute, or you have 30 minutes to teach, but a 50-page lesson plan, and you're just like, what, right? So we really thought about how we put teachers in the driver's seat. We develop this with teachers to figure out how they are using it. How can this be more helpful, there's a lot of curriculum that gives you lift, but there's also a lot of curriculum that bogs you down, and we don't want to be something to bog you down. 


Naomi Meredith  15:46

Yeah, I was thinking of the science curriculums I've had in the past. What's sad, too, is when I was teaching third grade, we had a certain curriculum, and they wouldn't even buy us the updated version. So we had all this stuff, and we had to teach the new standards with the old curriculum. It was boring, and we had to find things anyway. Then some teachers don't like teaching science because, like, it's boring. Well, it's actually not boring. But it's just nice just to have it all together, it's updated, and you have worked with teachers, which not a lot of curriculums are like that, either. They don't see the feedback. So that's really good to hear. I'm sure you guys update things based on the feedback that you get, just knowing how things are working out. Or you might have more examples. So that's really good that you're thinking about us teachers.


Jeff Imrich  16:35

Yeah, that's 100%. Right? Like, we want feedback from folks, right? We want to know what's working, we want to know how you're using it. We want to hear your success stories, we want to be able to broadcast them to other people, and we want to know what we can do to make it better, but we're also planning on growing the library over time. One of our lists, Save Our Brains projects I described, we develop because one of our teachers' portraits in Alabama was like, I'm having a really hard time teaching this. And we're like, Okay, well, let's talk about this, what would this look like? That sort of came out of that conversation about something that was hard in the classroom. We see ourselves on a learning journey, right, like, we want as many people as possible to be on that journey with us, so this is a helpful tool.


Naomi Meredith  17:15

Oh, it sounds like it. I'm very excited about it, and I can't wait to check out all the resources and just not have to feel stuck. Knowing that it's there at your fingertips and to see what will work best, I mean, some units are way more fun than others. So it's just great to have that option. Is there a favorite project you have in mind when you're thinking about primary or secondary? Or are there ones that have been super popular with teachers that they've absolutely loved? You mentioned a few, but more specific.


Jeff Imrich  17:45

Yeah, it's a really good question. All the projects have been a labor of love, so it feels a little bit hard to like and pick a favorite. But I will say that a couple of the ones that are being used right now in the fall, like there were teachers are using, and I don't know if this is the time of year how things align with the scope and sequence. This is the thing kids are most interested in, these are things we're trying to learn more about. We have an invasive species project, which aligns with a bunch of ecosystem standards. The debate question for that is, is it justified to kill one species to save another?


Naomi Meredith  18:17

Ooh, that's a great question. 


Jeff Imrich  18:20

Thanks. So we've gotten some good feedback about the type of discussion kids have been having with that question. So we sort of take the lens of invasive pythons in Florida. Also, kids are just fast. Who's not fascinated by a video of a Python wrestling an alligator in the Everglades? So that's one that we've got a bunch of feedback on, link that in the show notes. Yeah, exactly. Yes, exactly. We'll link that one in the show notes. Our save the rainforest project also has been pretty popular because I think kids really like learning about the rainforest. It's just a fascinating ecosystem. That's been something folks have been really interested in, and the Save Our brains project. I think for k-two, we've heard a lot from folks about the Save the frogs project. I think frogs are a common species to study. So we've heard a lot about, we've got some photos back of the habitats that kids have designed for their frog habitats and things like that. So that's been pretty popular. The last one, I'll say, as we have a cashew project called ugly foods and hungry people, which looks at the standards related to the lifecycle of plants, how we grow food, and sustainability. But it also looks at how much food we waste as a country and ways that we could kind of think differently about how we approach food, especially given how many folks are hungry. We just heard recently from a school where all of the kids in K-2 are doing the ugly food-hungry project. Then they're doing a shared table in the cafeteria where all the kids are designing a shared table where any food they're not going to eat from lunch they can put on the table, and any student can go get from the table. So there's no stigma about, like, I'm going to get like extra food or anything. It's just a communal space for sharing. That was just really cool to hear because all of the teachers came together, and they said this is something we want to do in partnership as a community. And we're like, Yes, right? This is what we want to enable right now, where our program is to say you should do a shared table. But they were like, this is what's right for our community. And we're like, I love it. It's great. 


Naomi Meredith  20:08

That's real project based learning. That's what is relevant to a real audience. Because sometimes, with projects, kids are like, Well, why are we doing this, but that's real. Like they're, it's beyond the curriculum. It's something they're remembering that lesson, the reason and the why. That is like what we always hope for when we don't always know how to get there. What's awesome about your guys' stuff is that it's just like a jumping off point for even more lifelong learning and just applying all those skills to their little worlds, and kids love animals. I will say anytime I do anything with animals, they're literally obsessed. You can't go wrong with animals. I love animals. So that's probably why I like it too.


Jeff Imrich  20:44

What's your favorite animal? 


Naomi Meredith  20:45

Oh, my dog, for sure. But besides my dog, and I'm obsessed with my dog, I love sea lions because they're wet puppies of the ocean.


Jeff Imrich  20:55

Oh, I love that. I haven't heard them described like that before. But that makes perfect sense. I think that's great.


Naomi Meredith  21:01

Yeah, at SeaWorld, they like to do all the tricks. All the rejected ones really still try to do tricks, the ones who are in the show. So you can like throw them little treats and like clap their fins and flippers, or they're so cute.


Jeff Imrich  21:13

I love it. That's awesome. 


Naomi Meredith  21:15

Well, I appreciate all of the information. You told us about the free trial. Are there any other resources or things you want teachers to know about created by Rock by Rock? And then how can they find you guys?


Jeff Imrich  21:26

Yeah, so a couple of other things that we want folks to know is project based learning can be materials intensive. So we try and make sure that the materials are as off the shelf as they can be easily accessible or affordable. So that it's not a huge lift, working with a whole bunch of STEM teachers who are on carts. And that can also be tricky. So in some of our teachers' guides, we try to provide tips like, hey, if you're pushing in for STEM, here are some things you might think about or some things you might try. I know STEM teachers on carts are some of the most innovative people because you just have to figure out how to manage stuff and space really well to do that job. So we also try and keep in mind who are the different users and how we can make sure this is going to work for them. We do try and make sure that the materials are accessible. We also want to have a diverse set of experts. So we really try and prioritize finding a balance of gender, race, age, and geography because we want to make sure that kids see themselves in the curriculum. So those are two other things I would highlight. You can find us at Rockbyrock.com. We're also on Facebook and Instagram. On our website, there's a support email address, support@rockbyrock.com. And we're, you know, game to answer any questions that you got. So you sign up for a free trial, and if you've got questions, email us. You're thinking about a free trial, but if you have questions, email us. You do the project with your class, and you'd love to do it with your school, email us, right? Don't be a stranger, hearing from teachers is one of our favorite things.


Naomi Meredith  22:56

That's so great. I know people are going to be reaching out for sure. All of that will be linked in the show notes. So if you're driving in the car, you don't have to write that all down. It'll be accessible for you along with the Python wrestling the alligator, we will link that too. I appreciate your time so much. I feel like we've like met before. We're just like totally on the same page, which is so reassuring, too, that I'm not going crazy when I'm talking into a microphone by myself. It's so nice to have guests. I could talk about this all day. But I appreciate your time so much. I'm sure you will be hearing from some of our audience. Thank you.


Jeff Imrich  23:33

Thank you, and it was great talking. It's so nice to connect with folks when you're like, Ah, we're on the same wavelength about what we want to be true for children and for teachers. So thank you, and this was great.

project based learning lessons

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!

STEM sub plans

How Do I Write STEM Sub Plans? [ep. 33]

How Do I Write STEM Sub Plans? [ep. 33]

STEM sub plans

Check out the full episode on How Do I Write STEM Sub Plans?:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

No matter what you teach, writing sub plans is a lot of work.

Sometimes it's easier to teach than write the sub plans. Am I right?

For those days you need to be out of the building, here are my tips, systems, and lesson ideas for STEM sub plans, so you don't have to stress about it anymore. 

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Tips for lesson ideas and systems when it comes to writing your STEM sub plans
  • 3 examples of lessons to use for your STEM sub plans

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

No matter what you teach, writing sub plans is a lot of work. Sometimes it's easier to just teach then write the sub plans. Am I right? For those days that you do need to be out of the building, here are my tips, systems and lesson ideas for STEM sub plans, so you don't have to stress about it anymore. 


Naomi Meredith  00:52

This episode was inspired by a question that I got on my Instagram DMs the other day, and it's from @InspiredKia. She asked, “So curious when you have a sub, do you alter your lessons? Or do students still have full access to your supplies and materials?” This is a great question. As the short answer, it really depends. My sub plans change based on the rotation of kids that I have, where they are at in a project, what the project is, and also what the school schedule is like. I have an early release day once a week. Or maybe there's an assembly schedule or even a fire drill. It really all depends. So I will be sharing with you all the different ideas that I have for sub plans that have worked well in my classroom that you can use in yours. 


Naomi Meredith  01:44

Before we even get into the actual plans, first, you need to create a sub plan template. This is going to save you a lot of time when you are getting your sub plans ready, whether you know ahead of time you're going to be gone. Or if you need them last minute, I use my same template year after year with some modifications. Again, it makes it so much easier. If you have this system in place, I first create a simple Google doc template. I create a one column table where for each section are the different things that I'm going to add into that plan. The nice thing about making this a Google doc is that you can make a copy of it and create different templates for different days. This is helpful if you have different schedules for different days, which I've also had in the past. But also if you want to create a template for a half day morning, or a half day afternoon, that's really helpful as well. 


Naomi Meredith  02:46

Here's what I put in each section in the order that they go in before I even get to the actual plans. I've had a lot of subs over the years tell me they love the organization of my sub plans, and they have appreciated the information that I have included for them. So take this feedback that I have gotten and take a look at your own sub plans. Maybe you don't even have any yet and see how you can tweak them and make them even better. At the top of my sub plans and that first section is a welcome message, letting them know I'm so grateful to have them here. If I personally know the sub, I might write them something sweet or funny just to give them a little laugh, so a nice little introduction. Also, depending on the setup, I might give them my phone number, but it also depends on where I am at for the day. If I'm at a training, I don't mind giving my phone number or email. But if I'm on vacation, I will not include that information. After that I will have what to do for attendance. I personally don't have to take attendance for my classes, but you might so add in that information and how to do that for a sub. 


Naomi Meredith  03:53

After that is my behavior protocols and a general sense of what I do for behaviors, positive and negative, and if there are any school wide incentives that the sub needs to give out. For example, my school has something called Tiger paws, and other teachers can compliment another class and award them a tiger paw, which in turn the classes are collecting Tiger paws to earn a class party. Our substitute or guest teachers can give classes a golden paw, which is worth five paws. Classes really have to work hard to get these golden paws and I let my sub know within these notes what a golden paw is and how classes can receive them. After that is just a basic list of phone numbers for emergencies and who to contact if they need help. I will also leave these important phone numbers by my telephone. So that is also helpful to have on hand for myself but of course for a sub. After that I also include my daily schedule and my duty schedule. Even if the sub doesn't have to cover my duty for the day, I like to include all of them that I have throughout the school year. Then I'll just highlight the duty if that pertains to that particular day. Like I said, I have two different time schedules for my week. I have my regular Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday schedule. But then on Wednesdays, the time changes a little bit. So I include all of that on my template. Again, I'll just highlight the day that I am gone and the schedule that the sub needs to keep track of is a nice little hack. If you set this up beforehand, you don't have to type it in again for the rest of the school year, and you have it ready to go and you're not scrambling or forgetting about any of those different schedules or special duties that you have. 


Naomi Meredith  05:43

Next, I will write down what the seating looks like in my classroom, what students will do when they enter my room where they will sit, and what it looks like when they're sitting at my tables. I have two different types of chairs in my classroom. One of my tables has these big black chairs that are ginormous for my first and kindergarteners and I don't let them sit in them because they fall in them, they can't get in the chair, and they don't know how to push them in. So I include this in my notes that students can sit at the other tables with the blue or green stools. My older students sit at tables that correspond with their classroom number, and I have a sheet on their table that has the different numbers that are all mixed up. So just let the sub know about this. So if kids think they can sit wherever they want, that's not always the case, I let them do that when they're with me. But just so the sub is aware, I don't write down their seating numbers, you can go ahead and do this. I just trust the kids to sit at third numbers. I don't get too particular about it, but you know your kids best. So if you do, you need to include a seating chart, go for it. Finally, I do list out the activities in the order of when they will happen throughout the day, and what the sub will need to do with the kids. So that is just the sub plan templates. So this is the one that you would write on and modify as needed. Separate from that I actually have a simple sub binder. I had this when I was a classroom teacher as well. But this is the more detailed information about the school. 


Naomi Meredith  07:16

A handy trick with this is oftentimes at the beginning of the year, you might get a whole lot of paperwork from your front office with maps, what to do in an emergency, referral forms, school schedules, all of that information, I actually just put it in my sub binder. So it's just in one location. I go to this binder if I need that information, but it's just all helpful. It's all in one place for myself. I also like to include in here different things that could be for fast finishers, a sub has never needed them. But just in case you never know. I will include things like hidden pictures searches, crossword puzzles, those types of easy activities. Then also a list of fun little brain breaks if the sub needs them, and a few random read alouds that no matter what you can do a read aloud. If all else fails, go for it. So I always have this in the binder, I just change it out every year or if there's something that changes in our schedule. But otherwise, I don't really go back into this binder very often, but I leave it out for my subs. Aside from that I have a another binder that has the student information. I have four different binders, one for each rotation that I teach. Again, I also use this binder as the teacher for my class list. It has all of my classes of my students. It has pictures of all the kids, and also all of the IEPs, 504s and all of that information for each grade level in each classroom. Again, this is something that I use all the time, I'm not creating something extra for my subs. But this is just a helpful system in a binder to have out for your substitutes, so they know what your students look like and then any very important information that they need to know about the students they have on hand. I also write down little notes. I will write down their nicknames or what they like to be called. If there's any information like severe allergies, I'll make sure that's written down next to their name. If certain students have a para or need extra support, so that the sub is aware of this, and they're not blindsided when all of the classes rotate to them throughout the day. 


Naomi Meredith  09:24

Now that you have set up your sub system, I'm going to share with you three different types of sub plans that you can use for your students and STEM. The first option is to continue lessons that students have been working on with me throughout the week. Again, this really depends on what the project is, where they're at in their project, and what class is actually working on this project. Also, it does depend to what day I have a sub as well. Again, this will really really depend on all of these factors and I really tried to do this option continuing a lesson if possible. But the other two options are something I'm going to talk about as well. If this isn't the case, more likely than not my older students, third, fourth and fifth grade are able to complete a lesson that they're working on, which is awesome. If there's something new that I do need students to really focus on before they get started, then I might even create a screencast video using Screencastify. I will film myself teaching that part of the mini lesson and have the substitute play that for my students, I don't do this every time. But if I do, I will create a short link using Bitly bit.ly of that video that I created that's in my Google Drive. Since I know I'm going to be gone, I will share with some of my older students that the teacher will have to first show them how to get this link. If anything were to happen, they could help the sub out, I would do this as a classroom teacher as well, both in the classroom and as a STEM teacher. The substitutes have really appreciated this because I also teach it in a way where I'm engaging with the class. So I'm not just talking at the kids. I will say raise your hand if or turn and talk to the partner about this. So I really tried to make it interactive, even though it's recorded, and my substitutes have even told me they've really liked it when I've left these videos, and they could see how I am as a teacher, because sometimes I don't always meet the substitutes. They really enjoyed this and it's helped set the tone for the class, and the kids have a better idea of what they're going to be working on throughout the lesson. 


Naomi Meredith  11:40

The second option that works excellent for sub plans is STEM and stories. I have talked about STEM and stories quite a bit and a lot in past episodes. So that is sprinkled in throughout many episodes. So keep an ear out for those because I'm sure gonna be talking about them again. I also have a couple bundles of seven story lessons that I have taught with my students that you could just grab and use for future sub plans as well. I don't typically teach STEM in stories that often in my classroom because I like to save them as sub plans. Substitutes, I've found really like doing read alouds. This is a great way to capture the students attention. The students are going to listen to a story, they might plan their design and then build their design, probably using reusable objects like blocks or LEGO bricks. I won't typically do Makerspace materials for these challenges, because I have a whole set of rules in place when it comes to Makerspace. So make sure you go back and listen to those past episodes as well because I explained my whole system and rules for that. But I have found that these STEM and stories lessons have been really successful for substitutes. They're easy to prepare beforehand and a sub can do it for multiple classes throughout the day. Also, since you probably teach a lot of kids, you can have a bank of these prepared, and then just keep track of which classes have done which story. Then your sub plans might even be done for the rest of the school year. So I highly recommend saving these STEM and stories for these special moments. I have a bunch of them already made for you so your sub planning might even be done. A couple of my favorite favorite books that I love for STEM and stories is After the Fall by Dan Santat, Not a Box by Antoinette Portis, and Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beatty. 


Naomi Meredith  13:40

Finally, the third option that you can do for your STEM sub plans, and this is a last resort, is to do a video. I also have this on hand for whatever reason I have had times where I woken up, I've lost my voice, I can't teach and I wasn't prepared for that. Sometimes just having a video, you just got to do it. I don't recommend doing this all the time. But it's just something again, good to have on hand. When I do a video I actually create an accountability sheet that students have to fill out when they're watching and I will add it to the plans that I would like the sub to collect these sheets that students filled out. I will pick a few winners of kids who really tried and really showed their work while they were watching and give them a prize. This really helps us out because the kids might be even more engaged in the video and I don't even say what the prizes are. I just think of it last minute so they don't even know what they're trying to earn but they just want to be the ones who win. So that has been really helpful. 


Naomi Meredith  14:44

My top three videos that I love using in the STEM space that are actually related to content is first Monsters Inc and it is rated G. When students watch Monsters Inc., they have to draw three inventions they see that the monsters use throughout the video. I also leave a space for them where they can draw an invention that they think would be helpful for the monsters to use. I have all three of these by the way that I'm going to talk about in my TPT shop for free. So of course, this will all be linked in the show notes as well. The second video that I like to use, this is more for fourth and fifth grade is Dream Big. The last time I checked, it was on Netflix, but it also might be on some other streaming platforms. I actually heard of this video, I got sent the physical DVD and I think a lot of STEM teachers that year did, but it's actually really good. It shows kids how engineering and all types of engineering is being used in our real world. It's super interesting and it's all these short little videos along the way. I highly recommend watching it on a Friday night, it's actually really good. There is one caveat, there's one little part where these high school students have a robotics competition or they're building something, and their design keeps sinking, like it keeps sinking or it keeps getting water in it. It's one of those. So they ended up using tampons as a way to soak up the water. I don't think they actually show tampons, they just talk about it. So not inappropriate, but I'm just letting you know if kids ask about it. That is in there, and it's pretty funny. Not again, not inappropriate, but just something you might want to watch out for. I don't have subs skip that part, I think it's fine, but just be aware of your audience. 


Naomi Meredith  16:35

Then the third video I like to use in the STEM space is also rated G is Rio with those cute little singing birds. The songs are super catchy. I have students draw five or more different animals that they see in the rain forest habitat. Now pro tip, it's really nice for the subs if you mix up the videos throughout the day. So if you have Rio for K and one, you have Monsters Inc, for two and three, and then Dream Big for four and five, then the sub doesn't have to watch the same video six times and they will appreciate that. Then you can also just keep track of who watches what so then you're not watching the same movie all day. Then you have to think of a new one for the next time. It's just nice to mix it up. Also, the sounds a little bit backwards, I actually use the real old school DVDs for these videos. I don't trust the WiFi when I'm gone. Of course, it's not going to work when I'm not there. So I actually have a DVD player hooked up to my TV in case of an emergency. I know that the video is going to play. If you don't have a DVD player, or you don't want to go as old school as me, then I recommend pre-downloading the video and not having it go in a web browser. Because again, it might not work when you're not there. So definitely not innovative. But maybe it is innovative because I'm solving a problem through old school technology. I don't know it has worked well and has been totally okay for any teacher technology to I also take pictures of what the remotes look like, I create a visual chart of all the teacher technology so that they can find it and know exactly what buttons to click. So that is also a another great tip to have as well. That's something that I will keep inside of my sub binder whenever I need it. 


Naomi Meredith  18:24

As a recap, here are my tips for lesson ideas and systems when it comes to writing your STEM sub plans. First create templates for writing your plans. Next, you can have the option of students continuing the projects they're already working on. Second, you can also create Stemmons story lessons or have those prepared and ready to go. And third, as a last resort, you can do related STEM movies. Overall writing sub plans isn't fun for anybody, it is my least favorite thing to do as a teacher. But hopefully with all of these ideas you can feel more prepared so you can even have things ready to go. So in the case that you have to be gone, it won't be as stressful. You can grab and go and then be on your way for the day that you are not in the building.

STEM sub plans

STEM sub plans

 

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!

SEL in elementary

Ideas for SEL in Elementary STEM with Jill Loesch [ep. 31]

Ideas for SEL in Elementary STEM with Jill Loesch [ep. 31]

SEL in Elementary

Check out the full episode on Ideas for SEL in Elementary STEM with Jill Loesch:  

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

SEL is quite a buzzword in the education community, but the overall concept isn't new. In fact, no matter what subject or grade level you teach, there's always room for integrating social-emotional learning, growth mindset, and developing soft skills in your everyday teaching.

Today, we have a special guest, Jill Loesch, from the Self Nurtured Teacher, and she is going to be talking about just that. She'll explain what SEL means to her, ways that you can embed it into your STEM and hands-on learning, and a variety of resources for teachers and students. This episode is packed full of actionable tips and resources.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Jill’s definition of SEL
  • How to incorporate SEL into your elementary STEM classroom
  • SEL resources for teachers and students

 

Meet Jill Loesch, The Self Nurtured Teacher

Jill has been an Elementary teacher since 1997. She's taught PreK-2 classroom, K-6 literacy specialist, and PreK-6 instructional coach with a focus on differentiation, SEL, and mindset.

Jill specializes in creating and implementing systems and mindsets that integrate everyday SEL for students and teachers with little to no prep.

She is a certified life coach focused on redefining self care for overworked women. She has created SEL and self care specific card decks that are used by teachers and women looking for everyday self care. Jill runs a TPT store focused on K-2 SEL resources, coaches women through her Self Care Society, and owns a fitness studio with her husband.

Jill is also a mom to 2 adult kids, Max and Elliana.

In her free time she loves to lift weights, take walks around the lakes, go on scooter dates, and spend time with family and friends.

Connect with Jill: 

Follow Jill on Instagram: @theselfnurturedclassroom

Check out Jill’s Blog: selfnurturedteacher.com

Jill’s Free K-1 SEL Year Long Guide 

Jill’s TpT Shop and other SEL Freebies

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

SEL is quite a buzzword in the education community, but the overall concept isn't new. In fact, no matter what subject or grade level you teach, there's always room for integrating social-emotional learning, growth mindset, and developing soft skills in your everyday teaching. Today, we have a special guest, Jill Loesch, from the Self Nurtured Teacher, and she is going to be talking about just that. She'll explain what SEL means to her, ways that you can embed it into your STEM and hands-on learning, and a variety of resources for teachers and students. This episode is packed full of actionable tips and resources. I know you're going to adore Jill and her thoughtfulness, her sweet soul, and a plethora of experiences. 


Naomi Meredith  01:18

Well, thank you so much, Jill, for being here. I am so glad that we connected through a mutual business friend of ours, Molly Wheatley.  I did a training in her group and then you were there and you were smiling. You were so excited about the topic, and then we messaged a bit. Then I said, “I think you would be really great on this podcast with your expertise.” I really liked the sound of your voice. So I'm so glad that you're here. I know our listeners are really going to benefit from what you have to share today, as it relates to SEL and STEM and hands on learning and all of those awesome things that are so important for our kids no matter what age level they are. So to help us get to know more about you tell us about yourself, your teaching background, and how you stepped into the role as the self nurtured teacher.


Jill Loesch  02:10

Thank you! I am so excited to be here and love making these online connections with other educators. I think for those people that are listening to this podcast and other education podcasts, we can feel so much in silos sometimes. It's kind of nice to be able to find people that align with us that don't necessarily geographically live by us. So thank you for having me. My education started really, as a child, both my parents are teachers. So I grew up around education. I just remember being in my dad's classroom, from really little on and then I had the amazing opportunity to attend the school that he taught at and had him for my fifth grade language arts teacher. I come from a long line of teachers, which is great. Along with that also come some of the things that many of us teachers struggle with, right, the all in the at all costs as it pertains even to our ourselves. Flash forward to my teaching career, which started in 1997. So I've been teaching for for a while. Mostly I'm an elementary teacher. I'm also licensed preschool. So in Minneapolis, where I live and taught in, I've taught classroom, pre K through second grade, but also was a literacy coach for K through five and an instructional coach for K through five teachers and students. I did a lot of parents things with that, too. 


Jill Loesch  03:49

So I think, the biggest shift for me, and what brought me to the Self Nurture Teacher, which is where you'll find my website. And that is me as a teacher to overworked women, not necessarily just teachers looking to create opportunities for everyday self care. Self care and SEL are very tied together and understanding that and when I was diagnosed with Addison's disease in 2017, that's a life threatening illness. I have no adrenal gland function. So it really it created a different shift that was necessary for me to be able to stay alive and teach. It really was taking the systems and the structures that I was so good at and putting into place with students, and the procedures and all that, those kinds of things, but into my own planning time, and energy expenditure. I realized that what I was doing at that time was really benefiting my colleagues that I was working with and received all kinds of feedback and thanks like, “Wow, thank you for showing me this and allowing it to be okay to do my best but not put myself in harm's way as terms of health and mental health.” So that's where I am. That's how that's how I got here. The resources I create for teachers is like a little extension that's teacher specific. That is the self nurtured classroom. So it kind of embodies that idea of you nurturing yourself, your students, your energy, your environment, all the things that we have control over because there's many things that we do, but most things that we don't have control over.


Naomi Meredith  05:38

I appreciate your story, and just thank you for being vulnerable and sharing that like, that's a lot. I love how I can tell you're just a very positive person and just how, like you that's. I can't imagine how you've taken that as a positive experience and just have really been, ” Okay, I have this going on, but how can I help others.” You're just an amazing lady to be doing all of this and like you even just sharing your story. Who knows how you have helped someone. That's so amazing. Also, your passion for education, your experience is so valuable, like, I am so glad that you are here today. You are amazing. So when it comes to SEL, and how it relates to elementary, how would you describe that? What research do you use to refine your practice?


Jill Loesch  06:30

So for me, SEL is a 24/7 way of being human. So just kind of a back step of this, like, I started teaching prior to No Child Left Behind where SEL was just kind of best practice and what kids did in school, and then the large, like pendulum swing to the academic push. Don't get me wrong, like I'm all about taking these academics and taking the potential and moving them. But at what cost, right? So SEL is not new to me. It's just kind of how I've embodied my teaching. As a licensed early childhood educator, that's what we did. We looked at the whole child providing hands on experiences, and nurturing the confidence in students, just who they are as a person and where they are in their academics and where they can go. So I just like to, like preface that it's 24/7; it's not a 15 minute lesson. It's not something like “Oh, I'm doing SEL!” It's really how your day, your class if you're a classroom teacher, if you are a special teacher that are focusing on STEM, it's how you structure your entire time with those students. When it comes to the mindset, the way your class is organized, everything is set up for them. SEL in education for me is providing numerous real life experiences and opportunities for students and ourselves to practice within our space and to grow within that together to really become just a well rounded person and community member. I mean, that is the ultimate goal for me.


Naomi Meredith  08:25

I appreciate that, and that is so true. I feel like SEL can be a buzzword. I don't know if you would think that. But it isn't something new, and I actually taught preschool when I was in college. It was such a hard decision to choose between going into elementary or early childhood. You're so right, it is about the whole child, which we do that in elementary, but I feel like we're missing that sometimes. And it is so like this 15 minute lesson, but it really is 24/7. Do you have any specific resources or research that you've used or things that have helped you? I know your experiences are the best research of what you've done with kids.


Jill Loesch  09:06

I know that I have that listed down, like I had a write down. I'm like, Yeah, and that's like, Oh, yes. And then this and then this, because I think sometimes, you know, we think research and these articles, which that's a part of SEL, that's a part of everything. Then it's teaching there's the art and science of it. Being a human there's like the book smart paper on paper looks great. Then there's the reality and it's somewhere in the middle right is where the magic happens. So yes, I have over 25 years of hands on experience, trial and error of that, right, like, oh, and then each kid is different too. So it's understanding this strategy or that I would never do this strategy with this kid because that would just shut them down. Whereas you kind of have to navigate that you start with a base and then you can kind of see which way we can tap into the potential for each student. Most of my practice is really rooted in Responsive Classroom. I have level one and level two training, and I have had the great fortune of teaching alongside two national trainers. So we had all kinds of opportunities with that. 


Jill Loesch  10:19

So that can absolutely be brought into a STEM program for people that are teaching that as you know, a standalone content area, as well as if you're the one responsible. For me, in my classroom, we were responsible for our science and STEM. So if that's you listening to this, like, there are some really simple ways that you can tap into that. Responsive Classroom is a great way to just utilize that in just everyday structures without even necessarily a specific STEM lesson, so to speak. In addition to that, ENVoY, which is a nonverbal classroom communication management. I taught with a teammate that was a national trainer for ENVoY. So just really, you know, understanding how to tap into capturing engagement with kids. That wasn't just kind of some of the management, which is a part of SEL. I have two different trainings in IB PYP program. I'm not sure a lot of people recognize IB PYP from an high school standpoint, but the organization has an accredited elementary program, which is highly rooted in profiles and attitudes, which are directly correlated with SEL. 


Jill Loesch  11:46

Again, just being a human, being a risk taker having empathy being responsible. There's like 20 of them between the two, that paired with just growth mindset, Carol Dweck's work looking at a lot of that, and having training as an instructional coach. Minneapolis brought in trainers, and we had lots of training around that as it pertained to working with adults, and coaching adults through that to get students and then I personally did numerous things around that with parents. In the one school where I was the coach, I focused heavily on advanced differentiation. Many people might call it gifted and talented, we call it advanced differential differentiation. And so really looking at a preventative parent workshop to look at how do we approach with a growth mindset. Because when you have gifted or advanced learners, they tend to really fall into a fixed mindset, which is kind of hard for people to hear like, “Oh, they're so smart.” It's like, No, we don't want to be saying that to them. We want to really go into some depth and complexity. So I have lots of training around advanced differentiation. That was part of part of my my job. I will always be looking to Castle for what they say best practices around SEL.


Naomi Meredith  13:06

I think that's such a well balanced mix of things. So in my role, I teach all the kids in the school and you said what works for one kid might not work for another. And so just being any teacher, you have to be prepared for what comes your way. I see K through five, 500 Plus kids, a lot of stuff teachers do even if you're a classroom teacher, you have different kids every year. So just keep on refining your practice using these resources. Obviously, your experiences in training are gold, no one can take those away from you. But I think this is really helpful, especially when people are feeling stuck, or they need a refresher. I'm glad you mentioned growth mindset because I'm going to have an episode coming out real soon about that because it's so important. We see that, especially with the gifted kids, but even when it comes to STEM, it's so interesting. 


Naomi Meredith  13:59

I thought my first year kids would be all excited about building, which they are but they aren't if they are not given those experiences all the way. They're like, “Well show me what it's supposed to look like, and how am I supposed to do it? Oh, it didn't work. I give up.” Like lots of tears, lots of crying. But I've really had to work on growth mindset, year after year with all the grade levels and the kids are used to me by now and they're excited. They now know, if I failed, I have to try it a different way or here, look at this strategy I did or look what I did. But it's just taken a long time, literally years since I don't see them every single day, I see them five days a week for the month. All of those components that you mentioned are enormous in the STEM space or any hands on learning anything that when you're creating it's just such a vulnerable thing to create something, it's scary. Even this podcast can be scary. It's creating. I think that's super helpful. I wrote those all down so we'll link those on the show notes for people so if they're interested so they can check this out even further. So speaking of that, with the hands on learning, how do you see this relating with SEL? So how do you think STEM and hands on learning go together? We talked about growth mindset, but what connections and skills do you feel this helps build?


Jill Loesch  15:18

Yeah, so STEM activities, and the learning structures that come with with STEM are actually just a really natural opportunity to practice every day SEL, and those five Castle competencies which are self management, self awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. So those are the five components that kind of embody SEL, from an individual level to even families and the community, everything is kind of connected with that. So when you're talking about STEM, for instance, like self awareness, really discovering, identifying and understanding of students emotions, and just their personal strength areas and their areas for growth is, I mean, think of all the all the things that happen there, right. Typically, then when it comes to self management, there's lots of different emotions, and the emotional roller coaster kind of how you just just talked about with growth mindset happens and are pretty high when students are faced with challenging situations. 


Jill Loesch  16:24

In STEM, and from just my inquiry background, because IB PYP is based on inquiry, it's very challenging, when you're just posing questions and kind of facilitating, when there's not just like, step one, step two, you know, and it can create those emotions. So giving, and having some different structures and systems in place for students to regulate those emotions to manage the stress and the impulses and the just shutting down. I mean, it's a process, right? So when you first do this, you're gonna feel like why and then it's about staying the course, right? It's kind of, like when you start working out, and like, I'm not seeing the results and like, just keep going, it will happen, it will happen. When it comes to self awareness, just two big components of self awareness are other people's perspectives, or just, you know, multiple perspectives in general, and then being able to empathize with other people. So being able to be aware of that, and a lot of STEM things happen in collaboration. It's not just an isolated thing all the time. 


Jill Loesch  17:30

So kind of understanding how that works. And that moves into the relationship skills is that in the classroom, and then if someone let's say, you know, they grow up, and they have a STEM job, teamwork is a big part of that, and so being able to communicate to listen, knowing how to handle conflicts is just really important. So that plays out in many STEM activities. Then the responsible or the, yes, responsible decision making that Engineering Design Process is just like an overall great guide to understand how your decisions can identify and solve problems and the consequences of doing this or this and then having to go back. And so I think, when it comes to a STEM lesson, but really, this is just a great process to to approach for just life, right? Like, oh, there's this problem, how can I solve it? Like what we did in my Kindergarten classroom, and like I said earlier with my fellow co-teacher, we did a pictorial input chart, which is a GLAAD strategy on the Engineering Design Process. And so really, like had the pictures up and walking through and doing some specific charts around that, because they were inventing something they were there was specific to the project and the unit we were doing, but also, we connected that then to oh, how does this connect with how we approach things in the classroom? 


Naomi Meredith  19:07

I am so glad you mentioned the Engineering Design Process. We've been talking about that so much on this show. I even had a whole mini series, and I broke down each step for teachers. So there's an episode about the ask, there's an episode about the imagine. So it's not something new. It's not new. And you were doing this in a Kindergarten classroom, not as a STEM teacher per se. It can be anywhere. And you just saw the importance and how they are building upon those soft skills. And I'm so glad you said like, oh my gosh, you're so great. This is awesome. Yeah, so definitely those soft skills. That is what STEM is all about. And I tell the kids that all the time, like it doesn't matter what tools that you're using. You're here to build on skills that you're going to use the rest of your life. The tools are just a way for me to help you practice these skills. They're going to change you're not going to have these robots when you're 25 But This skill is how you can collaborate and work together. and problem solve, you need to have those skills, whether you're in a STEM job or not, you need to be able to do these things. So I'm so glad you said that, because that is like a huge, that's like, probably the biggest why I am in STEM is like all that all those soft skills, you get to be creative, but you're really building up yourself as a human. That is like the whole goal of my class.


Jill Loesch  20:24

Well, you know, it was kind of eye opening, it's hard for me to say, because it's been already so long, since I started my IB PYP, like career. It's like, Ah, it just feels like yesterday, but it's not. But I just remember being very awestruck, in that time where it was, like, you know, no longer is education, the place where it used to be people come because that's where the knowledge was. But with just the technology advances and the information at people's fingertips, we need to create critical thinkers to understand processes and work together, because the kids that you're teaching right now, the jobs that they are going to have haven't even been created yet. I mean, even five years ago, would we have been like, Oh, someone can be a social media manager and make a really good income with that people would have been like, what that is ridiculous. And so we don't even know what they're gonna end up doing. So we really want to prepare them to handle challenges and be prepared for those really unknown situations.


Naomi Meredith  21:29

Oh, I didn't know I was gonna be a STEM teacher, I didn't originally go to college for this. I knew I wanted to be a teacher, I went to school to be Elementary Ed. And then through experiment, like kind of like the kids like, Oh, I was really like hands on. I've always loved hands on learning in science, let's be real. I've always loved that. But then STEM was coming up. I'm like, I think I can do this. And now I have a master's in that and went back to school and everything. But even for just teaching there's so many new roles out there. And even having a teaching podcast, like who knows, like, you have no idea what is going to be out there. So if we as adults can figure it out, then like, hey, we can totally get our kids to do it. We just have to be they're cheerleaders by giving them those skills to be successful. You mentioned the pictures for the Engineering Design Process, which I think that's amazing. That's awesome. Are there any other ways teachers can easily implement SEL into their instruction like top ways you're like, “Oh, definitely do this, or this has worked really well?” No matter what they're teaching, what would you recommend? 


Jill Loesch  22:35

Well, I have lots of ideas because just like students, teachers are on their own path, and not everyone's going to be in the same place or not everything's going to feel comfortable. Before I give the ideas, I would just say, really, think about your own growth mindset, it's really hard to have students tap into that. And they can smell it if you aren't tapping into that. So getting out of your comfort zone and starting with the next small thing that feels doable. So when I say that, um, you know, just think about your own schedule where you are, because really, I am all about using the schedule, you already have to determine where would be some appropriate times and good fits to implement aspects of the five Castle competencies. For example, I love Responsive Classroom, morning meeting as a part of that. If you are in the classroom, you can kind of bring in some STEM things if you're teaching STEM. I was in the classroom, if you are like you, Naomi, and you're doing that you can take maybe just five minutes, like a real condensed and one part of a morning meeting to start building the community. Because here's the thing, your learners in order to be risk takers in these things need to feel safe in that space. That's not going to happen day one, it's not going to happen day seven, it's not maybe going to happen for some students until maybe the end of the year. 


Jill Loesch  24:14

So really recognizing that risk factor and providing low risk opportunities as you start. So for instance, at the start of the year, it may be simple like, “Hey, I'm going to introduce you to my to my friends,” and the teacher says everyone's name and getting to know everyone's name and then maybe doing a name game and then maybe having a would you rather that's really revolved around the unit that you're doing, you know, would you rather X or Y and then y and then starting to get them comfortable with really using their voice because if you don't do that, the rest of your amazing lessons and everything you have on paper, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Good on paper means nothing if you cannot implement it in a way that brings kids to the ultimate objective, because the lessons you're creating are not about you. They're about the students. And if the students aren't in a space where they can feel heard, valued, vulnerable, they're not going to explore those challenging things. And they need to know that it's okay to do that. So I would start with that. After that, really, there's so many so many ideas, differentiation is key, you're gonna have kids, just as when Naomi and I were talking like a big range sometimes, and understanding where those kids, those kids that can do it, they need your support just as much as the kids that are really struggling. And that can be tricky. But what I like to use are the prompts of depth and complexity, those are really great entry point. Their icons, you teach them to the whole class. 


Jill Loesch  25:49

But let's say you have a group that's gone ahead in the unit or a project you're doing, you can say, “Oh, okay, now, I want you to look for patterns in your findings, “or whatever, and just have that up there. And it's a really easy way for you to differentiate without planning. The idea isn't that you're planning all different lessons, you're teaching to the same standard, with the same kind of idea. It's just getting kids that need to go deeper, going deeper into it. So that's a really great way. I kind of addressed this already, but really scaffold your year and your units from that low risk to high risk. And don't assume like, well, it's January, we've gotten to know each other, and it's a really challenging unit, don't assume that they're just going to jump in with like, Whoa, yeah, I'm really ready to fail, like, don't assume that just start low, low risk. And you can use engaging text to support thinking or concepts. Really, there's so many amazing texts out there. 


Jill Loesch  26:50

I wrote some books down, like my class LOVE THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING. The Andrea Beatty books. There's one that I just recently came across. I've not used this in the classroom, but there's three, maybe you know, about these, Naomi, what would you do with an idea? What do you do with the problem? What do you do with the chance? They're really good? Yeah. So I mean, just really utilizing that and taking a step back, like go slow to go fast. So what if you take the first day of a new unit to look at a book that has concepts that they're going to be encountering, or mindset ideas that, you know, like, hey, they're going to really struggle with, you know, this emotion, perhaps when they're going through this. So I'm going to start with a book that's going to address that. And I would say, do a beginning of the unit SEL questionnaire about the content and subject, find out where the kids are in their feelings about it, that will give you so much information, and that they're feeling validated. 


Jill Loesch  27:51

Like it's okay to say that I'm scared about this, or I'm nervous. I don't know about this. Finding out where they're at, not just from a content standpoint, but from where they are in terms of how they feel they're going to do with it. And then having some exit slips that include a self evaluation or reflection. And you can do that after certain lessons or at the end, especially. And that will give you good information. Every class and every year is different. But you can take some common things to like, “Oh, I think I want to tweak this for the next time.” I have not done this, but I thought about this, when I was doing this, I think I'm going to put this in, I'm going to make this for my TPT store. But I would have an Emoji check in system before, during, and then the completion of the projects. And there's lots of different ways you can have that you can literally have them printed out. And you can just go with like kind of three or four basic kinds of emotions. And even while they're working, they could just, you know, put like, I'm confused. And if they put that there as you're walking around, or whatever. It's just a real easy way that's low risk. They're not having to be like I don't know, and then a way for you to check in with either that individual or group. Then even creating just some posters of strategies, of course that you go over of how to deal with your feelings when you feel like you're out of control or confused or you want to just give up.


Naomi Meredith  29:27

Every single thing you talked about, I've talked about. Yes, you know, you're a great coach. I wrote all of these down for people. So we'll link all of this, all the books that you mentioned. Teachers can do all these things that you're mentioning. You're like, oh, or maybe they're like, I already do that. Or oh, that's a cool way to do it. So those are just like you said, you can implement it in your teaching everyday no matter what you teach, even if you do teach all the kids in the school. I want to go back to when you were saying where you really need to create a space where students are feeling safe and they are filling welcomed, that is so true. It's so hard when you're a specialist, and that's a big thing. Going from classroom teacher to specials, I feel like is you have your same kids, when you're a classroom teacher and you see them every day, you know them, you can tell when they're in the best mood or the worst mood. You just really know who they are. I used to do The Five Love Languages quiz for kids when I was a classroom teacher, and it was so eye opening and interesting to see how they felt the most loved. One of my most neediest class, their love language was primarily quality time, which made sense. They always wanted lunch with a teacher for a prize. But as a specialist teacher, that was huge and was probably one of the hardest things going into this role is I don't have them all day. And so I'm here year five, and I know them pretty well. But it's just taken a long time for them to get to know me and I get to know them. Also, creating a space where they do feel safe, that they want to take risks, they want to have those challenges, they are feeling comfortable communicating, collaborating, and it's so different too. I don't know what they do with their classroom teachers, like some are really strong about these strategies. Sometimes STEM is there only a time of the school year where they get to work together. So it's just so interesting with those classroom dynamics and just being in this role. But no matter what you're teaching, these are just all important things, for sure. So I feel like people are gonna walk away with so much knowledge from this episode. And I'm so, again, so grateful that you are here. Are there anything, freebies or anything you want to let teachers know about? And how can they find you and connect with you?


Jill Loesch  31:44

Yes, so if you go to my Instagram, my handle is the self nurtured classroom. I have a link there for a year-long SEL guide. Right now it's just K through one, but I'll be adding to that. I'm adding things to it all the time and updating, but it includes book lists, and questions that are aligned to the five Castle competencies. Some of those in there, again, may not be directly STEM related. But when you're building that, like just what you said, you know, prior to this, I would venture to say, and it's hard because there's pressures from different ways. I would rather take the first six weeks of school and that's less time when you're not seeing everyone every day all the time to build those relationships because your return on that time investment is going to be like 100 fold, it can feel like oh, I should be doing this content right now. But if you don't get those relationships in that space, you're going to be battling that all year. But if you just take the time in the beginning, then it's amazing. It's amazing how that goes. So you can grab that for free. For more adult SEL, again, not teacher specific, although I do have many teachers that you know do this, my website is selfnurturedteacher.com. So there are some free things there for adults, and you can just kind of check it out.


Naomi Meredith  33:21

Awesome, well, thank you so much again for your time. And I know that this is such an important episode. Very timeless, it can last forever. And this is a year-long evergreen thing that we always need. It's just such a great refresher. And I learned so much! You should definitely see my desk right now with all of my notes. I learned a lot here, and I'm excited to implement a lot of the strategies you talked about. So thank you so much again, Jill, and hopefully, we can have you back another time. You're great.


Jill Loesch  33:50

Yeah. Thank you. I would love that.

SEL in Elementary

SEL in elementary

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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!

first year teaching STEM

My First Year Teaching STEM: What Surprised Me the Most [ep. 30]

My First Year Teaching STEM: What Surprised Me the Most [ep. 30]

first year teaching STEM

Check out the full episode on My First Year Teaching STEM: What Surprised Me the Most:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

While there are a lot of similarities between the general education classroom and the STEM classroom, there are a handful of things that surprised me during my first year teaching STEM. 

Whether you are currently a STEM teacher and this is your first year, or maybe you've been doing it for a while, or you're a classroom teacher who's trying to implement STEM, or maybe you're even a classroom teacher who is thinking about stepping into a STEM role, you will relate to many of the topics discussed in today’s episode. 

In this episode, I’m keeping it real and showing you the behind-the-scenes and the not so pretty behind-the-scenes of my first year of teaching STEM.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn four things that surprised me the most my first year of teaching STEM:

  • Sense of time and how it’s structured is different compared to teaching general education
  • Teaching STEM helps you grow your teaching abilities
  • You are an island, and it can be lonely
  • STEM is impactful but still very new, meaning there are limited resources and supports

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

I originally didn't go to college to become a STEM teacher. In fact, my major is in elementary education. Through my six years of teaching in the classroom, my experiences and passions led me to my K through five STEM teaching and coaching position. I eventually did go back and get my Master's in STEM Leadership and a STEM certificate while always continuing to refine my practice and learn more about this field. While there are a lot of similarities between the general education classroom and the STEM classroom, there are a handful of things that surprised me during my first year teaching STEM, which I will be sharing in today's episode. 


Naomi Meredith  00:40

Whether you are currently a STEM teacher and this is your first year, or maybe you've been doing it for a while, or you're a classroom teacher who's trying to implement STEM, or maybe you're even a classroom teacher who is thinking about stepping into a STEM role, I think you're gonna find a lot of things in this episode that will be relatable to you. I am definitely keeping it real and showing you the behind-the-scenes, not so pretty behind-the-scenes of my first year of teaching STEM. Also, in the end, you'll be hearing from other teachers who listen to this podcast, and they will be sharing how this show has been helpful to them. Make sure to listen all the way to the end for this special bonus. 


Naomi Meredith  01:53

What I realized right away during my first year teaching STEM is a sense of time is different. We always talk about as teachers how we never have enough time to do anything. Well, the same is true as a STEM teacher, just the way that time is structured, it's completely different. I remember my first few weeks and how fast the time went. I didn't get any lessons done. Let's be real, I had a hard time getting things done with my classes. What was really tricky is I only had kids three days out of the week, and it was the same kids three days in a row. But time went by so fast. The luxury of being a classroom teacher is you do have the same kids all day. The downfall is you do have the same kids all day. But you do have the same kids all day as a classroom teacher, and if you don't finish something in the morning, you can revisit it in the afternoon. As a STEM teacher, you typically don't have that luxury. You only have that short amount of time with them. Sometimes kids will even forget that even to this day. I still have kids who are confused about why we are cleaning up, and I can't let them build all day. I let them know, “I have three more classes who are coming to me, you have to put it away. I am so sorry. I'm so glad you're having a good time, but we have to clean up.” 


Naomi Meredith  03:15

Time goes by so fast in a different way. Even that time in between classes, you sometimes get a moment to catch your breath, but not all the time, and you have to gear yourself up for the next lesson. I'm always so sweaty at the end of the day. I used to wear super cute outfits and fancier shoes when I was a classroom teacher. Not to say I look terrible every day, but I pull out a lot more teacher tees and skirts and comfortable pants these days because I am up and down on the floor with K through five years running around all over the place. I even tell people teaching STEM is a lot like hosting a birthday party six times. You have to have the same amount of energy for all six classes and make the experience special and meaningful for every single one. So I am like the cool aunt who hosts special birthday parties all day, every day. 


Naomi Meredith  04:11

Something else when it comes to time, I was always stressed out about materials and making sure that everything was prepped and ready to go for every single class. I still get that sometimes when I am implementing brand new lessons or brand new tools that I have never tried before. I have really tried to develop systems and routines, which you hear about in all my other episodes, on how I can get kids to be independent when it comes to gathering their supplies while also being collaborative. I have moved things around in my room constantly to make sure they are at kid height, kid accessible, and that they can do the bulk of gathering materials, being successful during work time, and also putting them away independently. This has given me a little bit more breathing room in between classes. I definitely didn't have this figured out during my first year teaching STEM. So if you're feeling it, that's okay, you will get there. This is just part of the whole process of building your systems and routines. 


Naomi Meredith  05:12

Another big thing that I learned during my first year teaching STEM is that it helps you grow your teaching abilities. If you can teach K through five all day and have differentiated lessons for all of them while teaching, think about it, every single kid in the school, I really feel like you can teach anything. It's funny because when I first got into teaching, when I was deciding on my major, I was really in between elementary education and also early childhood. Well, you know, I went the Early Childhood route, but I really love the littles. I really see their creativity and all of their amazing ideas each and every day. Now, when I was a classroom teacher, I only taught second and third grade. When I got my third-grade role, I actually didn't apply for that job. I really wanted the Kindergarten job. Funny enough, when I walked into the interview room, I actually knew one of the girls in my interview completely by accident. That's actually not why I got the interview. I knew her, and she was on that third-grade team. So when it came down to it, she really wanted to work with me. I thought, “Okay, why not, I will take a risk. I need to change.” I ended up loving third grade and taught it for four years. 


Naomi Meredith  06:29

However, I still do love the littles. I also really appreciate the older students as well, and how deep we can go in the concepts. I really do love the variety of having all the grade levels and seeing that progression of learning, especially year after year. This has been really eye-opening. It really has been testing my differentiation skills when it comes to particular grades, but also being able to meet the needs of all of my students literally on the fly. Sometimes I will think of ideas right then and there, and it ends up working. Sometimes it doesn't. But being able to teach all the grades really tests and grows you as a teacher. If you are in a rut and you're thinking about getting into STEM, it is really hard at first. But also, it's really exciting because it is so different throughout the day when you have all of those different kids. The cool thing, too, that you don't always get as a classroom teacher is you do get the same kids every single year. Unless you are looping with your students, which I know some teachers do or some schools are really big on that, as a specials teacher, you do get the same kids year after year. I am in year five of knowing my fifth graders, so I have known them since first grade. They forget they have known me that long. I've basically been their only STEM teacher, so it's really cool to see all of the amazing things we have done together and how much deeper we can get into the projects. 


Naomi Meredith  07:54

I really do know those students, even though it is 45 minutes for five days in a row once a month. But really, knowing them over five years, it's pretty cool to see all the amazing things that they do and know their passions and different things that they want to try. Also, when it comes to testing your teaching abilities, not only do you have to differentiate for their students' needs, but also adjust to different teaching styles. Now you're not always teaching with the classroom teachers unless that is the role that you have, which I have had that role before. Also, you may be pushing into the classrooms and helping teachers implement STEM and technology and innovative in meaningful ways. But when you have all the kids come into your classroom, you can definitely see the different styles of teaching that the kids are used to with their homeroom teacher. 


Naomi Meredith  08:46

Some are more laid back about things. Some have more strict behavior management. Some are all about collaboration and creativity. Some where kids have to be silent and listen to the teacher all day. It's very interesting to see how kids will respond to your style, which I am all about being the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage, which the kids think I'm a little bit funny, not too funny. They're a little more impressed that I have a YouTube channel if anything else, but I'm really all about giving them the information right away and letting them run with it and attack the problems. Not all teachers have the same style as me. I thrive in this controlled chaos. So it really does, again, test your teaching abilities, being able to adjust to different classes and what they're used to with their homeroom or general education classroom teacher. 


Naomi Meredith  09:38

Another big thing when stepping into the first year of STEM is that you really are an island. Now, this can definitely be based on the school. I do have a team of specials teachers who are very sweet. They teach PE, art, and music. We do eat together, and we're able to talk about kids, but we're not really planning together all the time. There are moments when the art teacher and I might collaborate on some special projects. But it's way different than being a classroom teacher, where you have a team and you can even divvy up the work where you can talk about the curriculum. You can talk about the units, or you might even be able to switch kids based on differentiation. As a STEM teacher, you really are an island. Now, this really helps you be a self-starter and problem solver when it comes to building your curriculum, which can be super overwhelming. 


Naomi Meredith  10:32

I stepped into a classroom that was brand new and remodeled and had zero curriculum. There were some tools in there, but nothing else. So I loved this challenge because I love writing lessons and trying new ideas, which you can see in my whole year-long plan at naomimeredith.com/yearlongplan, and even get every single lesson that I teach to my students all packaged up together. So you don't have to do all that planning. But it was super overwhelming because I didn't know the kids. I didn't know what tools I was supposed to be using. So you really want to find your community, whether it's other STEM teachers in the community or even neighboring districts, you can join online groups, find me on Instagram at NaomiMeredith_, or even if you find friends who are online, you can join Facebook groups. I have one as well, the Elementary STEM Coach Facebook group, which will be linked in the show notes. But finding our people can really help you collaborate and not feel so alone because it can get kind of lonely. Even though you see hundreds of kids a day, you really are by yourself, and you're not always sure if your ideas are really good or not. So being able to talk to other adults can be really impactful. I learned that pretty quickly and reached out and have my STEM teacher besties, which of course, we heard from one and our first guest interview Jen Sevy, and I'm gonna have some of my other STEM teacher friends on future podcast episodes because it's so important to find your people, especially in the education space. 


Naomi Meredith  12:07

The fourth big thing that I learned during my first year teaching STEM is that STEM is super impactful, but it is still very new in the elementary STEM space. There are various perceptions as to what STEM should look like in the elementary space and even in your own building. I realized this very quickly. First of all, the kids were excited to come to my class., but it was rebranded, as you would say. It also depends on if you've had a STEM teacher or a similar role before. Kids will bring in their biases as well. For my older students, in my first year, not all of them actually really liked to build and be creative. They were so used to past teachers in this role telling them exactly what to do, and it had to look the same. There was not much creativity within that. Then they did coding all the time. So they had a different experience when it came to STEM. It really took a long time to help build their trust and to create an environment where they wanted to create and try something new while also having a growth mindset. I had a lot more buy-in with my little kids because they didn't really have much experience with that past teacher. So it will take time to build up those things with your kids. 


Naomi Meredith  13:28

If you're not finding success that first year or if things are failing more often than succeeding, keep going. You are not a failure. It does take time, you're building a program. It's like as a classroom teacher, you build the thing the whole year, you were building that community for 180 plus days. As a STEM teacher or specials teacher, if you have a unique role, your time is a lot shorter, and it can take years to get to this high-level place that you have in your mind, and you know the kids can do. Keep trying, keep building that community keeps instilling a growth mindset, it is worth it, I promise you. There are also some biases from the teachers in my building as well. Before my classroom was remodeled, it was actually a legit computer lab. A lot of teachers kept calling my class computers tech, which I am not the computer lab teacher or the tech teacher. The kids kept calling me the tech teacher. I'm like, “Okay, so we really are learning what STEM means.” 


Naomi Meredith  14:34

One fun way that I did this is I created something called STEM style. So again, building my brand as the STEM teacher in my building. We really talked about what STEM is and like, okay, well, this is STEM. I am not your tech teacher. I'm not your computer lab teacher, but you do have a STEM teacher. Tech is one of those things in STEM. But here's what the other letters mean. Here's how we're going to be doing them in this lesson. I always try to point out those things even to this day, in my fifth year teaching STEM. I tell them, “Oh, there's a lot of m in STEM. Today, we're doing a lot of math when it comes to our Maker money. So I will point out those things, and then they're like, “Oh, okay!” Sometimes they get a little frustrated with the math, but that's part of STEM.  I did something called STEM style. So we always talked about what STEM means. If kids wore shirts that represented STEM, science, technology, engineering, or math, I would take a picture, and it would go on my digital picture frame. I have all the pictures from the past five years of being in this role. There are hundreds and hundreds of pictures, and kids think if they stand there, they might see themselves. If they do, they're super lucky, and they should go to Vegas. I know they're not old enough, but that could be a lucky charm. But they get so excited. 


Naomi Meredith  15:46

It's really helped them build their vocabulary of how there are so many different avenues when it comes to STEM. Then now they're finally calling my class STEM, and I'm not the computer teacher or the tech teacher. I'm legit, the STEM teacher. Also, when it comes to the admin, there might be a lot of support when it comes to STEM, or there might not be. It could be that there's a lot of support, and they have no idea what you're talking about. So when you're thinking about your evaluations, or who your admin are, and the different people you're dealing with higher up really showing, explaining the reason why you are doing things. That is why planning with standards and using the Engineering Design Process is important because you're really building the backbone of what your lessons mean and the why behind that. When you're thinking about that differentiation and creating your year-long plan while there is a progression of learning, admins understand that they might not understand what coding is, or robotics, but they understand those things. So if you are being more thoughtful in your lessons, you're gonna have more buy-in for your program. You can really explain the why behind you're doing things. Of course, that is just a snapshot. 


Naomi Meredith  16:58

There is a lot of work to be had in the elementary STEM space, and that is a big reason why I created this podcast because, as of right now, there's not a whole lot out there. We need more voices to help make a positive difference in this STEM space. Sometimes for me, it can be a little bit awkward just talking into a microphone, and I don't always know who is listening and how this podcast is even helping. So I put out a call to action for this special 30th episode, where you could leave me a message on how the elementary STEM coach podcast has been impactful to you. You all stepped it up with your messages. They really put a big smile on my face. It continued to instill the drive in me to make a big impact in STEM education when it comes to Elementary in a positive way. So I want you to take a listen and hear all of these awesome words that you all had to say.


17:59

I love how Naomi gives such actionable tips. She doesn't just give you the theory and the why. But she gives you something that you can take back into your classroom and really make it your own, which is so helpful. The elementary STEM coach podcast has been a phenomenal resource for me. This is my first year teaching STEM. And it has been my go to and listening and learning the ins and outs of STEM. I get super excited when I see that a new episode comes out. And I can't wait to hear more.


18:40

Your Blog revives me Just when I think I don't have any more ideas. What can I do? You send me a an idea. And I get revived I think the wheels start spinning and I think I can do this like it had. So it's a jolt of creativity when I don't feel I have any. Thanks so much for sharing.


19:03

Hi Naomi. My name is Amber Fraser and I'm a first year STEM educator at Maplewood Elementary School. I teach Kindergarten through sixth grade and I can honestly say that you have given this first year teacher all of the tools that I need to be able to change the lives of my students every day. I can confidently say that work does not feel like work because of people like you and the resources that you've given us. And the confidence that you instill in each of us with the things that you share. You have changed my life and the lives of all of my students. Thank you so Naomi for all the to do.


19:36

Hi Meredith. My name is peg Volek and I teach in paracasei, Pennsylvania. This is my 31st year of teaching. And after 27 years in the classroom, I took on a role of a STEM and gifted support teacher. Your podcast has helped me with management. Because even though I've taught for so long, managing kids once a week, is a little bit different. It's a whole different world. Thank you so much for keeping it real, giving me good ideas and how to look ahead how to look at the whole scope and sequence that has been really helpful. If you can have any tips on how to make 45 minutes last forever, that'd be great. Because I feel like they forget everything from week to week. The least that's how it seems. I love listening to your podcast because your troubles are the same as mine, and it makes me feel like it's okay. It is the ways that the STEM world works. Thank you so much for your podcast. Look forward to the next episode. Thanks.


20:38

Hi, Naomi. My name is Katie. And I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this podcast with all of us, I transition from being a classroom teacher. Over the last Gosh, I've been a teacher for 12 years, and I've taught in a lot of different fifth and sixth grade classrooms, from teaching math, to social studies to English all over, you know, running the gamut. But I made a big jump this year to become a STEAM specialist in a three to five elementary school and I wasn't sure how it would feel about everything if I could handle it all. And I have loved it. And I have loved turning to your podcast, to feel less alone and to get advice on where to move forward. Thank you so much.


21:22

Hi, my name is Donna and I love the STEM coach Podcast. I'm new to STEM this year because I have a stim club for the first time. Some of my favorite things about the podcast are the one day challenges, some tips for management, like the tape around the popsicle sticks. That's my favorite, and all the great ideas for planning and lessons. Thanks for all the great ideas keep them coming. 


Speaker 8  21:46

Hi, I am a 15 year experience high school science teacher who now moved into a new role this school year at a K to eight, school. And my position is to help integrate STEAM into the fabric of our school. Your podcast has been so helpful for me in getting real tangible ideas of things to do as students as K to five is definitely not my area of expertise. And I really appreciated the concrete examples that you give and the resources that you share. It has probably saved me countless hours. Thank you.


22:31

I enjoy the STEM podcast, because it helps me find lessons specific to elementary STEM, which is really hard to find. It gives me lesson plans and different ideas on how to teach STEM.


22:49

Hi Naomi. This is Megan from West Virginia. This is my second year teaching STEAM. I travel between the three elementary schools in the county that I serve. And I listen to your podcasts on the way to give me ideas and be able to keep my mind on new STEAM ideas while I travel between the schools. Thanks so much for all your ideas. You were one of the first people I found when I started this new job after changing over from being a second-grade teacher for multiple years.


Naomi Meredith  23:19

Thank you to all of you who took a moment to record these again. They mean the world to me, you can actually leave me a voice message anytime. Whether it's a question you have that you want me to answer on the show, something you're wondering, or if you want to say thank you, feel free to record me a message. It's super easy to do, you can just go to this link, Naomi meredith.com/voice. And it's also always linked in the show notes. Thank you so much and can't believe we made it to Episode 30. What an exciting celebration! I will talk to you soon.

first year teaching STEM

 

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!

examples-of-student-learning-outcomes

What are examples of Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) in STEM? [ep. 29]

What are examples of Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) in STEM?[ep. 29]

examples-of-student-learning-outcomes

Check out the full episode on What are Examples of Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) in STEM?:  

 

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

Writing a student learning outcome or SLO can be a little bit tricky, especially when you teach all the grades in the school K through five STEM and beyond.

You may be wondering, “Where do I even begin?” I felt the same exact way when I first became a STEM teacher.

If you are looking for examples of student learning outcomes, in today’s episode, I share three SLOs that I have written over the years that you can use for any grade and the type of evidence you need to collect to gather the data.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Using the Engineering Design Process as your base
  • Find ways that students can problem-solve and use resources
  • Use self-reflection as an assessment tool

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:54

Looking for ideas for student learning outcomes or SLOs in STEM? Based on my experience as an elementary STEM teacher, here are three examples of SLOs that have worked well in my classroom that you can use in yours. 


Naomi Meredith  01:39

This episode was inspired by common questions I was seeing in a Facebook group that I'm a part of. With that being said, I want to make sure that I am answering your specific questions and want to hear your voice, and literally, I want to hear your voice. I have set up a special message system where you can leave me an audio message, hit record, ask your question, and even have the chance to be featured on the podcast. I'll link this voice message system in the show notes for today and all future episodes. Can't wait to hear your messages and inspire future podcast episodes! Writing a student learning objective or SLO can be a little bit tricky, especially when you teach all the grades in the school K through five STEM and beyond. You may be wondering, “Where do I even begin?” I felt the same exact way. 


Naomi Meredith  02:32

Here are three SLOs that I have written over the years that you can use for any grade and the type of evidence that you need to collect so you can gather the data. Let's jump on in the first SLO that you can write. This SLO is all about the Engineering Design Process. If you've been listening to this podcast for a while now, there are quite a few episodes that go along with the Engineering Design Process. So those will all be linked in the show notes for you to go back and take a listen, so you can enhance this experience in your classroom and plan lessons that are designed around this process. There are even standards that go along with the Engineering Design Process for K through two and three through five. So this is a perfect connection when you are writing your SLO goals. 


Naomi Meredith  03:19

Here's how I wrote this SLO goal. Students will demonstrate growth when applying the Engineering Design Process by using self-assessment in a project. I created a self-assessment with my STEM PLC team. This was all wrapped around students being able to self-assess during each stage of the Engineering Design Process using a four-point scale. At the beginning of the project, they used this rubric to see where they were at in each stage of the Engineering Design Process. We did it in the middle of the project and also at the end. This same rubric was used for three different projects throughout the year so we could collect the growth on how they use the Engineering Design Process and how they applied it in a lot of different projects. This was also a great SLO goal to write because you really could use this for any grade level, and my PLC teammates and I didn't actually have the same projects going on. But we could compare similar data because we were using the same self-assessment and talking about how this was being applied and different types of projects. 


Naomi Meredith  04:28

Something that we noticed is that students' results were different based on the project. Some students were really strong at the Makerspace projects but oftentimes struggled when things were more digital, or vice versa. This was great evidence to see how we can improve our teaching, get better when using the Engineering Design Process, and the stages that we weren't hitting as well. This was a time when I actually started improving my planning stage because I would just say, “Okay, draw something.” So really refine my practice, and that has really been a great base for my teaching, understanding how students are able to understand the Engineering Design Process, how they're able to self-assess, and then, in turn, it really improved my teaching. If I wanted to, I could even use the same self-assessment on the teacher side, and students are rating themselves. Then on another sheet of paper, I could rate where I think they are at and then compare the data that way. Again, this would be a great start, especially K through five, and having it in a kid-friendly language would be very beneficial. It'd be really great to see that growth in how you use this process within your classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  05:41

The second SLO goal that I have written over the years is about how students are problem-solving and using their resources. This is the SLO that I wrote in my fourth year of teaching STEM because I had known the kids since it was their fourth year of me knowing them, and I wanted to see how they were using the resources that I was providing them to be successful. Here's how I wrote that goal. Students will be able to problem-solve and be independent in their work by using available resources and strategies. Just like anything that you teach as a teacher, you are going to build up resources and strategies for ways to attack a problem. This is a lot like when I was teaching writing as a classroom teacher. There were a lot of different strategies that I taught the kids, including going back and checking their work and checking their spelling. I did the same thing for math and for reading. Likewise, this is also very helpful in the STEM space for students to have go-to strategies when they get stuck during any type of project, but also providing resources that they can rely on that are project specific. 


Naomi Meredith  06:53

For example, I have go-to troubleshooting techniques that students can use when they are faced with a technology problem. Things like refreshing the page, restarting the device, closing out the tabs, and reopening them. Those are things that they can use all the time, no matter what website tool we are using. When it comes to specific materials, I will have specific rules and also tips, and tricks to help them use that resource. One way I have done this is with my Sphero sleds robotics unit, where I teach students how to use the robot and how to connect to it. But I go a little further than that. There is an anchor chart to remind students of key things that they need to press. There are also videos that they can scan with a QR code that they can rewatch if they are a little bit stuck. Students even have the strategy of asking three before me so that they can really work on their communication skills and ask for what they need. Instead of following me around like a baby duck and asking me for help with every single issue. 


Naomi Meredith  07:57

For this SLO goal, I wanted to see what strategies students are using and how many. So at the beginning of a project, I asked students the question, “When you are faced with a problem in STEM if you don't know the answer, what strategies do you use?” There were some kids who said nothing. Some kids did say ask three before me, some said to ask the teacher. A lot of them were actually teacher based ask the teacher, ask the teacher. Throughout the week, we were talking, and I was very specific about these strategies that I'm teaching you to help you be independent and problem-solve with this project. In the middle of the week, I had a check-in, and they had to write down the strategies that they might use. Then I would count how many, and then we also did this at the end, a lot like the Engineering Design Process goal. This was something that we did for different projects throughout the year. Then I could track their progress and how they were applying similar or different strategies based on the project. This was a really great one. Again, this was my fifth-grade students. But I recommend doing this with third through fifth grades to see what strategies they have been learning with you, how they're applying them, and then also how you can improve your teaching. So students are using those strategies that you're teaching them, and they can be successful. 


Naomi Meredith  08:28

The third SLO goal that you can write for your classroom is all about self-reflection. You may have noticed all of these goals are centered around the student and how they can really have their metacognition or thinking about their thinking and really be reflective on their experience. I am there as their guide on the side. I'm not their sage on the stage. My goal is to help students build those soft skills in my classroom. It's really not about the cool tools. None of my goals are about how to use a robot. Some kids might be successful, some might not. But the goal is, “Are they problem-solving? Are they collaborating? Are they critical thinking?” So really think about how these goals that you're writing can work with multiple projects throughout the year so that they're really dealing with those soft skills. For this goal for self-reflection, I wrote it as students will be able to improve and reflect on their work by using self-assessment tools. The longer that I have been in this position, the more I realize sometimes students have a hard time going back and improving their work. They finish it, they are one and done, and they're ready to move on. But we, now as inventors, as engineers, as problem solvers, that we're always going to go back and improve, and everything can be improved. 


Naomi Meredith  09:45

Practice makes better, not perfect, perfect doesn't exist, is one of the growth mindset things that I tell kids. So it really is a practice to help kids self-reflect and be thoughtful when they are creating. Some ways that I can collect data on this goal is by using self-assessment checklists that are related specifically to the project, and peer feedback, so they can compare their answers to others based on the work that they have provided. I can even assess them using that same reflection checklist as well. Rubrics are another great way for students to self-assess if they are written in kid-friendly language. Back in episode 26, I talked about how I plan a STEM lesson, and there was a part where I talked about how I structured a rubric for students that are in kid-friendly language and how you can do that on a four-point scale that can be effective when you are grading and also when students are reflecting on the work. Another way that students can reflect is by having the same questions that are used throughout the year. So students are used to these types of questions since their questions will change. When you're collecting evidence, you can use evidence from all these rubrics, maybe you count up how many responses they get, especially if you have a rubric. This would be really helpful because you can base it on the number of points that they get or the overall score. 


Naomi Meredith  11:08

As a recap, here are the three different examples of SLO goals that you can write for your STEM classroom. First is using the Engineering Design Process as your base. Next, find ways that students can problem solve and use those resources. Third, using self-reflection as an assessment tool. I hope this helps you think about the lessons that you are teaching throughout the year so you can gather data no matter what project that you are using and you can see that growth in your students, even if you see them for a short amount of time. As a reminder, don't forget to leave me a voice message. I would love to hear your questions or comments and how I can best serve you on this podcast.

examples-of-student-learning-outcomes

 

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!

teach-digital-citizenship-in-the-classroom

How Do You Teach Digital Citizenship in the Classroom? [ep. 28]

How Do You Teach Digital Citizenship in the Classroom? [ep. 28]

teach-digital-citizenship-in-the-classroom

Check out the full episode on How Do You Teach Digital Citizenship in the Classroom:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

Digital citizenship is an important topic to discuss with students of all ages, even in the elementary classroom.

With a world of technology constantly growing, we need to equip our students better to be able to adapt and respond online when different situations arise.

In today's episode, I'll be sharing with you how to teach digital citizenship in the classroom with a STEM twist. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Google’s Be Internet Awesome Resources
  • BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr.
  • Common Sense Media digital citizenship lessons
  • Digital citizenship books
  • STEM challenges to highlight these concepts

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

Digital citizenship is an important topic to discuss with students of all ages, even in the elementary classroom. With a world of technology constantly growing, we need to better equip our students to be able to adapt and respond online when different situations arise. In today's episode, I'll be sharing with you how to teach digital citizenship in the classroom with a STEM twist. 


Naomi Meredith  00:25

During the month of October, there is an official digital citizenship week. If you are listening or watching this in real-time, this week is October 17-21, 2022. This episode is coming out just in time for that. Likewise, I want to make sure that you download the free guide I put together for you when organizing all of your digital citizenship resources. This is a breakdown of how I use the resources in my K through five STEM classes throughout the week that I'll be talking about in this episode. You can grab the free download at naomimeredith.com/digitalcitizenguide. 


Naomi Meredith  01:06

Yes, there is a digital citizenship week. This is a topic that should be talked about year after year and throughout the entire school year. Some of my students come in, and they're all, “why are we talking about digital citizenship again?” Well, I tell them the same thing I just told you. This is something that is not going away, how to interact online. We need to be prepared for those situations and not be blindsided when something happens. We know how to be prepared upfront during the situation and even after. So let's dive into those resources that you can implement in your classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  01:45

The first one is Google’s Be Internet Awesome Resources and Interland. Over the past five years, these resources have really blown up. You can see why once you go and check out this free resource for teachers. It is geared towards grades third through middle school. It is an amazing resource that adds gamification to the lessons that you'll teach in your classroom. This is an awesome addition that they've added to these lessons within the past couple of years, as they have created Pear Decks to make the slides interactive with your students. Not only are the slides created, but they have specific questions where students can collaborate and respond and share the responses. I am so glad for this update because when I first used these lessons, when I first started teaching STEM, I was trying to make them interactive in my own way and creating Google forums for all the different discussion questions and scenarios that they have for each of the topics. Now it is so much easier with these Google Slides and Pear Decks that you can bring this experience to life within your classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  02:54

During the pandemic, I used these slides online, and it was perfect because students were at home and they were able to interact with me using these slides. I know some of you still teach online, do I definitely recommend this resource if you teach those grades that I mentioned. Something that I also like to do when I use this resource and the other ones that I'm talking about is I will supplement with other videos that are related to the topics that they're talking about. For example, one of the lessons is about sharing information, and they talk about AI-Artificial Intelligence. I found a video on YouTube that is quick and to the point and helps students understand the very basics of what AI is and how we use it in our everyday lives. Also, the biggest draw to this Google the internet awesome is Interland. My students are absolutely obsessed with playing this. Since I've had the kids now in my fifth year of STEM, the little kids are, oh, I've seen my siblings play this at home, which is awesome. I am so glad that they are practicing their digital citizenship at home through the games that are on this platform. This game doesn't require a login or anything for you to set up. Students' scores won't be saved after they play, so something to keep in mind when you're using this tool in your classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  04:17

The second resource that I love to use when teaching digital citizenship in the classroom are the videos and resources on BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. Some of the videos offered are free, and hopefully, your school purchases this subscription for you because there's a lot of great content for all subjects. BrainPOP is constantly researching and improving its videos to make sure that they are relevant to what we're teaching our students, and they have definitely stepped up the game when it comes to digital citizenship resources to share with your students. A lot of these videos I will pair with the Google Be Internet Awesome lessons and the other ones that I'm going to talk about in just a bit. Not only are the videos engaging and amazing, as we know that BrainPOP is, but I definitely recommend checking out on the side of the videos all of the activities and resources that you can do as a whole class, or you can even assign to students. This is a great way for students to reinforce those skills in an interactive way, and it's already done for you. Definitely check those out with any BrainPOP video because it's worth your time, and they really try to make these engaging for your kids. 


Naomi Meredith  05:32

The third great resource to use in your classroom and teaching digital citizenship is the Common Sense Media  Digital Citizenship lessons. These are always being researched and constantly updated to make sure that they are relevant, especially the lessons for primary students. They had things before where it was grouped K-5, but now, in the past few years, they've broken down these lessons where it's specifically for Kinder, specifically for first, and so on. This is an amazing resource, and you can use all of these things. Like I said in that free guide, I have all of this organized for you. In the free guide, you can see a breakdown of my week, how I teach digital citizenship, and my K-five STEM space. So make sure to grab that free guide because this will help you make sense of all of this cool stuff. In the Common Sense Media lessons, there's way more than you can get through throughout the week. So if you are a classroom teacher, dive into these and go through them with your students because they have great lessons that you can talk about all year long. 


Naomi Meredith  06:40

For my K through two students, their absolute favorite is these little guys called the digital citizens. They are these little characters who have different physical features that are exaggerated to help students remember of the lessons that they're learning. For example, one of the characters' names is legs, and it has really, really long legs to help students remember to stand up to bullies online. There's another character who is literally a giant head with feet, and its name is head, as you guessed. Head's job is to help students remember to think about the lessons that they learned and be smart when they're online. A lot of the lessons that are linked for each grade level have different videos and songs that the kids can sing along with, and they absolutely love them. Secretly, I love them too. I start dancing along and singing because, as you know, as a special teacher, you teach things a lot. You start memorizing some of the stuff, so I start singing and dancing, and I get weird looks or laughs, or both. So definitely check those out. 


Naomi Meredith  07:48

They also have slides ready to go for your lessons and worksheets that you can pair with the lessons. For many of those worksheets, instead of printing them out, I put them in Seesaw for my students. I might even add in some interactive pieces so students can respond digitally, and I don't have to print out a ton of paper for them. This is especially helpful again if you teach all the students in your school that they have this right at their fingertips, unlimited colors, and they might be a little bit more engaged in the lesson. A little side tip about these lessons, they have some older videos that relate to digital citizens on their YouTube channel. So go and search on YouTube Digital Citizens Common Sense Media, and you will see some older videos that are still really awesome. You can fit them into what you're teaching for the week and all year long. 


Naomi Meredith  08:39

The fourth resource to use when teaching digital citizenship in your classroom is to check out some digital citizenship books. There are a lot more books being made about this topic to make this not as overwhelming for students but age-appropriate, and we know students K through five love hearing a good read-aloud. I talked about this in a past episode, but I highly recommend pre-recording yourself reading any picture books to your class, doing a screencast, or reading it on the computer. Bonus points if you do this at home and you have your little pets. But this will actually help you save time when you have limited time with your students. They can still see your face, and you can set up any materials that are needed for the lesson. There is a whole bunch of digital citizenship books out there, but here are the top ones that I love to use in my class that relate to the lessons that I am teaching that week for each grade level. These will all be linked in the show notes with all of their full titles and author names, so you don't have to pause and write these down. All of that work is going to be done for you. 


Naomi Meredith  09:46

For media balance, these books are really great: Good Night iPad Tek. It's spelled t-e-k, and the book is actually shaped like a giant tablet, which is super cute; If You Give a Mouse an iPad. This book is not written by the same author who wrote If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, but it has a similar style, and it is a little bit funnier too. For online privacy and sharing private and personal information, I really like reading Chicken Clicking and #Goldilocks: A Hashtag Cautionary Tale, or Being Kind and Sharing Information Online Nerdy Birdie is a great one, especially for those older students. There's a little bird and a vulture who are friends, and they like to tweet, literally tweet like tweeting birds, but also tweeting. So it's a cute little story. So definitely mix up these books throughout the week. But from there, I use these books, along with all the lessons that I'm talking to you about, for some STEM challenges that I created that go along with all of these lessons to make it more hands-on. If you're a specialist teacher, you're hoping that in the classrooms, they're talking about digital citizenship, and it's okay that you overlap some, but you also want to give the lessons your own STEM twist and do something that you know they're not doing in their homeroom classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  11:07

Here are the lessons that I like to use for K-five that integrate all of these topics and make it more hands-on and engaging in a different way. In Kindergarten, we talk about media balance. Students create their own balance using some simple supplies, including a clothing hanger, pipe cleaners, and small cups. We discuss what the word balance means. After they create their balance, they put different items in their balance to see which side weighs more than the other and test different materials to see how their balance will work. They also have a sort that I can do digital or paper, and they have different items that are screen-free or screen related. They have to sort the items to make sure that their paper and digital balance is well balanced. It also has different activities that they can refer to. For first grade, we talk about different types of websites that are out there because the internet is a huge, scary place. There are things that are green means go websites for a first-grade age, yellow means slow down for things that are meant for bigger kids, and red means stop which is for things that are meant for adults. We talk about these different kinds of websites. We even explore a few like the NASA kids website or the San Diego Zoo kids' live animal cameras. Then students create their own internet traffic light using construction paper or small cups. Then they have different types of websites or apps that are explained. We color each of those things together, and then they sort them on the internet traffic light using green, yellow, and red. 


Naomi Meredith  12:50

For second grade, we talk more about the information that is safe and not safe to share online, the private information that we need to keep to ourselves, and personal information that can be general and pretty much be true about anyone and that is generally safe for kids to share. We talk about different examples of those, and students will create their own paper laptop that shares their personal information that is safe to share. The ultimate goal for this little laptop is for the information to spin around, so it looks like the screen is actually changing. You get some really cute and interesting designs for what they think computers look like. Many of the kids like to draw the little keyboard, and they always write it in ABC order, which is so funny because keyboards aren't in ABC order, but they come up with some really cool designs. 


Naomi Meredith  13:42

For third grade, we talk about private and personal information in more detail. Students create a coding unplugged game where they have all of the safe personal information as game pieces and the general topics when it comes to private information that needs to be kept to themselves. They have a game board with different game variations that they can play to collect information before they get to the end. For fifth grade, I do the same project, but they have a different topic that they need to relate their creation too. They are taking on the role of a Digital Designer, and they create a sticker that will be shared with other kids their age to help remind them of the lessons that they learned about during the week. 


Naomi Meredith  14:25

For fourth grade, their sticker is for talking about ways that they can be kind online, and I make sure that my students' stickers don't say Be Kind online. Instead, I have them put what they can do to be kind online. Likewise, the fifth-grade stickers are about online privacy and safety, and the different types of things they should look for and not fall for. I have students create their stickers digitally using Google drawings. You could use a similar platform, but they have that one-page digital sheet in Google drawings where they create their digital sticker, and it can be shared digitally. Or if you have a machine that can cut out items, like a Cricut machine, I have students share their design with me in a Google forum that has all the different colors of sticker paper, their name, and what color sticker paper they would like. I end up actually cutting out their sticker design that is from that Google drawing in the Cricut platform. I have found having students create this way instead of creating within the Cricut program has been a great way to integrate this lower cost tool in the classroom because that way, I don't have to create a Cricut account for all of my students. They also get the benefit of learning how to use Google tools when it comes to digital design. You can use similar platforms like Adobe Spark, Canva, or PowerPoint. My students have Google accounts, so that's what has worked best in my classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  15:50

As a recap, here are ways to teach digital citizenship in your classroom. First is Google's Be Internet Awesome resources. Next are BrainPOP and BrainPOP, Jr. Third are the Common Sense Media digital citizenship lessons. Fourth, integrate digital citizenship books, and the fifth, STEM challenges to highlight those concepts. I know that this seems like a lot, and it's a lot of great resources to tackle. That's why I have that free guide for you that you can download to see how I structure my week integrating all of these resources within my K through five STEM spaces. You can grab that free download in the show notes, or you can also grab it using this direct link naomimeredith.com/digitalcitizenguide

teach-digital-citizenship-in-the-classroom

teach-digital-citizenship-in-the-classroom

 

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!

how to write a STEM lesson plan

How to Write a STEM Lesson Plan [ep. 26]

How to Write a STEM Lesson Plan [ep. 26]

how to write a STEM lesson plan

Check out the full episode on How to Write a STEM Lesson Plan:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

 

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

Episode Summary

When writing a sound lesson plan, there are a lot of components you want to make sure you include, such as the standards, resources, and what students will be creating.

There is a lot to think about.

In this episode, I give you a behind-the-scenes look into how to write your STEM lesson plan from start to finish and help you improve the experiences in your classroom.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How to thoughtfully plan lesson plans
  • How to create lesson plans rooted in the standards
  • My process for planning multi-day lessons

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

When writing a sound lesson plan, there are a lot of components you want to make sure you include, such as the standards, resources, and what students will be creating. There is a lot to think about. In this episode, I will be giving you a behind-the-scenes look into how to write your STEM lesson plan from start to finish and help you improve the experiences in your classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  00:55

Okay, I have a confession to make. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to STEM lessons is when teachers just throw out their robots, Legos, coding, or whatever STEM tool without any real purpose in mind. Yes, the kids are having a good time, but just using STEM tools doesn't necessarily mean that it is a STEM lesson. Don't get me wrong, STEM is supposed to be fun and engaging. But if we want to level up these lessons and have students use higher level thinking skills, the four C's using standards-based learning, we really have to be more thoughtful with our planning. Likewise, if we are creating or teaching well-thought-out lessons, then there will be a change in perception among teachers in your building and teachers in general as to what STEM education means in the elementary space. In turn, people who are not in education are also going to have a different perception as well. Yes, kids are purposely playing, but what is the real goal that you have in mind? So really take a step back and think about those lessons that you're teaching and how those are creating authentic, real-world connections. 


Naomi Meredith  02:19

If you're curious to learn more about what I believe STEM education means and the elementary space, go back all the way to episode two, and you can hear my thoughts about this and help you build up your perception and beliefs of what STEM means as well. Okay, off my soapbox. Let's dive into this episode and how we can really help you thoughtfully plan those lessons so that there are deeper connections. They are rooted in standards and really help students make those authentic, real-world connections. Throughout this episode, I will be breaking down the process that I use when planning a multi-day lesson. Knowing the structure is important if you see kids all five days in a row. If you're a classroom teacher or a STEM teacher and see kids once a week, this structure can definitely be modified for when you see kids and how to have these meaningful lessons in your classroom. To help you bring this planning process to life, I will be pairing it with a real-life lesson that I teach my third graders. 


Naomi Meredith  03:27

In this lesson, students are taking on the role of paleontologists and telling the story of a living thing that is now fossilized based on the evidence found. I use the Engineering Design Process to plan, but you can definitely modify this same structure if you use a different process, such as the launch cycle, design thinking, or project-based learning. I also use a template for my multi-day project. So there builds consistency for me as a person planning the lessons, but also for my students as well. They are used to a specific structure, and they can be more confident using the Engineering Design Process. But the tools, strategies, skills, standards, and connections will change year after year, lesson by lesson, unit by unit. 


Naomi Meredith  04:17

First, when I am creating my lesson, I work on developing the ask. What is the problem students are going to be solving or the question that they are going to be answering? You can have students help you develop this question based on the time that you have with students. Or you can have this pre-written, so you know the end goal that students are going to get throughout this project. Before I get to developing the ask, I already have gone through the brainstorming process. So I am at a place where I do know what I want students to do. I'm really going to dive into the research behind creating this whole lesson plan. If you want to hear more about my brainstorming process and how I got out here, make sure to go back and listen to episode 24. I break down where I gather ideas and really go down through the line and get to where I am today getting into the lesson. I like to plan my units in my classroom around a theme. My K through five themes is all about STEM careers and animation techniques. Each grade level will have their own way to animate its designs while rooting it in standards and STEM skills. 


Naomi Meredith  05:31

Developing the ask actually takes me a lot more time than you think that it would because this is my North Star, it is my compass and base for the entire lesson. I really look at the wording of the standards to help me write this ask. Also, keep it very open-ended. When I am writing this question, I don't start with “Can you,” because that really limits the question to have a yes or no response. Instead, I start my question off with, “How can you,” so there are multiple ways to solve the problem and think of a lot of different solutions to their designs and their creations. The standard that I am basing this whole project around is the NGSS standard 3-LS4-1. Here's what it says, “Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms in the environments in which they lived long ago.” This is the standard for third grade. That is why for this project, I thought it would tie in nicely with students taking on the role of a paleontologist and then using the evidence from the resources that I give them. They can infer and make connections as to what that living thing's life was like based on where the fossil was and the evidence that is surrounding it. 


Naomi Meredith  06:55

Now there are a lot of different ways that you can attack this standard. It definitely doesn't have to be STEM or stop motion. But this is how I am blending the two together, making sense of the standard and giving it my own STEM twist. So eventually, the ask that I came up with for this project that students will be answering along this whole week is how can you create a stop motion video to show how fossils have formed from living things long ago. I will be tying in other standards as it relates to Reading Informational Text writing, speaking and listening, producing short audio, and even some math where students have to count the number of frames that they are using in their video to make sure that it's not moving too quickly. All of those standards are part of my research as well. I'm not going to list all of those out here because of time, but just know that I'm using that NGSS standard as my big base. I am connecting in that ELA and maths standards as well. 


Naomi Meredith  08:01

Next is planning at the imagine and plan stage. Like with the standards, this stage takes me the second longest as well. I want to make sure that I am giving resources to my students that are really helping them answer this question and find the evidence and research that they need. So they can produce a script and a storyboard that will then help them create their props and then eventually have their whole stop motion animation video. Sometimes I even will write my own research for students, especially for the younger grades, because I will often find research that is so relevant to the standard, but the reading level is way beyond their grade level. So oftentimes, I will have to research many different things and then rewrite them in a way that will make sense for my younger students. Thankfully, for third grade and up, I can usually find things that work well that relate to the standards. 


Naomi Meredith  09:03

So using some of my favorite research websites and also epic books that have a great collection of things as well. So for this specific lesson, I found a lot of different resources that would be relevant for third graders to research how different fossils are found. It also gives them information on what the life of that fossil might have been like. Students will have to infer and add in their own information as well, to put it in a way that would make sense for a story, which eventually is their stop motion animation. I also like to include two to four video clips that we can watch together as a class at the beginning of the lesson to add to their knowledge and the science behind how a fossil is formed. Of course, my favorite go-to I always check out first is SciShow Kids, but sometimes I will find other resources that relate to the standard and also build that background knowledge. I also will create vocabulary that students will need to know that will be found in their research. Or they will also have to apply to the script and storyboard that they will end up writing some of those vocabulary words. Of course, I tell them what a paleontologist is and all the different types of fossils that they will be reading and exploring about. 


Naomi Meredith  10:23

When I create vocabulary, I like to have the word nice and bold at the top, write the definition in kid-friendly language and include a picture and maybe a little more about the picture to help them understand what those words mean and give them some context. For this planning stage, since students will be creating a video, this is a lot different than if students will be building a project where they might be planning through drawing and labeling. For this plan, they have a small graphic organizer where they can add three different examples of fossils that they have found through their research to help them gather ideas for their video. Eventually, they will be picking one of these examples where they will dive in deeper and create the story for the stop motion, the things that they're looking for in this lesson, and I really try to focus the resources that I'm giving kids are centered around these questions and pieces of evidence, type of fossils that they found about how old is the fossil? Where was it found? What do you think happened? Of course, in this project, and like other projects, my classroom students will be able to collaborate and work together to fill this out if they so choose. 


Naomi Meredith  11:41

I always give the option of independent work because some students sometimes just need that opportunity that students can work together to create this plan. They'll then move on to that create, experiment, and improve stage. During this create, experiment, and improve stage, specifically since they are creating a video, they do have a script where they need to plug in their information and sketch out what they hope to have their props do during their video. With any video and audio project that I do with my students, I always use a script. When I first started doing these types of projects, I didn't use a script. I noticed kids would get off track with their videos, and they would always say things like “like and subscribe.” They would definitely get off topic and not really zone in on what the project is asking and even miss a lot of important details. In fact, I will say writing the script and creating the props for this project for this stop motion animation takes a lot longer than the actual video production. 


Naomi Meredith  12:45

There is a whole lot of high-level learning when students are thinking about the story of how their props are going to move and connect to the words that they are going to say when it comes to the prop creation. To help save time, I give students the opportunity to create one page of the prompts on the computer, whether they use shape tools to create them or insert images. That way, they don't have to worry so much about the drawing, especially since they are making a stop motion video about fossils and things in the past, like dinosaurs, and all sorts of living things, which are very complicated to draw. So I make sure to include that part in the create stage where they don't have to be so stressed about the drawing part. They can have the props ready to go. Unless I'm planning, I also think about overall the types of materials I'm going to need, which grade levels are going to be working on specific projects, and how I'm going to store these projects. For this stop motion animation, I actually only use paper for the props. 


Naomi Meredith  13:48

Typically with stop motion animation, you might see 3D figures, clay, and playdough, which are excellent tools. However, when I'm thinking about how I have four third-grade classes, at least 25 students each, that is a lot of clay and playdough that my budget doesn't allow. So using paper is just as good. It can get the point across, and students can still create a stop motion animation. It's easy to store the materials when they're not in my classroom. So when you're doing that lesson planning, think about the tools that you have, how can you be creative with things that are easy to get to? Also, think about the tools when you're getting to that cleanup time. How long is it going to take students to clean up those materials and move on for the rest of the day? When I am lesson planning, I also like to include mentor examples and even non-examples for students to refer to when I am teaching them throughout the week, especially if this is a project I have never done with the kids before. I want to actually test out the script to see if it makes sense and find any holes and bugs that are missing before I actually teach it to the kids. 


Naomi Meredith  15:02

Of course, when you teach, things to come up, things are going to happen, and you're always going to have to modify. But actually, testing it out yourself is really helpful, especially when it comes to a video or animation. You can show kids your examples and talk about what went well and what are some other things I needed to work on. I will link in the show notes an example that I created for this stop motion video all about fossils, so you can get an idea of where this project is headed for students. Another thing that I like to do if projects are going well, and this is something that I would like to teach the following year, I will save a lot of their projects in my Google Drive, whether it is a link to the video or even the pictures that I take as well. This is helpful for me to show other students and future years of projects that were super successful. It also helps me reflect as a teacher. So when I'm planning for the next year, what are some things that I need to modify for the lesson to make them better? 


Naomi Meredith  16:05

Finally, I like to plan and think about ways how students are going to be sharing their work in a meaningful way and have an authentic audience. My favorite go-to tool is to use Seesaw K through five because it provides a variety of tools to have students share their voices. Students can write, draw, record, and even make videos of their responses, so they can definitely share in a way that works best for them. The cool thing about this project for this fossil's stop motion is students are creating a digital piece. Their peers can definitely see their work once we put it in Seesaw. With video projects, I also like to create a peer feedback rubric that is the same as the modification checklist or self-assessment rubric, it has the same qualification. So it's really good for kids to self-evaluate using this checklist and also for their peers to look for those same things as well. For this project, when I was creating the feedback checklist, I wanted to make sure to include things that were about the specific video editing. So did they take 30-plus pictures so that the video doesn't go too fast? Are their cameras still so that the light isn't flashing? Are those elements about this specific video I added to their checklist? But then I also made sure to include things that talk about the actual standard. Does your video actually tell the story of a fossil and what its life was like long ago and actually answer the question that we are looking for?


Naomi Meredith  17:43

 From there, I also create a student-friendly rubric that students can self-assess if they have time. Or I can use the same rubric as well. Years ago, I took a workshop about rubric writing. A thing that they mentioned when creating a rubric is to have the grade level expectations in the middle. So maybe it's a four-point rubric, you have the three as grade-level expectations, all written out in that kid-friendly language. Then you have the below-grade-level expectations like they're almost there, the twos have those all written out. But then the lowest, the one where they're missing things, is blank, where you can actually write in what they're missing, or students can write themselves what they're missing. Then the highest qualifier, the four, if they are beyond grade level, students can write what they did that is beyond grade level expectations. Or you can write about those things as well. Having a rubric cleaned out really helps you reflect as the teacher, especially for this project. I wanted to make sure that I am hitting all of those integrated standards, that I am providing the resources that make sense for this lesson, and that it really is answering that main NGSS standard. 

 

Naomi Meredith  18:58

So creating a rubric is super helpful. A lot of us are starting to have to add grades to our STEM space. So having this prepared ahead of time for your project can really help with your overall grading for your classroom. As you can see for this lesson, there is a lot of thoughtful planning when creating just one lesson for my third grade stop motion animation unit, all about them taking the role of the paleontologist and explaining the evidence behind why that fossil became the fossil that we have found today. I totally understand that this can be overwhelming going through this whole process K through five and having different units that are thoughtfully planned and standards-based. Lucky for you, I am obsessed with this stuff. I really do love lesson planning, and I just really love seeing the engagement in my students in my classroom and seeing how they're making all of these real-world connections. In fact, I have my ultimate STEM resource library membership that I would love for you to join. You can join one time for one annual fee or pay monthly, and you will get access to monthly themed lessons, but also the K through five core lessons that are planned with this structure so you can get some time back and not have to worry about every single grade level for every single unit. I hope that seeing this process has helped you rethink the way you're lesson planning and really thinking about all those connections you're making, tying them to standards, and bringing those authentic, real-world connections.

how to write a STEM lesson plan

how to write a STEM lesson plan

how to write a STEM lesson plan

 

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!

structure-a-stem-lesson

How Do You Structure a STEM Lesson? [ep. 25]

How Do You Structure a STEM Lesson? [ep. 25]

structure-a-stem-lesson

Check out the full episode on How Do You Structure a STEM Lesson?:  

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

With all the cool tools and resources out there, it's important to structure your STEM lesson so that it is rooted in standards but still engaging. 

In this episode, I will be sharing with you four different ways that you can plan and structure a STEM lesson and make it work for the time that you have in your classroom.

In this episode, you’ll learn four different ways that you can structure planning your STEM lessons:

  • Multi-day projects
  • Challenges of the day
  • STEM and stories
  • STEM stations

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

With all the cool tools and resources out there, it's important to structure your STEM lesson that is rooted in standards but still engaging. In this episode, I will be sharing with you four different ways that you can plan a STEM lesson and make it work for the time that you have in your classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  00:49

In the last episode, Episode 24, we talked about how to organize all of those ideas and lead up to the actual lesson planning for your STEM lessons. So make sure to go back and check that out because we are at the tail end of that episode and are now getting into how to dive into that planning. Also, if you're curious about how actually to plan your whole STEM scope and sequence, I also recommend checking out episode 14, where I go more into detail about that process. So how do you structure a STEM lesson? Here are four ways that you can structure your STEM lesson, and I know that you are going to find a way that works best for you. You may even try all four of these ideas. 


Naomi Meredith  01:37

First are multi-day projects. For this and all of the different ways to plan, I am going to be talking about how I use the Engineering Design Process as my base, especially when it comes to those multi-day projects. I am really zoning in on the Engineering Design Process. If that's a process that you're not using, this is when you can implement project-based learning, design thinking, the launch process, or even the scientific method, whatever method you are using for planning. This is when I think about those longer multi-day projects. When I'm thinking about multi-day projects, I'm thinking projects that will obviously last more than one day, about three to five days, and you have 40 minutes plus with your classes. I will definitely stretch out and use all of my days with my second and fifth graders and really dive into all of those stages of the Engineering Design Process. 


Naomi Meredith  02:37

For my first and Kindergarten students, I typically have their multi-day projects last about three days. Then I use the remaining two days of my week doing STEM stations, which is another way of planning. We're going to talk about this later in the episode. When working on multi-day projects, here is how I break up all of the stages of the Engineering Design Process. Day one is all about ask and imagine, so using all of those resources to build background and really dive into that S-the science part of the project. Day two is finishing up any imagining and zoning in on their plans, and being thoughtful with those plans. Then days three through five are all about creation, experimenting, and improving, which those stages go back and forth a lot. Then eventually sharing their work in a way that makes sense for that project. 


Naomi Meredith  03:31

I do see kids K through five, five days in a row, the same six classes throughout that same week. If you're a teacher who sees different classes every day, here's how I might split up your multi-day projects. Day one would be all about your asking, imagine. On day two, you could finish up the imagining stage, dive into the plan, and start to gather materials. Maybe you don't have them build quite yet because you probably don't have anywhere to store projects that are being built. Then the final week that they come, day three, or if you do want to carry it into day four, the kids are diving into the creation, experimenting, improving, and sharing piece. Again, remember to have smaller projects. This will also help kids get their buildings done a lot faster. If you are storing projects for more than one day, if the projects are smaller then you will have more ways to creatively store those projects. I know storage can be really tricky, especially when we're not always going into classrooms that were originally designed to be a STEM space. 


Naomi Meredith  04:39

Now multi-day projects might not work best for everybody, and that's okay. Sometimes your schedule is out of your control. So this is for my people who do see the kids one day a week, or if you need ideas for sub plans, if you have a weird week, if you do see kids once a week, one day, but then you see them again the rest of the week. So, for example, there was one year that I taught, and my schedule was a bit funky. On Mondays, I taught eight classes a day, I did say eight, for 35 to 40 minutes. I can't remember exactly. But I taught eight classes in a day, it was insane. Let me tell you, I was super sweaty at the end of the day, that was on Mondays. Tuesday, I was co-teaching with the classroom teachers to help them implement STEM and technology in their instruction. Then Wednesday through Friday, I had the same classes, my same six classes K through five, for three days in a row. 


Naomi Meredith  05:40

For my multi-day projects, I had to zone in, make them more simple, and even shorten some stages of the Engineering Design Process. I also, on those Mondays, didn't connect it with my Wednesday through Friday schedule because it wasn't always the same kids that lined up for that week. So I use this method of the challenge of the day on my Mondays, where it was a quick STEM lesson that had elements of the Engineering Design Process and still planned with standards. I would start and finish within that Monday. So that's all the time that we got. 


Naomi Meredith  06:17

So this brings me to my second way to structure your STEM lessons, and that is the challenge of the day. Like the name says, you are done with a challenge in one day. It has elements of the Engineering Design Process, so you can go through them very quickly or zone in on one or two of them. You are literally done in one day. Here are some examples of challenges of the day that I have done in those random one-day lessons. The year that I had that one day is when I did all of those Dot Day activities. They were quick, they were fun, and students were able to express their creativity, but they were complete in one day, which was perfect for Dot Day. If you're interested in hearing about the types of activities that I did for Dot Day, make sure to go back and listen to episode 16, where I give you five different STEM lessons that you can try in your classroom. Another great use of these one-day activities is to do those themed holiday lessons. At the time of this recording, I am in the middle of the fall, and I have five fall STEM activities that you could try in your classroom back in episode 23. Another great use of your challenge of the day is thinking about those quick STEM projects that are rooted in standards that students can explore and zone in on those science topics. 


Naomi Meredith  07:42

I do take home STEM kits called STEM snack packs. These are quick challenges that families can do together and explore, or it could be a great option for the challenge of the day. If you really don't want to plan using the STEM snack pack models, then this could also be a great sub-plan. One of my lessons for this is the foil boat challenge. Students are given one large piece of foil, and they have to design a boat with just the foil. Then they test different objects to see how much they will weigh. So they make a hypothesis of how many of that same object they think their boat will hold, and then they try lots of different things within that boat. They can even calculate the weight of the items that it held. Things that you could put in your boat would be small marbles, LEGO bricks, popsicle sticks, or any tiny things that you might have laying around. You could find the weight of those things and help them do the calculations. So again, quick one-day activities where it really is a challenge of the day. 


Naomi Meredith  08:46

The third way that you can structure your STEM lessons, it's very similar to the challenge of the day, but that is STEM and stories. This one is definitely a favorite for when I have sub plans. If you're a library specialist who is implementing STEM, this is definitely for you. Of course, read the story to your students, and if you are short on time, I recommend you pre-record yourself reading the story. You could get an ebook version of the book and screen-record yourself reading it. It's even more fun if you're reading it at home with your pets or your children. I have my little dog Frederick when I do this, and the kids love it because I talk to him throughout the story.  The kids feel like they're at home with me, and they have that connection piece as well. If I am personally the one pre-reading the story, the students are just as engaged as they would be if I was reading it in person. 


Naomi Meredith  09:44

STEM and stories challenges allow me to gather any supplies that are needed. Also, when I have students who are coming in that have a hard time with transitions, they come in later in my lesson so that way I can chat with them and handle any of those situations. Once the story is over, all the kids are ready to go. I definitely recommend doing this. This is a great time-saving hack. STEM and stories lessons can last for one day, or you can also stretch it out to multiple days. One of my favorites is after reading the story, Not a Box, students will create a straw marble maze. I use Amazon cardboard as their base, and I have it pre-cut. The students use tape and straws to create the maze for their marble to travel through. You can experiment with different marbles, such as round marbles or marbles with a flat side, to see how it changes the pace of their game. 


Naomi Meredith  10:44

After listening to the story, on day one, students can create their straw cardboard maze. On the second day, they can do all of the math and peer reviews that go along with it. They can calculate how fast the marble goes through their maze. They can add points to their game, write the rules, and then have other people play their game and receive feedback on how the game went. This allows them to make modifications along the way. Just like any of these, you can always extend them further and add even more elements of STEM. STEM and stories are a great way to highlight those common core standards that go along with reading literature. Or you could even do a nonfiction text and really highlight their informational standards as well. 


Naomi Meredith  11:28

The fourth way that you can structure your STEM lesson planning is using STEM stations. During my first few years teaching STEM, I did STEM stations with K through five. This was a way for me to test out all the random supplies in my classroom, see what would work for different types of grade levels, and see my kids' skills and capabilities when it came to using different types of tools. Now while being in my fifth year teaching STEM, I have a pretty good grasp of what the capabilities are for all different grade levels. I only use some stations with K through one. Again, this isn't just a primary thing. I highly recommend using stations when you're short on time, so you can also test out all of those interesting tools. For most weeks, when I'm teaching Kindergarten and first grade, I will do a longer project that is three days or a smaller challenge of the day project around the same theme. The last two days are STEM stations. The way that I like to structure STEM stations, and that has worked best for time, is I have four stations, and students rotate through to a day. 


Naomi Meredith  12:41

So here's how I explain it to the kids, “Hold up two fingers on one hand, put up two fingers on the other hand. What is two plus two?” They usually can tell me four, and I'm all, “Great. We're going to do two today and two tomorrow. If you don't get to your favorites today, when are you going to do them?” They say tomorrow. So they understand that they will get through all the stations as long as they're at school and everybody's happy. I can get through explaining the lessons, often showing a short video that correlates with the science standard. They're able to do the first station, clean up, stand at their clean station, point to the next station they're going to, complete that station, clean up, and they are ready to go all in 45 minutes. Also, I don't throw out random things for the kids to do. I still plan everything with themes and with standards. Again, this does take careful planning, and you can pull out bits and pieces of the Engineering Design Process. 


Naomi Meredith  13:44

Now I told you I like to plan with four stations. So naturally, I plan each station that goes along with each letter of STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math. This also helps make sure that I am planning stations that have a variety of tasks for students to do, they are getting a well-balanced experience and their STEM station rotations. For example, here are the four stations that I used when I taught the sun, moon, and stars to first grade. We first started off with a related video with Sideshow kids. Then the science station was moon phase puzzles, where they had all of the different moon phases cut up, and then they put those puzzles back together and got to learn and recognize the details within each of those phases. The technology station was day and night coding where students used to Bee Bots or Blue Bots. They rolled a dice, and there were pictures on the grid that went to each of those things that can be seen during the day, night, or both. 


Naomi Meredith  14:44

The engineering station was some space inspiration. So students had LEGO bricks to build various things that go along with space and all those different images that were provided to them. If I want to mix it up with that space engineering board, I do have some flash cards I got from the Target dollar spot forever ago. They show real-life pictures of things that can be found in space and interesting facts on the back. I had both options for students, and they could choose what worked best for them. The math station was geoboard constellations, and students had different images of famous constellations that they could build using the geoboards and then check off on their laminated list of which constellations they were able to build during that time. Stations can have a little bit more prep work when it comes to supplies. But if you are teaching a lot of classes, it's definitely worth the time. Then you have the tools ready to go for many years to come, and the kids are even more engaged because they all go together and are planned around their standards and go along with that theme. 


Naomi Meredith  15:51

As a recap, here are the four different ways that you can structure planning your STEM lessons. First are multi-day projects. Next are the challenges of the day. Third are STEM and stories lessons, and the fourth is STEM stations. This episode is about finding a planning structure that will work best for you and really root your lessons in standards and research so that the experiences are super meaningful and you are digging into those experiences in your own STEM way. If you want lesson planning templates for this and really dive into structures and routines when it comes to planning and setting up your STEM space, I welcome you to join my course, STEM teacher 101, where I dive in deeper on all of these topics, give you templates and resources, a bonus community to chat with and you even get five PD credit hours that you can take in your own time and be the STEM superstar that you are.

structure-a-stem-lesson

structure-a-stem-lesson

 

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!

organize-my-stem-lesson-ideas

How Do I Organize All of My STEM Lesson Ideas? [ep. 24]

How Do I Organize All of My STEM Lesson Ideas? [ep. 24]

Organize my STEM Lesson Ideas

Check out the full episode on How Do I Organize All of My STEM Lesson Ideas:  

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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


Episode Summary

STEM lessons are so much fun to plan, but they can be overwhelming. There are so many cool lesson ideas out there.

But how do you organize them all, especially when you teach Kindergarten through fifth grade STEM? How do you even fit it all in?

In today's episode, I'll be sharing with you my system to organize all of your STEM lesson ideas and help you choose lessons that will work best for your STEM space. 

In this episode, you’ll learn four ways to help you plan and organize your STEM lesson ideas:

  • Brainstorm themes
  • Research standards
  • Plug your lesson ideas and standards into your year-long plan
  • Fine-tune your lessons

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

STEM lessons are so much fun to plan, but they can be overwhelming. There are so many cool ideas out there. But how do you organize them all, especially when you teach Kindergarten through fifth grade STEM? How do you even fit it all in? In today's episode, I'll be sharing with you my system to organize all your ideas and help you choose lessons that will work best for your STEM space. 


Naomi Meredith  00:56

I recently received an email from a fellow STEM teacher that inspired this episode, and I wanted to read that to you. “Hey, Naomi, I've been teaching STEM for a couple of years. My biggest challenge is being organized with all the resources I'm now finding more of, focusing on my plans for the year, and each grade is my biggest challenge. Doing themes would be ideal, but I seem to be all over the place. Any advice?” from Ban K. 


Naomi Meredith  01:24

Before I jump into my response, I want to make sure that I am best serving you with my podcast and answering your specific questions. I want to hear your voice. You are always welcome to email, but I also mean your literal voice. I have set up a special voice message system where you can leave me an audio message, hit record, ask your question, and even have the chance to be featured on the podcast. Think of it like one of those help columns that used to be in newspapers. You don't even have to use your real name if you don't want to. You can say things like struggling STEM teacher, or excited for STEM can be examples of names. I will link this voice message system in the show notes for today and all future episodes. I really can't wait to hear your messages and gain inspiration for future podcast episodes!


Naomi Meredith  02:27

Okay, back to the question from this email. I totally get it. I am definitely an ideas person. I am not one to be running out of ideas, whether it's podcast episodes, lesson plans, things to wear for my bachelorette party, you name it. I always have so many ideas swimming around in my head. If you want to get a peek inside of my brain, it's like when you have so many tabs open. I can only focus on one at a time. But I always have lots of things running in the background that I am constantly working on. I definitely understand how it can be overwhelming when you are seeing all of these cool ideas online, on social media, and in books, you read. You start wondering how you can organize all of these in a sequential way that makes sense for your STEM space so you're not just teaching a bunch of random stuff. 


Naomi Meredith  03:27

I'm going to be sharing with you my system for organizing all of these ideas and putting it all together so that it makes sense. There is a progression of learning. The first step is to brainstorm themes. This is the most fun part, and this is where you are going to start organizing all of those ideas. You don't need to be super specific about what the actual lesson looks like. This is all about getting it out of your head and putting it in a place where you can visually see what is going on. You can do this digitally or on paper. You can do it in any note tracking system like Google Keep or Trello, which is one of my favorites. But this is where you will brainstorm and add in all those ideas. You are going to organize these ideas somewhat so that when you get into the next stages of this system, it's going to make a lot more sense. You're going to set up a piece of paper, physical or digital, and each piece of paper is going to have a major STEM theme that you are planning for. You can definitely take a peek at my free K through five STEM year-long plan to give you some ideas and some major things that you definitely want to have in your STEM planning. 


Naomi Meredith  04:46

The themes that I am thinking of are coding, robotics, Makerspace, and 3D printing. You should have each of these listed on their own sheet of paper, and when you see ideas or you have ideas of your own, you learn something at a conference, you might even learn something from this podcast, add it to your brainstorm list and try to categorize them. This will actually help you visually see what types of lessons you have tons of ideas for and ones that you need more research on. Also, this will help you create a balance throughout your year, so you're not doing one or the other. You can create a whole bunch of experiences for your students. So this will be your first go to place to jot down any of those ideas, it doesn't mean you have to teach them. It's going to help you organize everything that's floating around in your head. 


Naomi Meredith  05:41

The next step is to dive in and do backward planning when it comes to standards research. When you think about it, your lessons really do need to be rooted in standards and have that connection to the NGSS or science standards in your state, Common Core, which includes English language, arts, math, and even those speaking and listening skills, along with the ISTE standards for students. Even if you want to think bigger and broader, the four C's, this is where you want to take a peek at your lessons and what types of lessons can really hit those standards. You might have to do some research on what would fit, what would not fit, and also which activities are more of a filler activity. There is nothing wrong with these types of STEM projects. They have a place for different situations. For example, I love those little filler activities, and so instead of me teaching those in the classroom, I see them as a great opportunity as sub plans for last-minute things when I am super sick and I have to pull that out. I also create take-home STEM kits, which I'm figuring out how to do an episode all about that. This is something that I'm actually experimenting with my own students right now. So it's definitely in beta mode. But think about how you can send home these ideas with students, where families can support them in this learning where it is more guided step by step and not as deep. So those filler activities definitely have a place, but they might not be with your really high-level instruction. 


Naomi Meredith  07:22

The standards research is going to help you pick and choose which lessons should be taught within your classroom. Also, when researching those standards, you might even see some common themes and standards that connect across the grade levels. For my video and audio production unit, I picked standards that went along with earth science and space science and how those all connected together within all the grade levels. Each grade level had its own video and audio production unit, and all the standards connected together, which made the planning a whole lot easier. I could see these connections as a teacher and also when I was creating those lessons for my students over the years to help them make those connections. So research those standards, get to know them, and put them in with that STEM twist. 


Naomi Meredith  08:18

Once you have researched those standards, it's time to plug them into your year-long plan. Back in episode 14, I talked about how to write your STEM year-long plan. So make sure to go and check that out that will really help you with this step. I dive more into detail right there. You have your brainstorm, you research the standards, then plug them in into your year-long plan where you can visually see that progression of learning that I was talking about. Again, this will also help you see the holes in what you're missing and where you might have to go back to that brainstorm stage and find lessons that will be high-level learning standards space that will work well within your classroom. You might have an idea of how you want to teach these lessons. But you don't have to be totally married to that right now. You are just plugging in those lessons and those standards to see where you need to fill in those holes. 


Naomi Meredith  09:17

Finally, step four is to really fine-tune those lessons and decide how you want to teach them. For all of my lessons throughout the whole entire school year, I use the Engineering Design Process as my base. I am always referring to this process and how it changes with all the different ways that we are creating and building to solve a problem that is always my base, every single unit from K through five. Now there are different ways that you can actually plan your lessons when it comes to the Engineering Design Process. So you can definitely mix this up for your students and make it work best for your classroom. First, we have the long-term projects that go into detail within Engineering Design Process. This will probably take about three to five days. 


Naomi Meredith  10:07

If you need help with the Engineering Design Process and you are unsure of what I am talking about or how you can actually plan using this, I have a whole bunch of episodes for you to go back and listen to. It starts with Episode 15, where I talk about what the Engineering Design Process is and how you can use it in your planning. From there, we skip ahead to Episodes 17 through 22, where I have a mini-series about each stage of the Engineering Design Process. Then it is finished off with a nice pretty bow with my first guest interview with one of my STEM teacher friends, and how she even does the Engineering Design Process with quick one-day challenges. Again, you don't have to plan with the Engineering Design Process, there definitely is a place for it within the K through five STEM space. There are actually standards that talk specifically about the Engineering Design Process when you go and take a peek at the Next Generation Science Standards. So you are backed up by standards, and you can definitely plan long-term projects. 


Naomi Meredith  11:10

Here are three other ways that you can plan your lessons. You can also think about how you want to integrate STEM stations. This is especially great when you only see kids once a week. You could do two stations per day. For week one, the kids could do two stations the following week. The students can do the last two stations, so you have four stations total, and maybe each one has a different part of the Engineering Design Process that is linked to the standards. Another way that I like to do stations is, especially with my younger students, Kindergarten through first grade, I might have a long-term project that lasts three days. I really zone in on those stages, and we get them done. The creation might even just take one day for my little babies. Then the last two days, I will have four stations. Again, they will do two stations one day and two stations the next day. Each station will go along with the theme for the week or that long-term project. Then each station hits a different letter of STEM. So one is the science station, one is technology, one is engineering, and one is math. So I have a whole balance of things. 


Naomi Meredith  12:20

Yes, it does take a bit more planning to have that variety of things for the little kids. If you have come from the classroom before being a STEM teacher, you know you need a lot of stuff for those little kids to keep them engaged and excited. It is definitely worth that extra planning, and you will have plenty to do for those little ones. Another way that you can plan is to have a challenge of the day. This could be related to a STEM book, fiction or nonfiction, or even thinking about those quick engineering design challenge sprint's that my good friend Jen Sevy discussed in her guest interview. There are four different ways that you could plan, which are multi-day projects, STEM stations, the challenge of the day, or planning them with STEM and stories. 


Naomi Meredith  13:06

As a recap, here is the structure you can use to help you plan and organize all of those ideas floating in your head and get them organized in a way that makes sense, which can eventually turn into your year-long plan, and then your standard-based lessons. First, brainstorm themes. Next, do your standards research. Third, plug them into your year-long plan. Fourth, fine-tune your lessons. Having plenty of ideas is definitely a good thing, and you have that growth mindset where you want to bring in all those awesome experiences for your students. However, you definitely want to organize them in a way that makes sense, so you're not just pulling out random STEM lessons, but instead, it all cohesively goes together, and you have a whole structure for all of those ideas. 


Naomi Meredith  13:59

In the next episode, we will actually be talking more in detail about those four different types of STEM lessons that I just mentioned. I think this will really help you when you get into that lesson planning stage and how you can make these experiences even more meaningful for your students. Also, don't forget to leave me a voice message using the link in the show notes. I definitely want to hear those questions. I think that'll be a really fun way for us to interact and have a community with this growing podcast.

Organize my STEM Lesson Ideas

Organize my STEM Lesson Ideas

 

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!

engineering-design-sprints

Engineering Design Sprints with Jen Sevy [ep. 22]

Engineering Design Sprints with Jen Sevy [ep. 22]

engineering-design-sprints

Check out the full episode on Engineering Design Sprints with Jen Sevy:  

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Episode Summary

Today’s episode is very special because I have my very first guest here on the Elementary STEM Coach Podcast. In this episode, I talk to Jen Sevy, a K through Five STEM teacher in Colorado. Jen shares with us how she implements engineering design sprints during her students' design challenges in a day. You're going to love her creative ideas for how she taught these quick one-day lessons using the Engineering Design Process, which are perfect if you see students once a week or if you need an extra boost in your sub plans. 

In this episode you’ll learn:

  • Jen's journey from classroom teacher to STEM teacher
  • How Jen came up with the idea for engineering design sprints and why she implements them in her classroom
  • Examples of engineering design sprints Jen has done with her students
  • Practical tips for incorporating engineering design sprints in your classroom

All About Jen

Jen Sevy has been teaching for 18 years. She taught third grade for eight years, then worked to earn her Masters in Technology Integration and moved into a position teaching Technology as part of the specials rotation at her school. For the last three years, she has been teaching STEM and has found her happy place! She loves anchoring everything she teaches with the Engineering Design Process and sees so much value in students understanding the process. Her goal for her students is to experience joy every day in her classroom.

Connect with her at: jsevy@cherrycreekschools.org

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

Today, I have my very first guest here on the Elementary STEM Coach Podcast. We are talking with Jen Sevy, a K through Five STEM teacher in Colorado. She is going to be sharing with you how she used the Engineering Design Process with her students' design challenges in a day. You're going to love her creative ideas for how she taught these quick one-day lessons that are perfect if you see students once a week or if you need an extra boost in your sub plans. Can't wait for you to hear this interview!  


Naomi Meredith  00:40

I am so excited to have our first guest here on the Elementary STEM Coach Podcast. I'm being so mindful of the people I'm having on the show to talk about their experiences, and I know that you'll love hearing what Jen has to say. I definitely have a growing list of guests that I would love to have on the show, so this is an exciting step here on the podcast. You are the very first guest here, so this is so monumental. I've known Jen for about five years, and her school is only five minutes away from mine. The students from both of our schools feed into the same middle school and high school. I've had the pleasure of being on her STEM virtual PLC over the years, and she's definitely been a great help to me, especially when I was leaving the classroom and then transitioning into this new to me district and STEM. So I'm so excited to have you here today, Jen.


Jen Sevy  01:56

Yeah. Thanks for having me. It's exciting.


Naomi Meredith  01:59

Yeah, you're so sweet. Well, I know you, and I'll probably learn more when you introduce yourself. I know your position has evolved a lot as an educator, so just tell us about yourself, what your role has been in the past and what you teach now.


Jen Sevy  02:16

Sure. Well, I started out as a classroom teacher. I taught third grade for eight years, and then I decided to go back to get my master's. I knew I wanted to do something outside the scope of just a normal classroom, so I went ahead and got my master's in educational technology integration. I did that from Boise State, almost actually 10 years ago. While I was working on my master's, our principal was looking for somebody to take over the role of the technology specialist to teach technology as a specialist. She asked me to do it, and I was hesitant at first because I was really nervous to leave the classroom. She had to ask me twice, and I finally said yes. The second time she came back asking, at first, I said no, because I just was really, really unsure about doing it. But it turned out to be a great decision.  I taught technology separate from STEM. We actually had five specials at that time, so we had tech and STEM as separate things. But I had always worked with the STEM teacher pretty closely. We did a lot of projects, we kind of partnered up as this, we shared students, and they would see me and then see her, so that was great. Then a couple of years went by, and we ended up getting a bunch of money as a district as you know that we got to redesign our classrooms with these innovation spaces. So I got to sit on the committee that redid the building, and I was then moved into this amazing new space. It was right at the time when our school was shrinking a little bit, and we decided to combine STEM and technology into one specials.  So at that point, the teacher who had been teaching STEM, she and I kind of job shared. So she taught STEM for third through fifth, and I taught STEM for K through two. Then we were actually both instructional coaches, and we did that for a year or two. She ended up going back to the classroom, and I took over STEM full-time. So now I teach STEM K through five. I see kids for a week at a time, 45 minutes a day, and I love it. This is my third year teaching STEM. My first year full time doing it was during COVID, which was crazy. But yeah, now we're back to normal, and life is good. It's a good time in the STEM classroom.


Naomi Meredith  04:30

I love how you have all these different experiences because I feel like all your experiences are similar to those in the STEM space. I know people who teach STEM full time, do coaching, or are technology teachers who want to do part of STEM. I feel like you have such a well-rounded experience when it comes to your teaching and being in the classroom, which helps so much, too, so you can see all the perspectives.


Jen Sevy  04:55

Yeah, for sure. I never pictured myself here when I decided to be a teacher. I thought I'd be in the classroom until I retired. I'm so glad that my educational journey has taken me this way because it's super fun.


Naomi Meredith  05:07

Was that a hard transition to get into STEM from Tech? Or was it easy for you?


Jen Sevy  05:14

It was easier moving from tech to STEM than it was from the classroom to technology. I think, just because I really got used to looking at what we were doing more as like a project-based, and you know, shorter time periods. A  lot of what I did in tech was similar in that I did use Engineering Design Process already. Just the projects were completely computer-based when I was doing that.


Naomi Meredith  05:40

Well, it shows that you're a really good teacher because you can literally teach anything, Jen.


Jen Sevy  05:45

I don't know about that. But sure, we'll go with that.


Naomi Meredith  05:47

Yeah, you could teach anything. So when I was in your classroom a couple of weeks ago, we hosted a little training together, which was so sweet, and it was so fun. But you had hula hoops hanging from your ceiling. I know everybody was asking you about the hula hoops. You were starting to explain to me that you had these Engineering Design Process sprints, and I was like, “I need to have you on this podcast.” I think teachers are going to love hearing about this, whether they teach STEM five days a week or once a week. So you have to tell us all about these. Where did you get the idea? Why are you doing this? Like, tell us all about it because I'm so obsessed.


Jen Sevy  06:32

Well, actually, it kind of happened, as I like to tell my students, from a failure that I think I had last year. I had been planning all these great activities and units for my fourth graders. It was almost halfway through the school year, and I was like, “Oh my goodness, like we have been doing a lot of computer-based stuff,” which, as we just talked about, is my background. When we were in COVID, it was I didn't do a whole lot of the hands-on because we couldn't share materials. It was a lot of computer-based stuff, so I was kind of kicking myself. I'm like, “How are my fourth graders, they've been on the computer a ton?” So I was very intentional about “Okay, we are going to start off the year with zero tech. It's going to be all hands-on, simple materials. What can that look like?”  At the same time, last year, I also focused on the Engineering Design Process, majorly. My main professional goal for the year was to get kids interested in and understand the different steps of the Engineering Design Process. So funny enough, in talking to our PE teacher at my school, we were sharing ideas. She was like, “If you want the kids to learn this process, you should write a song or like a chant or something that would be catchy that they could really, you know, grab a hold of.” I was like, love the idea. Also, I'm sure someone else has already done that. So I went online, and I found this amazing guy named Baba Bomani. He has written this song, it's Engineering Design Process. It's a rap. It's super catchy and super cute.  He goes through all the steps of the Engineering Design Process. I was even more excited when I saw that he had done a music video for it with a class full of students. They have a little dance that goes with it. So for each step of the design process, there's a little dance move that goes with it. So I started teaching that to all my classes last year. I'm like, okay, so this year, we're going to do a hybrid year: I'm going to start out, we're going to remind ourselves every day, for a week, when kids would come in, we would start out with the song and doing the little dance moves with it, which they love and is so fun. Then so, what I did was I'm calling the unit design challenge in a day. Each day we would work through all of the steps of the design process at a rapid pace, just super quick, and they would have a simple challenge that they'd have to work through.  They'd have to go through all the steps of thinking, you know, here's my challenge, here's my question, and I'm going to imagine it and plan it out. I'm going to create it, test it and then improve it. It turned out really cool. The Hula Hoops were a major talking point. All the kids in every grade were like, “What's up with the hula hoops hanging from the ceiling?” I told them it's for fourth grade, which then kids are like, oh, you know, I'm not in fourth grade yet. Or, dang it, we didn't do that last year when I was in fourth grade. It was pretty cute. But the hula hoops were one of the one-day design challenges, and it was building a paper airplane that you could toss through the hula hoop from eight feet away was ultimately the challenge. 


Naomi Meredith  09:39

Oh, yeah, that's far. 


Jen Sevy  09:40

Yeah, well, it actually is far. I was testing it, of course, because I'm like, can I even do this? I marked spots on the floor. So the first one was about three feet out. The second one was eight feet, and then the last one was about 11 feet. The kids would stand at the markers, and they started the three feet, and if they could successfully throw it through, then they would back up. The middle marker was our eight feet, so that was ultimately the goal. If they could do that, then they would back up, which was fun. But it was really neat. Some kids had built paper airplanes before, and some hadn't. So they could either test out their own idea or build something they've done. I also let them get out the iPad, and they could search for different design ideas on the iPad, which was really cool. It was chaotic and crazy but so much fun. You've never seen kids so excited to go back and improve their design than when their paper planes didn't go through the hula hoop. They couldn't wait to go back and fix it up.


Naomi Meredith  10:35

Did they try different types of paper, or did they have a specific kind? Like, are they testing how different papers flew?


Jen Sevy  10:42

No, they didn't. Actually, now that you say that, that's a really good idea. I just had regular old plain copy paper. But that's a really cool idea to test out like construction paper. Yeah. I'll put that on my list for next year because that'd be a really great question to see if they could figure out which kind of paper flew best.


Naomi Meredith  11:01

I tried paper airplanes during COVID. There was a class that went remote last minute, and I thought, well, yeah, paper airplanes. Oh, it was so chaotic online. I, like, physically couldn't help them, and I felt so bad. Like, this is too hard. I'm like, It's okay, guys. Keep going. I don't know what else to say. You're online, I'm here. You're there. I don't know. So that's great you could do that in person with the kids.


Jen Sevy  11:25

For sure. For sure. It's crazy the things you don't think about that they need direct instruction on, like how to make a tight crease on paper, right? things pop up, and you have to be ready. 


Naomi Meredith  11:34

Like a life skill? 


Jen Sevy  11:36

For sure. 


Naomi Meredith  11:38

Did each grade each day have different challenges? Or did you overlap any of them? Or did you do something different?


Jen Sevy  11:48

Yeah, so it was just fourth grade that worked their way through this. The other grades were still doing Engineering Design Process stuff, but the design sprints were just for fourth grade. The fifth graders, I felt like, had a pretty good handle on it. Plus, I was starting out with 3D printing for them just for ease of getting things printed throughout the year. I did focus on the Engineering Design Process with every grade. So every grade did start out with their little song and dance each day. The fourth grade I just focused on primarily because I wanted to be very intentional, knowing that I felt like that was an area that I had lacked in the year before, and wanting to make sure I'm super intentional with fourth grade getting hands-on and building things. So each day, fourth grade had a different challenge.


Naomi Meredith  12:28

Okay, so they had airplanes. Then what were the other ones that they did?


Jen Sevy  12:34

One day, they started out with paper airplanes. There was a day when they got to come in and build a building using only paper and masking tape that had to withstand a fan being blown directly on it. That one was hilarious, and really, it was cool. The things that popped up were great because the conversations we had, I think, really helped with some critical thinking because there were some groups that were building things. Other groups were like, well, that's not a building. Like that's just a pile of paper all balled up. Right. So then we had to get into what defines a building in this situation. They had one that was to build the longest paper chain, you know, when you cut strips, yeah, and loop them together, the longest paper chain using only a single sheet of construction paper.  That was one of my other favorites because while the paper planes were an individual activity, this was a group effort. I made sure to focus on that as it was more collaborative. It was really cool to watch the kids have to figure out what everyone's role would be. They were like, “You're going to be the cutter, you're going to be the taper, I'm going to be like in charge of the wall, or whatever they would do.” So the collaboration and the strategies they developed were really cool to see. I would always give them the planning part was really fast. It wasn't anything that was in-depth every day because we didn't have a ton of time. Most days, the planning phase was just, I'm going to set a timer for three minutes, and you're going to talk to the people in your group that whole time. What's your strategy, come up with your plan. So yeah, so that was when we also did cup stacking. They had 20 plastic cups, and they had to build the tallest tower that they could. So a little bit of friendly competition there with that one and the paper chain. So that was pretty fun.


Naomi Meredith  14:21

I love that. Those are really good. In a way, you were probably teaching the four C's along with the engineering design. So you really had a creativity day with the buildings like maybe let's go, here's what a building could look like. That's a little bit of a two, like, buildings can look ugly, but if they are more beautiful, people really like them. 


Jen Sevy  14:43

Exactly. 


Naomi Meredith  14:45

So you really had a lot of those four C's. And I love how you talked about planning and how you had kids talk about planning because I think teachers think planning always has to be drawing and labeling, which is important, but it just depends on the day. I actually talked about that in one of our past episodes. It's all about planning for the engineering design. I definitely have done that, like kids talking through it and verbalizing because that's an important skill. Also, being able to articulate your thoughts, and you might not have paper in front of you. So figuring out how you can explain it in a way that would make sense. So that's really good that you did that with your kids.


Jen Sevy  15:22

Yeah, thanks. Yeah, it turned out really well. It's really neat to see, especially again, coming back from COVID. I don't know if you've noticed this, but one thing I've seen with my students for sure is they're struggling a little bit to be able to collaborate and work together. I mean, give direct instructions on how to work with a partner, like this is how you take turns, this is how, when there's a disagreement, how you can talk it out and figure out, you know, how you're going to move forward. So it was good to have them working in groups like that, where they get that practice.


Naomi Meredith  15:55

Oh, yeah, we're definitely like, we teach all these cool skills, but really STEM, when it comes down to it, we're all about those soft skills. The tools are going to change. You used paper and tape, and the kids were super engaged. But really, they're working on, like, the skills that are going to carry them throughout life. I have seen the same thing, like being very intentional about how to talk to each other and what is appropriate and not appropriate. Like, we don't just say, “Help me, help me help me.” Explain what you specifically need help with. So yeah, all those communication skills are so important, especially when they're face-to-face. It's like, whoa, so much happened, like, the past couple of years? Like, I'm so glad you're at school because we can definitely work through these things together.


Jen Sevy  16:38

Right? Exactly, exactly. I was gonna say the competition aspect of it led to a lot of good reflections from kids too. When we did the paper chain, there was a clear winner there, with one of those chains being longer than everyone else's. It was still great to honor everyone's process and talk through their process. Each group would share individually what they did that they found worked well and what possibly hindered their progress. It was neat to see that and, honestly, having a table group that had been the quote winners. It was neat to see everybody really listen to that table. I feel like more than anybody else. In the end, they were willing to hear it.  Instead of telling the other groups who lost that they got the wrong answer and trying to show them the correct way to do it.  The winning group shared the strategies that their group used that worked really well for them. So it was awesome to see the respect and the other groups listening to them.


Naomi Meredith  17:35

That's really good. We're any kids frustrated since the time was shorter? Were there any kids complaining about not getting enough time? Or were they okay with it? 


Jen Sevy  17:45

They were okay with it. Most days with the paper chains, I think I gave them about 20 minutes, which is a long time. But most groups still could have produced more after that time. I'm also famous for putting up a timer on our projector. I just will go to YouTube and type in 20-minute timer, and there are crazy timers out there. There are some that look like little bombs going to explode when the timer goes off. Some of them are happy and cheerful. I always put one up on my whiteboard, and it's huge. So there's no question that they know exactly how much time they have left. That really kind of put a kibosh on anyone saying they need more time. I never got any of that because they knew exactly how much time they had the entire time.


Naomi Meredith  18:27

Okay, good. Because yeah, I get kids who I use a timer with also. When I tell them it's clean-up time, I still get kids that say they need more time. I remind them that they have to leave and they're not here forever. My favorite timer is Classroom Screen. Have you used Classroom Screen?


Jen Sevy  18:43

You showed that to me last year! Yes, I have used that where you can have it on there at the same time, right?


Naomi Meredith  18:49

Yeah. I get scared of the YouTube ones because sometimes I don't personally like the sound. I get scared. Oh my gosh, I'm like really startled, and then the kids start laughing at me.


Jen Sevy  19:03

I learned which ones have crazy alarms at the end. I usually will run up to the computer and pause it right when it has one second left. So they know, but then there hasn't been some crazy siren blaring because nobody likes that.


Naomi Meredith  19:17

So how did you get the ideas for these challenges? Were there specific resources you used? Or were they lessons you've done in the past that you pulled out? Because these would make good STEM sub plants for teachers, too, if they're looking for things to do in a day.


Jen Sevy  19:31

That's actually a really good point. I hadn't thought about that either, making it a little emergency binder or folder to pull from. Every teacher should have an emergency binder or folder they can pull out when something happens, and they don't have the capacity to write those awesome plans. No, I actually just went online, searched around for some ideas, and then modified some of the ones that were there. I also looked for ideas using materials that I had plenty of on hand because some of them would be there. They were simple and required basic materials like paper, tape, and plastic cups. 


Naomi Meredith  20:07

I think that's so good for the kids to see that you can create complicated things out of very limited materials, which is such a good way to start off the year because it's not all robots or coding. You can use paper, tape, and glue to create a giant chain.


Jen Sevy  20:26

Right? Yep, absolutely. It was cool to see. I mean, again, back to those little skills like the folding of paper. I have perfected the art of teaching children how to tear tape because they would say, “Well, we get paper and tape, what about scissors?” I would say, “Those aren't on our supply list.” They would respond, “Well, how are we supposed to cut the tape?” And I'm like, “You're not. You're supposed to tear it.” So I have completely perfected how to if you ever need advice on how to teach kids to tear tape. I'm your girl.


Naomi Meredith  20:52

What do you say? Yeah, what do you say to that? What's your advice? You're leaving me hanging.


Jen Sevy  20:57

I know, right? You pinch it with both hands. Then, after you're pinching it, one hand goes forward, one hand goes backward, done. I mean, as long as it's masking tape, it'll rip easily. So even practicing in the air, one hand goes forward, and one hand goes backward.


Naomi Meredith  21:14

Okay, I'm gonna use that.


Jen Sevy  21:18

I mean, it's a silly thing, right? But it really can be cumbersome with kids trying to use tape when they're trying to cut it, and it's getting all stuck and all over. I mean, it's those quick little things that make life more manageable for sure. 


Naomi Meredith  21:30

Yeah, it's good. It's good all these things. I love all of this, and all the little skills that you're teaching kids it is so, so applicable. I know teachers are going to be so excited to try at least one, if not all, of these challenges. We'll definitely have to make sure to link these challenges in the show notes for teachers or list out the ideas so they can definitely do that in their classroom. I appreciate you being here so much. Where can people connect with you if they have any questions? Can they send you an email? Where would you like them to reach out?


Jen Sevy  22:02

Yeah, email is probably the best for sure. My email is jsevy@cherrycreekschools.org.


Naomi Meredith  22:12

Perfect. We'll link that for people as well. So if they're driving, they don't have to scramble and write that down. But thank you so much for your time. You're our great first guest, the first ever on the podcast. So this was monumental. 


Jen Sevy  22:28

Yeah. Well, thanks for having me.


Naomi Meredith  22:30

Yes, of course. We'll have to have you back because you're full of ideas, and I could just talk to you all day. Well, thank you so much again, and I'll chat with you soon.

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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!