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Why Classroom Teachers Make Great STEM Teachers [ep. 11]

Why Classroom Teachers Make Great STEM Teachers [ep. 11]

stem-teachers

Check out the full episode on Why Classroom Teachers Make Great STEM Teachers:  

 

Watch the video version of this episode here on YouTube:

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Episode Summary

Are you a former classroom teacher who has made the switch to a STEM teacher? 

Maybe you are thinking about switching to STEM, but you are unsure if you are qualified to teach STEM? 

Making a major change in the teaching world can be scary, especially when switching from general education to STEM teaching. 

In today's episode, I will be sharing with you why classroom teachers make great STEM teachers and how your past teaching experience is actually an asset in the STEM space. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How your past teaching experience is an asset in the STEM space
  • 3 reasons why classroom teachers make great STEM teachers
    • Classroom management experience
    • Skilled in lesson planning
    • Understand the classroom teacher’s perspective

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

00:00

Are you a former classroom teacher who has switched to the STEM space? Or maybe you are thinking about switching to STEM, but you are unsure that you are qualified for this position? I get it. Making a change in the teaching world can be scary, especially in a topic like STEM, which has abundant resources but really limited support for teachers. 


00:27

In today's episode, I will be sharing with you why classroom teachers make great STEM teachers and how your past experiences are an asset in the STEM space. 


01:10

Like many of you, I am also a former classroom teacher turned current K through five STEM teacher. I taught in the general education classroom for six years. My first two years were in second grade, and my next four were in third grade. I loved the classroom setting. In addition, I had the opportunity to attend many conferences in my area, including ITSE when they came to Denver and InnEdCo. With these experiences and other online trainings, I found a spark and passion for technology in STEM and hands-on learning. I also loved the school I was teaching at when I was teaching third grade. It was an amazing school, but sadly, my district didn't pay very well. I knew if I went to a neighboring district, I could teach third grade again but make significantly more. However, I was even more interested in having a STEM position and furthering my teaching career differently. Luckily for me, there was a position for a K through five STEM teacher. 


02:19

Today, I am here to tell you why your experience in the classroom is an asset in the STEM space. I am so grateful for my six years in the classroom before this STEM position because there are a lot of skills I don't think I would have gained without that prior experience. Now, if you aren't a former classroom teacher and you're listening to this, and you're sad that you don't have previous experience as a classroom teacher, don't worry. It is okay. I will say that many teachers I have talked to by email, through my online courses, and social media have been in the classroom before, and then they are thrown into this role of STEM. So, much like I was, I'm here to tell you that that experience is super valuable. 


02:19

If you go back to Episode One, I talked about my interview for the STEM position, how I thought I didn't even get the job, and how I was very sad about that. Well, here I am. I am a K through five STEM teacher. When I got this job, I got a newly remodeled classroom, a school and district that was new to me, and zero curriculum. I know how it can be very overwhelming to have this brand new experience. You may feel scared and like an impostor or think you're not qualified for this position. 


03:49

Here are three major reasons why your previous classroom teaching experience will help you when you step into a STEM role. First, when teaching in the general classroom before your STEM role, you have the power of your classroom management skills. This is an extreme asset that you will be so lucky that you have when you teach multiple classes a day. With your teaching background, you understand that structure, systems, and routines are important in your classroom setting. The same is true in the STEM special space. Even though it is a fun and amazing creative class, having those rules and routines will greatly improve your classroom's success. 


04:36

In my STEM teacher 101 Course, I share with you a checklist of ideas of things to go over with your K through five STEM classes that you'll enjoy implementing in your new position. Also, with your classroom management strategies and teaching experience, you understand that behavior management is extremely important. You understand the importance of building relationships with students, parent communication, and communication with the classroom teachers, which we'll talk about in a little bit. 


05:11

Back in Episode Eight, we talked about behavior management strategies. So go back and take a listen. With your experience, you will understand where I'm coming from. In addition to your prior experience, you know how to be flexible and adapt. We know in teaching that it can get crazy. It won't always go as planned, even if you have a plan. So you have to be creative and quick on your toes. Whether this comes to the lesson you're teaching, a fire drill that is happening, or you might have to write sub plans at the last minute, you have that experience that will be extremely helpful in your STEM space. You'll be so grateful for all those tips and tricks you've learned along the way that you can be successful in this new classroom setting. 


06:01

Another great benefit of being a classroom teacher before becoming a STEM teacher is you know how to lesson plan. I didn't realize how big of an asset this was until, again, I was given a classroom with a handful of tools and zero curriculum. Having a well-thought-out lesson plan that is aligned to standards is still important in the STEM space, and if you already know how to do it, you're going to be so grateful for all the different types of lesson plan templates and ideas that you have come up with over the years. Then, you can pull from that experience to help you plan your STEM lesson. 


06:39

Now, you might not have had the same amazing tools as before, but you have experience with lesson planning that will make a great and important impact on your students. You also understand what the flow of a lesson should be. So, instead of having kids run into your classroom and get started right away, you know the importance of having a short mini-lesson to teach the skills that students will be using in their lesson and giving students that independent work time with conferencing along the way. 


07:12

We will do future episodes about specific lesson planning, but you are way more prepared than you think. So trust your instincts and teaching skills, and remember that you are in this position for a reason. You have the skills it takes to be a STEM teacher. Along with that, you also know how to research ideas and collaborate with other teachers. I highly recommend reaching out to other STEM teachers in your district or neighboring districts. You can meet collaboratively to gather ideas and bounce things off one another. 


07:48

It can get a little lonely in the STEM space if you are the only STEM teacher in your building. Although I am the only STEM teacher in my building, I have an amazing team of other specialist teachers, but we do teach different subjects. We can help each other a little bit, but what we're doing is completely different. So it is a little tricky when it comes to wanting to bounce ideas off of each other. They're not always the go-to people for those specific lessons. If you can, reach out to other teachers in your district. I also recommend joining my free Facebook group, the Elementary STEM Coach group. I'll link that in the show notes. In my free Facebook group, you can chat with other teachers from all over the world and bounce off ideas in there. Also, in the STEM teacher one-on-one course, there's even a more private course, so you guys can talk about the things you're learning together and dive in deeper. 


08:42

The third way that classroom teachers make excellent STEM teachers is you understand a classroom teacher's viewpoint because you were one. I was very surprised by how fast the time went coming into the STEM space. I grew more of an appreciation for this specials teachers. You know that the time the kids are away in specials or whatever you call them, we call them specials in my school, but you know that time away is so sacred to you as a classroom teacher. So you, on the other side, understand where classroom teachers are coming from and how you can protect their time, engage your students and provide them the best experience, even though that time is super limited. 


09:31

You also understand how to talk to classroom teachers about specific academic or behavior needs. You know that time is really quick. You've been that classroom teacher dropping off your students. So you are on the other side now, so you know when you should talk to them immediately or discuss an issue with them later. It's having that partnership with the classroom teachers instead of being isolated part of the day. You have a full perspective of what the whole day as a teacher looks like since you've been a classroom teacher, and you know what's happening in specials. I feel like the conversations I have with specials teachers who were classroom teachers and those who have only been specialist teachers are completely different. It even impacts how we think about the schedules in the buildings and the different types of duties that we have outside of the classroom. It shifts your perspective, and it is a huge difference. So don't worry. You being in the classroom is definitely a good thing. 


10:33

Today was a quick episode but needed to help you stay encouraged and know that you are in the right place. You have that spark in you. STEM is the next path of your education journey, so don't get discouraged. You have the skills to do it, especially if you have already been hired. You have something in you that your hiring committee sees in you, and you are going in the right direction. 


11:01

Here's a recap of the three reasons why classroom teachers make great STEM teachers: you have classroom management experience, know how to lesson plan, and understand a classroom teacher's point of view. I am so grateful that I get to help support you with my podcast and provide various types of resources for you. This is why I am on a mission to help change STEM education. I would love to help you even further with my self-paced course, STEM teacher 101. Within this course, you will get access to a private community where you can chat with other STEM teachers who are also in the same position as you and dive deeper into certain topics. Also, you will receive the materials to help you build a strong foundation through your systems and routines in the STEM space, learn integrated planning models that can change the way you teach STEM, and bring higher-level thinking to your classroom. This will be all linked in the show notes for you, so you can check it out and join us today. Again, I am so glad that you are here. You are on the right path! I will chat with you in the next episode.

 

stem-teachers

stem-teachers

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

STEM Teacher Behavior Management Strategies [ep. 8]

I’m a new STEM Teacher, what should I focus on? [ep. 1]

For People Wondering “What Does a STEM Teacher Do?

How to Teach STEM During Back to School

Why You Need a Station Rotation in STEM

STEM Favorites that You’ll Enjoy: 

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!

technology-skills-for-elementary-students

Top 7 Technology Skills for Elementary Students [ep. 10]

Top 7 Technology Skills for Elementary Students [ep. 10]

technology-skills-for-elementary-students

Check out the full episode on the top 7 technology skills for elementary students:  

 

Watch the video version of this episode here on YouTube:

Episode Summary

Although most of our students are comfortable with technology, we still need to teach them rules and routines when it comes to using technology in the classroom.

What are the main technology rules and skills we should teach our elementary students?

In today’s episode, I will be sharing the top seven tech skills to teach your students, whether it is back to school, coming back from a long break, or your class is in need of a refresh.

In this episode, you’ll learn the top 7 technology skills for elementary students:

  • #1-Reviewing general technology rules
  • #2-Caring for your headphones
  • #3-Understanding schoolwide technology norms
  • #4-Being a problem solver and troubleshooting with technology
  • #5-Learning how to clean devices
  • #6-Knowing your username and password
  • #7-Logging into various platforms that will be used throughout the year

Resources Mentioned:

Free Technology Skills Badges & Mini Lesson

Classroom Rules for Technology 

Technology Troubleshooting Tips for Students

Episode Transcript: 

00:00

We all know by now that our students are comfortable with technology may be a little bit too comfortable. But, like everything we teach in our classrooms, we still need to set up those rules and routines regarding using technology. So, here are the top seven tech skills to focus on with your students, whether it is back to school, coming back from long breaks, or if your class needs a little bit of a refresh. 


00:31

I can't believe that we are already here on episode 10. I am just so excited about what this podcast has already grown into and all the positive feedback you have shared with me as listeners and people on social media. I knew this podcast was needed but didn't realize how needed it was. I am just so thankful for all of you that you are listening to me each week and letting me help you with your STEM routines in your classroom. With that, I wanted to read one of the reviews I received on Apple podcasts. I read these; they just light me up and help me keep going. So thank you so much to Bree Smith 13. Here's what Bree had to say, “Just what I needed. I am so excited about this podcast. I've seen Naomi speak at conferences and follow her on social media. She has wonderful ideas, tips, and resources for implementing STEM in a meaningful and purposeful way. Now, instead of having to spend all the time researching STEM ideas and lessons, I can just listen to your podcast on my way to work.” Thank you so much for this review! It means the world to me. If you want to share a review, go ahead and do that on your podcasting platform. I love to see what you guys think of the podcast. These reviews help other teachers like you find this because I know there are few elementary STEM podcasts. So we can reach more teachers, and I can help create content for exactly what you need. 


01:44

So let's dive into this episode. There is a purpose when using technology for academics, fun, and entertainment. Sometimes it's hard for our students to differentiate between the two. It doesn't always mean that their technology skills will always transfer to the classroom in those academic settings. They probably can learn all those academic skills more quickly, but we just can't assume that kids know how to use technology in school. These skills need to be reviewed and explicitly taught throughout the year so that students are using technology appropriately and for their intended purposes. 


03:25

This episode will be slightly different from the others; it will be more of a list style. If you read blogs, it's called a listicle. I'm not sure what it's called for a podcast, a podcast listicle, maybe a popsicle. I'm not sure, but in this episode, I will list seven skills you can teach your students. These would all be mini lessons to teach your class throughout the day or one a day, depending on the time you have with kids. Now, I created a freebie for this, and it is in my TPT shop completely free. Inside this freebie is a list of videos that I made. You can see my beautiful face and teach these mini lessons to your kids. You could show these videos to the kids, or you can watch them and teach them on your own. For each of those videos, there's a badge that you can print or share digitally with students to help them keep track of the lessons they have learned. There is also a little organizer, a little placeholder for those badges that kids can put in digitally or printed. This will help them remember the lessons and ensure they use technology appropriately in your classroom for success. 


04:40

The first tech skill you want to teach your kids is your basic technology rules in the classroom. Don't have more than 10 rules. Having more than 10 rules can be a lot for you and the students to remember. The rules should be your basic rules when using technology in the classroom, no matter what the tool is. So this can be things like we always carry devices with two hands. So that could be related to laptops or robots. I also like to include the rule we're respectful of everybody's work. This includes helping each other when you're working on the same device and commenting on other students' work. That's important as well, that digital citizenship piece. So think about the classroom rules you want to have in your classroom and teach those to your kids. 


05:26

In episode seven, I shared some Back to School activities you can use in your classroom. One of those was a fun activity that you can use to help review and teach the rules in your classroom. So if you haven't checked it out, go back and have a listen. This activity will make your rule reveal much more fun concerning this tech skill. This may or may not be a rule, but a general routine in your classroom is to show kids how to store and plug in the devices properly. Whatever they are using, kids need to have this responsibility in your classroom. I recommend giving students a number in your classroom that you can use for various activities and their devices. So just number kids one through 24 plus. That would be so nice to have a class of 24, right? But number them one through 24 plus and then have the devices go in that slot that matches with their number that can make things a lot easier whether you have the kids for specials or in your regular classroom. 


06:27

So teach the proper care of how to carry, store, and plug in those devices, whatever kind that you have. Also, make sure you're following any district or school guidelines. Our school computers have some little quirks to them when putting them away and the logging out process. Make sure to teach those to your kids as well. 


06:49

The second tech skill you want to share with students is taking care of their headphones and wrapping up the cords. Those cords, I don't know how many I have untangled over the years. Teaching the kids how to care for those headphones and cords is important. I have a couple of ways to store headphones in my STEM classroom, making it easy for the students to grab. I have those shoe organizers from Walmart or Amazon that have clear pockets. Once students wrap up the headphones, they can put them in the pocket. It's great because it's long, but it can fit the needs of all heights and students of all ages, which is great. I have some other headphones on this side that I just wrap up and put in gallon ziplock bags. These are just extra headphones from storage spaces; sometimes, students will leave fancy headphones behind. I will hold on to those first just in case a few students might need headphones in their classroom for the school year. 


07:51

A little tip, I know this isn't headphones, but I do have a bunch of computer mice with tails. That's what I call them, at least a bunch of computer mice with cords. I have another hanging shoe rack for the computer mice. Now, you're probably wondering why in the world I would have computer mice when I'm not even in a computer lab. I love having computer mice on hand because some students prefer using a mouse. I prefer using a mouse. So I completely understand that some students prefer it. This is especially true when we get into coding or 3D printing lessons. A computer mouse is a lot more efficient than a touchpad. So this is a great asset to have on hand. You could go out and purchase them or even reach out to local businesses if they have extra computer mice with the tails that they could donate to your classroom. So again, teach your students how to care for these things in your classroom and where to store them when they are finished. 


08:49

The third tech skill to teach your students is your school-wide norms when using technology in your building. This might be site-specific, and you probably want to modify the lesson I have linked in the freebie. What are your school's expectations when using technology in your school building? Is there a specific checkout system for that? Our kids bring the devices to and from school, or the students using devices from their classroom bring them into the STEM classroom. 


09:21

A big thing that I like to tell my students is that we're not changing the backgrounds. That is just so tempting for them. I know some teachers are okay with that. Now, you might be the technology lead in your building, just like I am. I'm our K through five STEM teacher, but I'm also our school-wide tech person. So whether that's your role or the tech teacher's role, think about those school-wide technology norms that all teachers follow so that you can relay that information to the students. 


09:58

The fourth tech skill you want to share with your students is troubleshooting tips and tricks that they can use. In general, with most pieces of technology, this is extremely helpful to teach all students instead of just having one or two tech experts in your classroom. I don't like having that role in a class because I think all students can learn. Some kids are more comfortable with technology, but these are all basic things that all kids should know, even teachers. So teach kids those basic skills like refreshing a page, closing a page out or closing something out when it doesn't work, turning something on and off, and unplugging and plugging back in a device. So it's those basic troubleshooting techniques that can work with most pieces of technology that are helpful to teach kids and keep referring to throughout the year. Whenever there's a technology problem in the classroom, instead of me touching on the issue, I always ask, “Well, what did you do? Talk me through the steps you took.” So if they didn't try anything, we could think of a solution to solve the problem. My role is to teach them how to troubleshoot these things, not just to be their superhero. I want to help kids troubleshoot those issues. So go through those things. You'll have to go through them all the time, but trust me, it will be so worth it throughout the year when you have kids who are problem solvers and not problem makers. 


11:30

The fifth technology skill you want to share with students is cleaning devices. Another important part of digital citizenship is ensuring that we care for those devices and use them the right way, but also clean them periodically so that they look good and are the best they can be. You could make a cleaning video with students and have this on your school-wide news. I've done that in the past. You can email the video to teachers, so everyone knows the proper cleaning methods for your school devices. When I have students come to STEM, I try my best to have kids help clean devices at the end of the week, so they're ready to go for the next group of kids. If they bring in their own devices from their classroom, they will also clean them with me. So again, this is a great skill to teach kids to keep your technology squeaky clean and looking good. 


12:28

The sixth tech skill to teach your kids is knowing their username and password. Depending on your school, there might be one username and password used for multiple platforms, or you might have a bunch of usernames and passwords for other platforms. Now, it's okay if they don't know all of them. That can be a lot, even as an adult. I have probably at least 100 usernames and passwords. They need to know how to get that information and type it correctly. As a STEM teacher, I don't hold on to all of the kids' usernames and passwords. I know this sounds very counterintuitive. However, my role is not to be the gatekeeper of knowledge. If I always have their usernames and passwords, they're always relying on me for that information. 


13:27

In episode nine, I talked about how I have students in grades second through fifth who bring their devices from their classroom. They use them so they can connect that the same device can do the same things that we do in STEM and their classroom. The big thing I tell kids and their teachers is that if they bring their device and still need support with their username and password, they need to get that information from their classroom. It's taken a lot of training in my school to ensure students have access to their usernames and passwords independently instead of relying on the teacher to pull those out for the kids. So this has helped students be independent and responsible for their username and password and know where to gather that information. Some classes have them taped in their pencil boxes, homework folders, or planners. Wherever that information is in their classroom, the classes will bring that in if needed, so I'm not the gatekeeper of all the knowledge. I just can't keep track of that information, so do what works best for you. Teaching kids their usernames and passwords and how to get that information and login will be a great success. 


14:52

The final tech skill to teach your students is how to log in. Now, you could make a separate badge for specific platforms you like using with kids. For example, I use Seesaw with all of my classes, so I might want to show them a couple of ways that we can log into Seesaw. You might use Google Classroom, Schoology, or epic books and make a separate badge for each platform. You can keep adding in badges throughout the year. Working on those systems and routines using those same tools repeatedly will help build the independence and responsibility of the students. I don't always expect kids to be the experts at logging into unique platforms, such as when we're using LEGO education tools or 3D printing. That will come with time. Instead, I want to be explicit in teaching those platforms that we will repeatedly use so that they know that's a resource they can get to and be successful for our projects.


15:57

Let's review the seven tech skills you want to teach your kids and be explicit about what we discussed in today's episode. Number one, going over those general technology rules. Number two, caring for your headphones. Number three is understanding school-wide technology norms. Number four, being a problem solver and troubleshooting with technology. Number five is learning how to clean devices. Number six is knowing your username and password and how to gather that information. Number seven, logging into various platforms that will be used consistently throughout the year. Of course, you can add in more skills, but these are the skills I have taught with my K through five STEM students throughout the years and when I have co-taught in their classrooms. You can refer back to these things and have that consistent language with kids so that they can be successful when using academic technology in your classroom. 


17:07

Also, don't forget to get the freebie for this episode. It can be found in my TPT shop using this link: Naomi meredith.com/tpttechskills. In this freebie, you can get all the badges that relate to the skills that we talked about in today's episode, video sample lessons of me teaching that you can share with your students or watch on the side and teach the lesson yourself, and a system where students can collect those badges either digitally or in the printed form. Thank you so much again for listening to today's episode! I can't wait to chat with you on the next one.

 

technology-skills-for-elementary-students

technology-skills-for-elementary-students

technology-skills-for-elementary-students

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-manage-transitions-in-the-classroom

How to Manage Transitions in the Classroom [ep. 9]

How to Manage Transitions in the Classroom [ep. 9]

how-to-manage-transitions-in-the-classroom

Check out the full episode on How to Manage Transitions in the Classroom:  

 

Watch the video version of the episode here on YouTube:

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

 

Episode Summary

Being a STEM teacher is so much fun, but going from teaching in a general education classroom to a STEM classroom usually means time goes by faster.

Your transitions between classes might only be a few minutes long or nonexistent. While you can't change the time that you are given, you can change how you use your time throughout the workday.

In this episode, I will be sharing with you strategies on how to manage your transitions in the classroom so you can accomplish what you have planned with your students and have those awesome STEM lessons. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Three strategies to help you manage your transitions in the classroom:

  • #1-Time management and boundaries as a teacher
  • #2-Setting up systems and routines
  • #3-Find ways to build student independence and responsibility

Resources Mentioned:

Design Your Digital Classroom Summit: Google Style

STEM & Makerspace Labels | 180+ Labels

Episode Transcript: 

00:00

Let's face it, being a STEM  teacher is so much fun, but you may have realized that compared to the general education classroom, time goes by even faster. Your transitions in between classes might only be a few minutes long or nonexistent. While you can't change the time that you are given, you can change how you use your time throughout the workday effectively.


00:26

 In this episode, I will be sharing with you strategies to help you manage your transitions throughout the day so you can accomplish what you have planned with students and have those awesome fantastic STEM lessons. 


00:48

Both behavior management and overall classroom management go hand in hand before even getting into the meat of your STEM lessons. Back in episode eight, we talked about behavior management in the classroom. If you haven't checked out episode 8, make sure to go back and watch or listen. 


01:29

Being a former classroom teacher myself, I was so surprised by how fast the time went in my classroom. I went from teaching third grade all day with all the subjects to being a K through Five STEM teacher teaching six classes a day, with only a few minutes in between each class to transition from one to the next. Everything flew by so fast, and I had no idea what had happened. 


01:59

Along the way, I have learned some tips and tricks and altered what I used in the general education classroom to make it work for the STEM space. Now, I am able to accomplish what I have planned for the most part in my K through Five STEM classroom. 


02:15

Here are three major tips that have helped me. I know that you're going to benefit from these tips, have an awesome year, and make what works best for you. 


02:25

The first tip for setting up effective transitions in the classroom begins with you as the teacher, and that is setting up your own time management and boundaries. I am a recovering yes person. I used to say yes to everything. I'm not saying that I am mean, but I have learned that saying no for myself is absolutely okay. So what do I mean by that? Well, first of all, I use my plan time to actually plan. I love chatting with people, don't get me wrong, I love my friends. I love getting to see everybody come through my room. 


03:04

Now, my planning time is so sacred to me. I use that time to research lessons that are coming up for the next unit, going through materials that I might need for a lesson, testing out robots, researching things, or planning my after school clubs. I'm really using that time to focus. 


03:24

With that, I am really lucky what time my planning time is in the day. Mine is first thing before I see any students. So I actually get to school really early before my contract time. That's just me. I'm not saying to do this. But I get to school really early. So the building is nice and quiet, and then it flows right into my planned time so I can get a big chunk of my work done. For me, at the end of the day, I am really brain dead. So at the end of the school day, I'm not as effective with my time. I will save things that I know I don't need a lot of brainpower for. Those first couple of hours of my day before I even teach kids, I get that stuff done so when it is the end of the day and the end of my contract hours, I can leave and feel successful for how I used my time.


04:12

When it comes to lesson planning, I really try to leverage digital tools in my classroom. No, the kids are not on technology all day, but I really try to think about how can I use technology to make my lesson planning and materials even easier. One tool that I love to use in my classroom is Seesaw. I use Seesaw K through Five to help students share what they're doing by taking videos, pictures, recording their voice and drawing what they are working on. This is also another great platform because I can share digital engineering design notebooks with them for each of the challenges and we will go through and work on those throughout the week. 


04:54

Another alternative, or one I might use sometimes as well, is Google Classroom which has a lot of similarities as Seesaw, but I feel like Seesaw in the STEM space can do a lot more since it has picture and video capabilities within the same platform. Another platform I also love to use when it comes to research is epic books. This is also a another free for teachers tool. I love using this because I can create collections with my students, share it with them digitally, and use it for each grade level. If you are going to use epic books with your students, create one class account and name all of the students in the epic books class with a number. So then you only have one class code to worry about. A lot of the classroom teachers have started using epic books as well, which is amazing. I don't use their class code. I just have students use my class code. It's a good skill for them to learn how to toggle between two different classes anyway. So that's my little hack if you want to try to use epic books in your classroom. 


06:02

Another boundary that I like to set in my classroom that has really helped with the transitions throughout the day is that the end of each class, I actually close my door. This is also partially a safety thing as well. I might need to go to the restroom in those couple minutes of time in between classes, so closing my door just ensures that I don't have students running into my room when I'm not there. There are lots of different materials that they can get into.  That way, if a class comes early, I still have that time to set up any last minute materials, change out what is on my screen and be ready to go as well. Sometimes you might also be speaking with another student for behavior, so just having your door closed can be really helpful. 


06:48

In episode one, we talked about things that you should work on when you're a STEM teacher. One of the main things we talked about was systems and routines. One of those routines is where do you want students to line up at the end of class. Now based on the layout of my building, what works with my classroom is I have kind of like a dead hallway right outside my door. I used to have students line up in my classroom against the shelves near the classroom door. However, this became a problem because when students needed to put their supplies and work away, the students who were all cleaned up were in the way so it just created a lot of chaos in traffic. 


07:25

Instead, I have students line up right outside my door in this dead hallway. There aren't any other classrooms right there, but they line up in this hallway, and they are ready to go for their teacher. They can be ready for the hallway, especially when I have an overlap of class, then the class who I just finished with is in the hallway and the new class can come right in. So this has really helped with the transitions, especially when teachers are early or late picking up the kids are in the hallway and they're ready to go. Really think about these time management hacks and different types of boundaries that you can set for yourself so that when you don't have students, you can really be productive in those pockets of time and not have to stress throughout the day because the bulk of your work is done. You have all these little tips and tricks to help you be productive. 


08:48

The second biggest thing to help you with the transitions in your classroom are your systems and routines. You are going to hear me talk about systems and routines all of the time because these are the backbone of my productivity in and outside of the classroom. I wouldn't say I'm the most clean person and if you know me, you know me. I am fairly organized when it comes to physical products and also digital things. This helps me do all the things as much as possible. The same is true in your classroom. 


10:09

In episode five, we talked about Makerspace organization. So even the way that you set up materials that are presented in your classroom can help prevent you from scrambling for projects. Once I have my Makerspace set up, I don't really touch it ever again. The only thing I have to do with my Makerspace is restock supplies when I receive them. So it is set up for the whole year. I can even pull out drawers for specific projects with specific things that kids might need. But this has really helped with those transition times where I'm not scrambling in my cabinets looking for specific things. I have everything out ready to go labeled with pictures and words. So being prepared even before the unit even happens, like a Makerspace, is extremely helpful along those same lines when you're thinking about planning your lessons. Yes, a Makerspace has a lot of materials, but think about your lessons going forward. How can you use the least amount of materials as possible? It eases up on your cleanup time with students and the amount of time you need to explain things for kids. Kids can be productive when they have to be creative with constraints, which is a really great challenge for them to learn. 


11:26

I like to give kids this example: when I bought my townhome years ago, I didn't have unlimited money or unlimited supplies to make it beautiful. I had to be creative with what I got. So that's a great lesson to teach kids. And again, it will really help with transition time. 


11:47

Also with those transitions, think about those routines in your classroom that will stay the same all year long. I have a lot of different units that I like to teach kids, which is the whole point of STEM: to expose them to lots of different areas of what STEM can be in their world. However, those routines that stay the same are how the kids enter my classroom and sit on the floor, how they go sit at their seats, how they gather supplies, and where supplies go at the end of class, and, of course, lining up. I keep these things the same throughout the year so we can be productive. The kids know what to expect in a general sense, and the only thing that is new that they have to worry about is the awesome lesson that they're going to attack. 


12:33

Finally, to help with the transitions in your classroom is how you can have students be responsible and independent within that time with you. You don't necessarily have to do classroom jobs. I know a lot of STEM teachers try implementing this in their room, which I think is amazing. For me that hasn't been super successful. I might have kids help me with specific projects for the time being, but as a whole, I really want students to be responsible within our space and create opportunities for them to be independent and have ownership over their work. So here are some ways that I like to do that. 


13:08

One big thing is to really keep my goals for my lesson at one or two things I want students to attain. It can get overwhelming in STEM very quickly and you will want to throw a lot at the kids. When you're throwing a lot at them, it's hard for them to manage what they really need to focus on. So when I have students at the beginning of class, we have our short mini lesson. I will show them the one or two things I really want them to focus on, review really quickly what we did the day before, if it's applicable, and then I'll go into our lesson and ask any questions. So keep that mini lesson really short. 


13:47

We can have future episodes about how I like to structure my STEM lesson and how I teach that. But for now, when you're thinking about how you are focusing your kids, and those transitions, have one to two goals in mind for that lesson. Also, for that student independence and responsibility, you want to have specific rules for specific materials. We've talked about this in past episodes as well. Again, a lot of these relate to each other. But if you have those specific things you want students to do when they're using materials like robots, for example, this is going to help students know how to use that tool successfully, and how to use it the right way so that other students in the future can use it and things aren't getting broken. 


14:32

Also think about things that students might be able to bring from the outside into your classroom to help with those transitions and the independence. My classroom, before it got remodeled, used to be a computer lab and there were a lot of desktop computers lining the classroom. Now I've told you before I was so lucky that when I got this job being a K through five STEM teacher, I was gifted a brand new classroom and a brand new job at the same time. I didn't have any computers left in my room once it was converted to a classroom. A way that I've been able to problem solve this, and it's actually worked really well with that independence, is students in second through fifth grade actually bring their devices from their classroom when they have STEM. We might use them, we might not, but it's really great to have kids bring those in, because they are used to logging into them. They know where their usernames and passwords are in their classroom. It subconsciously helps students connect that this same device that is used in STEM is the same one used in their classroom. These skills can actually transfer back and forth. STEM isn't really an isolated subject. It might feel that way, since they are going to a different location to learn the skills. This has just been a great little hack as well. 


15:47

Another thing that I like to do with the younger kids, and also the older ones, too, depending on what the project is, is I have a cart of iPads that I can use. You can use Kindles for the same thing. But I have a cart of iPads that I like to use when using Seesaw and specific apps that are related to maybe LEGO education or different coding apps or even robots. This has made logging in a lot easier when I use the iPads for Seesaw. With seesaw, you could use a QR code to quickly log in. This has also helped with that independence. If you can, try to use some tools that classroom teachers might be using because students might be familiar with those things back in their regular classroom. They can apply the skills in a new way. 


16:34

When I send my engineering design notebooks for the older kids, I like to share them in the form of Google slides through Seesaw. That way, students are still practicing their Google skills, but they're using it within the STEM space and they might actually learn something new that they can use back in their regular classroom. So really trying to make those connections within their other learning opportunities in your classroom can be so beneficial and really help with that transition time. This way you're not always reteaching something new. 


17:04

These transitions in your classroom are definitely going to take time as you figure out your students and how you like the flow of your classroom. These three major tips definitely are going to help set you up for success. If you are diligent with them, and really making them work for you, you are going to have even more time than you can ever imagine. 


17:27

So as a recap, here are those three big things that we talked about to help you with those classroom transitions: First, is time management and boundaries as a teacher. Next, is setting up those systems and routines. And third, find ways to build student independence and responsibility. Thank you so much again for listening to this episode. I can't wait to chat with you soon.

 

how-to-manage-transitions-in-the-classroom

how-to-manage-transitions-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!

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

STEM Teacher Behavior Management Strategies [ep.8 ]

STEM Teacher Behavior Management Strategies [ep. 8]

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

Check out the full episode on STEM Teacher Behavior Management Strategies:  

Watch the video version of the episode here on YouTube:

 

Episode Summary

As STEM teachers, we teach multiple classes daily, meaning we see, on average, 100 plus kids. In addition to incorporating STEM activities daily, we must also have behavior management strategies.

What are some of the best behavior management strategies for a STEM teacher?

In today's episode, I'll be sharing my top three STEM teacher behavior management strategies.

Whether you are a STEM teacher, classroom teacher, or library specialist, this episode will provide you with three behavior management strategies to implement with your students.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • My top three STEM behavior management strategies
      • Build relationships with the kids, their parents, and their teachers
      • Establish the class rules and goals
      • Create rules for specific materials
  • Examples of how I implement these strategies in my classroom

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

00:00

In my first year teaching STEM, I was the most nervous about behavior management. As a former classroom teacher of about 25 kids, I was now going to be teaching six different classes a day, which averaged to about 150 kids. That was a huge change. However, through my years in elementary STEM, I have found what works best with behavior management. Yes, you are a specialist teacher, but this is still extremely important, especially when you see that many kids in one day. In today's episode, I will share my top STEM teacher behavior management strategies. 


01:10

Before stepping into the STEM space, I was a classroom teacher for six years. Behavior management was a huge asset of mine and something really important to me. I knew that if I had a strong climate and culture in my classroom, including a strong system, routines, and behavior management strategies, the kids and I could do anything all year long. It came down to setting up those structures at the beginning of the year and being consistent throughout. 


01:41

That is the same for your role as a STEM teacher. However, just because you are in this special space doesn't mean you can put behavior management aside. In fact, if you are coming from the classroom, you know how important this is. You don't want to be sitting in your classroom as a teacher and get a phone call from specials that someone in your class isn't doing what they're supposed to do. 


02:05

As a specialist teacher, you shouldn't be doing that. Instead, you should be communicating with the classroom teachers. It's your role to have control of the classroom while still creating a meaningful and engaging experience for your students. Here are my three top tips for getting started in your classroom. You will find what works best with your management style and the kids you teach. If you are consistent and have these routines, you will have a more successful time with all of the future lessons you teach. 

 

02:41

First, you need to build those relationships with the kids. It doesn't matter where you teach; relationships are the biggest thing that you need to focus on. This is reiterated in the book, The Innovators Mindset by George C.  This is an excellent book. I highly recommend you read it or listen to the audio version like I did. In the book, he emphasizes building those relationships. I completely agree. That's probably the main reason why you got into teaching anyway. When it comes down to it, build those relationships with the kids. Now it is a bit different since you're not a homeroom teacher per se. There are a lot of creative ways that you can do this. Now, it is pretty cool when you are a specialist teacher, and you see the kids yearly because you see growth in the kids. You have that special bond that a classroom teacher might not have unless they live with their kids. So the first thing is to engage with the kids. When you have those other outside duties, whether it's door duty, bus duty, or crosswalk, engage with those kids and get to know them. You probably will see the same kids at the same time of the day. So really build those relationships outside of your STEM space. That is a great way to interact with many kids at once. 


04:04

Another big thing when you're ready to work up to that is after school clubs. I've always been obsessed with school clubs also as a classroom teacher. This was another great way to build relationships with kids and work on passions that they enjoy and passions I like. So we had a common interest. Having after school clubs is an awesome way to engage with kids, try new things and do things that are engaging but not always academic. Now we will be talking about after school clubs and future episodes, but just keep in mind that after school clubs are a great way to engage with kids. 


04:42

Another fun way that I like to build relationships with my students in my classroom is the STEM style. In Episode Four, STEM survival camp, I mentioned STEM style. It is a quick thing I do when kids have a shirt representing science, technology, engineering, or Math. I'll take a quick picture and put it on my digital picture frame. It feeds through all the pictures that I have ever taken. It's fun when kids see their past selves from a few years ago or their friends in another class. Then, they must guess how their shirt connects with science, technology, engineering, and math. It's so cute because when the kids have STEM, they also start wearing the shirts. I have some of these shirts too. It's a great talking point and gets them to think about STEM differently. 


05:31

Reaching out to parents can look a lot different in the specials role, but it still is important that my teammates and I, the other specialists and teachers, reach out to parents. We have a collaborative team newsletter. We do a simple set of Google Slides and share the link in our school newsletter and on a different platform.  Each slide is a different month of the year. We explain what we did throughout the month and have our contact information. This is a great way for us to work together as a team and be reflective on our work. Also, parents will know we do some things in STEM that are fun, but we have challenging and exciting things that we're working on. 


06:16

Another way that I like to communicate with parents and also the students in my class is Seesaw. I could do a whole episode about Seesaw. I am literally obsessed. If you haven't checked it out, go check out Seesaw connect 2022, where I talk about STEM survival camp and the engineering design process completely free. You can also watch it whenever you want in my monthly membership. I love using Seesaw because students can take pictures, and videos, record audio of their work, and comment on one another's work. Of course, I can comment, but parents connected to their child's account can also see these amazing things happening in our classroom and communicate. I've had a lot of parents chat with me on there and write comments about how excited their kid was to talk about their work. Seeing a picture of it, they understand what their kid is trying to explain. 


07:09

As I said, STEM has some cool materials. Sometimes it's hard for kids to explain what they did in STEM. Having those visuals is awesome. I do use Seesaw K through five. It is free for teachers, and your school could buy Seesaw for schools. I highly recommend this tool because it is so interactive. You can accomplish a lot within this platform, and that two-way communication allows you to build those relationships. 


08:18

As you continue to build those relationships, you want to have a standard set of class rules for your STEM space. This is something that you're going to want to keep the same for K through Five and keep them very simple. In episode seven, I shared with you some back to school STEM activities, and one of those is having a game review puzzle where kids are putting the pieces together of your classroom rules. So make sure to check out that episode if you haven't listened. Have those main classroom rules that all the kids are used to when they come into your space and keep them simple. I have my main four rules that students in the class have to follow as a whole class. 


09:40

At my school, we do something called Tiger paws, where classes can earn a paw for great behavior from teachers, including specialist teachers. I have my four main rules as things that, as a whole class, they do have to accomplish to earn their tiger paws. You can check all of these out in the show notes for this episode, but the four main things that I ensure the class has accomplished are: Did we finish today's work? Did we work together and try our best? Did we stay on task? Were we very respectful of everyone's work? We go over these at the end of each day, and if it's a yes, for all of those, they get their class Tiger paw. If it's a no, we will discuss why. 


10:23

The kids will explain, or I will explain why it's a no and what we can do better next time. I remind them that tomorrow is a new day. You can keep track of these tiger paws or class incentives if you want to. Maybe they can earn a certain amount to do a class party. I've considered this idea, but I honestly don't have enough time with the limited time I have with kids. If this is interesting to you, then definitely try it. I know other teachers have done this, and it's been successful in their rooms. 


10:51

When you teach all the kids in the whole school, you will have to modify some things for specific classes. As a former classroom teacher, you know that some classes vibe together, and some don't. So you might need to have specific rules for specific classes. You might even need to adjust things that go along with the classroom and your management style. Some teachers are strict and don't allow collaboration in their classroom, and some are open-ended. Adjust to what the kids might be used to and communicate with those classroom teachers. If you can chat with them quickly before or at the end of class, you can see if there are any specific needs that you need to focus on for the day and academic goals that you can help support. 


11:44

Some classes might even have a class incentive they're trying to work on. When I was a classroom teacher, I sent my kids a grading sheet, so however they did in specials, the specials teacher could write that down on our sheets. If they got an excellent, we got a class marble. This is where they could write down students who did an excellent job and students who needed additional support. If the classroom teachers don't have this, you could start this in your classroom to help bridge the communication gap. Also, if things aren't working, ask that classroom teacher what you can do to help support the class. They might have a certain call to action that you can use with the kids.  


12:27

Finally, for your last behavior management tip, you want to have specific rules for specific materials. You have the class rules we discussed, which don't change. These rules are the same no matter what you teach, but then you have specific materials you will use throughout the year. This is what you want to change up. This can also mean specific areas in your classroom, what grade levels can use them, and specific materials and which grade levels can use them. 


12:57

One example of different rules for materials in my classroom is the tables and chairs that students can sit at and how they know where they're going to be sitting. When all classes enter my room, they come to that shared meeting area we talked about in episode one after that little mini lesson. So if I want them sitting at the tables, I have different rules for my K-One and my second through fifth-grade students. For K-One, I have six different colored cubes that match the colors I have on my six different tables. There are about the same amount of cubes of each color. So there are four yellows, orange, green, and so on. 


13:37

When I'm ready for the kids to go to their tables, I'll randomly (randomly to them. In my head, I know exactly who I'm giving the cubes to), provide them with a cube, and they have to find the matching color on their table. Now, if you're wondering how I put the colors on the table, it isn't anything fancy. It is a page protector with a sheet of construction paper on the inside. On the flip side of that paper, I have about four sticky notes with numbers written on them mixed up. Now the numbers are one through 27. I think I had one through 32 last year. A third-grade class had 32 kids in each class, but I have one through 32 written on sticky notes, one number per sticky note. Those are mixed up on the tables within that page protector. 


14:25

For my second through fifth-grade students, when I'm ready for them to go to their tables, they find their classroom number and sit at that spot. Then I can move kids based on who needs to be moved or whatever assistance they might need. This has worked well in my classroom. There's less fighting, and they know where to sit. Of course, they might work on the floor or do other things for different projects, but sometimes I might need them at a specific spot for a specific reason. 


14:50

I also have specific rules for specific materials in my classroom. For example, when we're using robots, we will go over the rules and procedures for how to use them. We review a certain type of robot and how to handle it properly. We have those classroom rules we want to review when using those specific materials. So when I'm using Dash, we will go over how to hold Dash the robot, turn it on, connect to the app, and work within our roles. All of those things are super important when we're working with specific materials. For my hot glue guns, I will only use hot glue guns with second through fifth grade, depending on how they're doing with projects. Again, we will review those specific rules when using that tool in our classroom. 


15:33

So as a recap, here are the three major points when building your behavior management strategies in your STEM space. Again, this is so important, and you want to take the time to get this set up properly in your classroom so you can do awesome projects all year. First, of course, is to build those relationships. Next is to set up those class rules and goals. Third is to have rules for specific materials. You can check out the links to show notes, the transcript for this video, and the video version of this podcast. You can find that using this link: Naomi meredith.com/episode8. Thank you so much for joining me today, and I can't wait to talk to you in the next episode.

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

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!

back-to-school-stem-challenges

5 Back to School STEM Challenges to Try [ep. 7]

5 Back to School STEM Challenges to Try [ep.7]

back-to-school-stem-challenges

Check out the full episode on 5 Back to School STEM Challenges to Try:  

 

Watch the video version of the episode here on YouTube:

Episode Summary

No matter how long you have been teaching, preparing for back to school is a lot of work. From setting up your classroom and figuring out systems and routines to attending back to school meetings and lesson planning for the first few weeks, it can feel overwhelming even for the seasoned teacher. 

With so much on your plate, what types of activities should you plan that will be meaningful to your students?

In today's episode, I will share five STEM activities you can use in your K through Five STEM classrooms. These activities are great back to school STEM challenges. Many of these activities I will be sharing with you have an element of collaboration to help build classroom community, which is important in any classroom setting.

Whether you are a STEM teacher or a classroom teacher, this episode will provide you with a variety of activities to implement in your classroom!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • 5 back to school STEM challenges
    • Classroom Rules Puzzle
    • All About Me Brick Build
    • STEM & Stories: Rosie Revere, Engineer
    • STEM & Stories: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books
    • Apps About Me
  • How to implement the 5 STEM challenges
  • Materials needed for each STEM challenge

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: 

00:00

Back to School is a special time for both kids and teachers. But no matter how long you have been teaching, it's still a lot of work: from classroom setup to figuring out your systems and routines and all of the back to school meetings. In addition, you must figure out lesson planning specifically for those first few weeks somewhere in the mix and still make it meaningful. With that in mind, in today's episode, I will share five STEM activities you can use in your K through Five STEM classrooms. 


01:02

With any Back to School activity, you want to ensure that it has a low entry point where students can be successful no matter how they participate. These activities are still academic, but the goal is to help students warm up to the space, you, and their classmates. In turn, many of these activities I will be sharing with you have an element of collaboration to help build classroom community, which is important in any classroom setting. Now, let's jump into those five STEM activities to try. 


01:33

This first one is great, especially if you teach all the kids in the school as I do. This activity is a way to make introducing the rules in your classroom more hands-on and engaging. So instead of you just standing up there and presenting the classroom rules, this will be a fun one for your kids. 


01:56

So first, quickly introduce what your classroom rules are. You're not going to explain all of them in detail. Just read through the rules and show them to your students. When sharing your classroom rules, a great tip is to have pictures and words. Again, just like when you label all of your Makerspace supplies that we talked about in past episodes, you want to have your classroom rules labeled with words and pictures. 


02:19

Once you have this present, either up on your projector TV or printed out, you will have smaller sets of the same rules printed out and cut into puzzle pieces. I made about seven different sets of the same rules. I found a puzzle template online where I layered my rules on top. This was done on the computer. Then I cut out those puzzle pieces beforehand. I printed the seven sets out in different colors, so each table group had a different color. 


02:53

This makes this challenging because all of the rules are cut up and mixed up. The goal is that when students work in teams, either teams they choose themselves or ones that you pick, they will have to put the rules back together. Now, try not to make too many rules. But if you have quite a few rules, maybe about six, cut out about four. That also adds another challenge because if you don't tell them which rules are cut up in their little bags, that will make it even harder. 


03:25

This is a great way for kids to keep focusing on what the classroom rules are. I keep the full images up so they can refer to the image as they are putting together their puzzle. They're always talking about those rules together. So if the rule is tools or materials, not toys, they keep saying that repeatedly. So there is that repetition of my classroom rules. Also, they're learning from the other kids in their groups, discussing it, and figuring out a system that works best for them. 


03:51

I make sure to have a little prize at the end. Something simple like a pencil, a STEM sticker, or something not that cool, but they think it's pretty cool.  After that, whether all the groups have finished or a few have finished depending on how it's going in the class, I will review the classroom rules. Then we'll jump into our lesson for the day. This doesn't take the whole class time, but this is a great icebreaker. The kids are talking and collaborating, learning your classroom rules, and figuring you out as you go. 


04:24

Now you can do the first activity and then do this second activity within the same day. All you need are just a basic bucket of mixed LEGO bricks and the all about me LEGO build. This is a fun one. It's a cool way to get a get to know you to be hands-on, and all students can participate. For this activity, think of questions you can ask kids that are pretty general, and all kids can participate. Some examples of questions are: Do you have a pet too? Did you read a book this summer? I recommend staying away from questions such as, where did you go this summer?


04:59

Questions like that might be a little hard for kids if they can't afford to go on trips. So think of things that most kids might be able to do. Did you play in the water? Did you watch a movie? It could be a movie at home or in the theater. Think of questions that most kids can participate in. So think about those main questions and for each question, add in how many LEGO bricks and what color they need to collect. 


04:59

So, for example, if the question is, do you have any pets, grab three LEGO bricks. Make sure to pause as kids are digging in the buckets. I would spread them out around the room. While they're digging in the buckets and finding green LEGO pieces, you could talk about different shades of green.  This one's great, too, because as they search, you can talk to them about their pet or the answer to the question you asked. Kids who might not be able to say yes to that question if it's not true about them can build with the pieces they have on hand. So having a great variety of questions will allow everyone to grab some LEGO pieces and participate. 


06:21

This third activity goes along with one of our favorite questionnaires Rosie Revere Engineer. Now, as a STEM teacher, you probably have a big love for these sweet little characters. You have Rosie Revere Engineer, Ada Twist Scientist, who now has her show on Netflix, which I highly recommend. It's so much fun. Iggy Peck architect and there are some other friends that are in the collection. 


06:36

So after you read this story with your class, you can have a class discussion about things that fly. Rosie Revere is trying to build a flying machine for her great Aunt Rose. She keeps trying and failing. Finally, she figures out an invention. So, as a class, you can talk about different things that fly in the sky after reading the story. It could be animals, machines, or made up things. Talk about those things that fly, and then students can plan and brainstorm their type of flying machine. It could be real or imaginary. 


06:36

From there, you can provide them with different Makerspace materials. It could be limited supplies that they could build with, such as popsicle sticks, tape, small cups, or whatever you have on hand. They can use cardboard or LEGO bricks. If you don't have many Makerspace materials, you could use those non-consumable items, and students can build their flying machines. 


06:36

If you want to get even more creative, you could print a little picture of Rosie and her Great Aunt Rose to add to their creation. You can think of ways that students can modify and make their designs even better. This activity can be stretched out for many days. You could have each part of the engineering design process while you read the story and research those flying things. Or, if you want to make it quick, you can skip to that building part. 


06:36

Depending on how long you have had your students and their age, this can be a great activity to jump right into and tie in that STEM and stories connection. Another fun STEM and stories activity you can do with your kids goes along with the book. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books. You could do this for any version of the book, but the one about the books is a good back to school one. 


06:36

So after reading this story with your class, you can have images of all the things she swallows. It is crazy, and some younger classes might even start laughing and think it's weird. I did have a Kindergarten class say that this is a weird book.  You can do a lot of different things. 


06:36

The students can build the different things that the old lady ate, make an old lady's mouth, and feed her everything she ate in order of the story. They can get creative with how they build those items using whatever types of materials you want them to use. You can even print out those pictures. You can add robots during your first month with kids if you're brave enough. I'm not brave enough, but maybe you are! 


06:36

You can have those pictures, and kids can code to the different images of the things she ate in the story's order or in whatever order they choose. They can also build the items using pixel blocks. I like to use Bloxels. Now, Bloxels are a little bit expensive. There is a separate subscription that you can purchase where kids can create their video games using the box. I love the blocks because they come on a big grid with tiny cubes. The kids can build pixel art with it. So you can have the images up, and students can build the different things in the story. This could be an opportunity for the kids to have station rotations your first couple weeks with you. So this is a cool and engaging way to take the story further and add many hands-on elements. 


06:36

This last STEM back to school activity for you to try is a digital option that I recommend for second grade and up. It is called apps about me. You can create a slide deck for students that have different phone outlines. On each outline, there's a different app, a fake app. We're not coding on this one, but a fake app that students can create and get to know more about each other. Again, this can be something you can do in one day or have a different slide each day. You could print this out if you don't want to go digital. The reason why I would keep it digital is so that you're not printing a million things. Depending on the platform you're sharing it with, whether it's seesaw, Google classrooms, or Schoology, you're allowing students to practice logging into the platform that you will be using in class, navigating that platform, and using the tools within it. Once they log in, it's pretty self-explanatory what they need to work on. 


12:28

It's not a super high overarching hard task. It's fun because they get to share about themselves differently. Once they're logged in, include a slide where they have the front pages and pictures that go along with their favorite things like favorite animals and color. There can be another slide showing the map app, and they must create a map of their favorite space school, restaurant, or bedroom. You can think of five different things that relate to real life apps. It's a way for students to share about themselves. 


13:01

Now you can have them share creatively, whether it is in seesaw and creating a voice-over about it, or they can work in small groups and share their favorite slide. You can work on this fun activity all week or as a fast finisher. If you're doing a separate project like I do STEM survival camp, which I discuss in episode four, I assign this apps about me activity, so if they finish the part for the day, they have something else to work on. Again, I've had the kids for a few years, so they're used to what platforms I use already and are a little more independent. This is a fun digital option that you can have kids design digitally. 


13:42

As a recap, here are the five back to school STEM activities we discussed in today's episode. First is the classroom rules puzzles. Second, the all about me brick build. Third, the STEM and stories activity with Rosie Revere Engineer. Fourth, the STEM and stories activity with There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Books. Fifth, the digital apps about me activity. I have all of these linked in my show notes for today, Naomi meredith.com/episode7, where you can see pictures of these activities in action and grab all the links to save time with your back to school planning. Thank you so much again for joining me on today's episode, and I will chat with you soon.

back-to-school-stem-challenges

back-to-school-stem-challenges

back-to-school-stem-challenges

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

STEM Favorites that You’ll Enjoy: 

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!

makerspace-in-the-classroom

Managing Your Makerspace in the Classroom [ep.6 ]

Managing Your Makerspace in the Classroom [ep.6]

makerspace-in-the-classroom

Check out the full episode on managing your Makerspace in the Classroom:  

Watch the video version of the episode here on YouTube:

Episode Summary

Setting up and organizing a classroom Makerspace is half the battle. The second half is managing the supplies and ensuring students can be independent when using them in their work. 

Now that you’ve set up your Makerspace, how do you manage it?

In this episode, I will be sharing with you my Makerspace management hacks that have been a game changer in my Kindergarten through 5th STEM classroom.

Whether you are a STEM teacher, classroom teacher, or library specialist; this episode will make this process more manageable and easier for you!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Management hacks for a Makerspace in Kindergarten through 5th STEM classrooms
  • Steps to complete before, during, and after implementing the Makerspace menu and money
  • How to incorporate math when implementing Makerspace supplies
  • How to make your Makerspace supplies last for more than one lesson

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:

Introduction

Setting up and organizing a classroom Makerspace is half the battle. The second half is managing the supplies and ensuring students can be independent when using them in their work.

I will be sharing with you my management hacks that have been a game changer in my Kindergarten through 5th STEM classroom, which makes managing your Makerspace a lot of fun. Yes, the kids are very excited to build, but this system is so much fun, and the students get even more excited about this part of the Makerspace unit. I can't wait to share all these tips with you in this episode. 

Are you tired of running out of Makerspace supplies after one lesson with a class?

Are you wanting kids to be independent with their supplies but not sure how?

Or how can you add more of an element of math when implementing Makerspace supplies?

I totally get it. It can be a lot to manage with a small class of 25 or even all the kids in the school. 

Do you want to know my secret? It's having a Makerspace menu and money assistance!

In this episode, I will explain the steps you need to do before, during, and after the lesson using the Makerspace menu and money. This will answer all of those questions. And again, it is so much fun, and you're really going to love it too.

What to Do Before Teaching a Makerspace Lesson:

First, let's talk about what you'll need to do before teaching a Makerspace lesson and a little prep work before diving in. If you haven't already, make sure to listen to episode five, where I talk about how you can organize your Makerspace and gather materials for your space so that you are ready to go. This is a big part of ensuring you have enough materials.

Now when you're asking for donations, something that I like to ask for is grocery bags. You might already have a ton at home, making shopping for supplies much easier. Also, when in between classes, students will keep their supplies in these grocery bags along with their money, their plans, and the small things they have built. The grocery bags are going to go inside a big box. I like to use the IKEA fabric boxes.

The next time they come into your room, you just pull out the box, and everything will be right there for them. Of course, you're setting this up based on a lesson you want to teach using the Makerspace. I don't use this system for every single lesson. I didn't use the money system in my first Makerspace lesson, STEM survival camp – episode 4. I actually will only pull out the supplies that they need. So this is something that you probably want to work up to.

As you get started, it will take some trial and error, but again, you're setting this system up for success. You can use it for multiple grades and multiple times throughout the year.

About a week or month before the lesson starts, depending on your time, you want to print out all of the money and have those different denominations you want students to use. Now our money is all green in real life, but I like to print out the Makerspace money, the different denominations, in different colors. It's really helpful having those visual cues when students are counting things out.

When I'm counting things with them, we can easily see which money is what. It's almost like having Monopoly money in your room, but it's your Makerspace money, and they know it's fake, adding to the excitement.

Once I have printed and cut out all the money, I like to store all of the money in my bank, which is just those simple little photo boxes you can get at Michaels or Amazon. I have three: one for the $1, the $5, and the $10 bills. I pull those out when I'm ready and lock them up when I'm done. It’s just an easy way to have a bank account. I also would really love to have one of those waitressing aprons. I still haven't bought one, but that'd also be helpful.

You can have your bank out while walking around the classroom so students can pay you on the go. During these times, having a little apron could be helpful.

Next, set up a budget you want students to have when designing their project. I keep my budget around $25 to $35 per project. If students work alone, they will have a $25 budget. If they're working in a group of two or three, they must share the $25. So make that very clear with the kids. It can be a bit confusing initially but think about the budgets you want to make.

I like to pre-make their little wallets. Now again, nothing fancy. Just grab those little snack-sized Ziploc bags and make the wallets. You could also have an older student help you create these money wallets.

If you have the wallets created ahead of time, this will save you time the week of starting the Makerspace project and keep you from scrambling to put together money for your students. Also, in this setup project, edit your Makerspace menu based on the materials you have and want the students to use.

For certain projects, some kids might have specialty items. For example, during a first-grade project, they needed to have glow sticks to show their bioluminescent animals. I didn't want any other grades to shop for those things, so they were listed under specialty items for the first-grade class.

On your menu, you can have all the regular items from which all kids can shop. At the bottom of the menu, you could have a section discussing specialty items that only certain grade levels can buy. This is important because if you are planning your lessons with the standards, there are specific things that their projects may require.

I won't put specialty items in the regular Makerspace. I put the specialty items in a bin that I will pull out separately because they are special. Make sure you organize your supplies that way.

What to Do During a Makerspace Lesson

Now you are ready for the fun part.

How will you use this time with the Makerspace money and menu during the week?

Trust me, you're going to love this so much!

Of course, you have to have your project in mind. You're going to introduce the project to the students. We'll talk more about planning in other episodes.

Have the students build a background about the problem they’re trying to solve. They can research using different mediums, epic books, podcasts, videos, pictures, and books you have available in the classroom. 

Next, I will introduce the Makerspace menu. Even if we have used the Makerspace menu before, we will go over it again just to ensure we're clear on how to use it. I will talk to them about their budget, what supplies are on the menu, where supplies are located, what items are free, and which items are not available.

I include free items like paper, glue sticks, crayons, markers, and materials for cutting and designing. We'll talk about where everything is in the classroom so they know where to find it and how to use it.

Then they will ask any questions they may have. Part of that planning process is creating a thoughtful plan by drawing and labeling the design. The other part of the planning process is they need to create their shopping list.

The shopping list will help students think about how they want their project to look based on how much money they can spend. I use the same process for all my kids. I usually start this in Second grade, so second through fifth grade will use this system, and then I'll use a modified system for First and Kindergarten.

My students thoughtfully plan their designs and create their shopping lists. They have to write down all the items they would like to buy, how much of each item and how much it will cost. Then, on their paper, they're going to total up all those amounts and then write down how much money they might have left.

Once they have thought out their plan and shopping list, they must show them to me. You might have a better way of doing this, but this has worked well for me to make sure that there are some checks and balances in this system. This system ensures kids aren't just rushing into my Makerspace.

When taking things out, students will show me those things, and I'll give them some feedback. If they're missing things or not, I will always check their math right away. Once they come back with their supplies, we add up their items' costs.

Don't worry too much about the math; you can, but you’ll check what they're adding up anyway and even do more mental math with them. Once they're good to go, I tell my students, “yep, you have a great plan. Yes, you have enough money. Here is your shopping bag.”

Then the students will go into my Makerspace. Everything is at the students’ height and labeled with pictures and words. They will shop for all their supplies, put everything in their shopping bags and grab what they need.

Once they're done shopping, they will come back in line to wait their turn. I talk to my students about how real stores work, and you may have to wait your turn. I also remind them that they don't come and put things in my face.

Once they wait their turn, I'll take everything out of their bag. I make sure to have the Makerspace menu on the TV for them to view. If you use the same menu for the second through fifth graders, your students will start memorizing the prices, and there won't be a question about the costs.

I'll take everything out of their bags and then tell them their total. For example, I will tell a student, “you have two plates and a ball that cost five dollars and three dollars. So five plus three is…,” and I have them answer me. This allows us to work on a little bit of those fast facts and mental math.

Once they have added that up, they'll count their money and pay me. Then I'll put it in the cash register. They can always come back and shop for more items or make returns. While students are shopping, some kids may still be working on their plans, which is okay. This system differentiates itself and helps kids be independent and work on their needs.

It's really fun having this whole system in your classroom, where they feel like they're in charge of their projects. I am checking in with all of them to see and discuss their designs, which is exciting.

So the shopping part will take place at the end of day two. So let's say you have five days for this project; this will happen at the end of day two. Day three is the biggest shopping day, and kids might be returning a few things here and there on days four and five. Some kids might be purchasing a couple of things like a straw. That's why having a little apron helps.

There's this whole flow in the classroom. It's super exciting and energetic. The kids take charge as they get going with this project, and I’m not managing so much.

Students will always ask questions about returns. They will want to know if they can return something. I tell them yes, as long as the item can be reused.

For instance, if they bought a straw that has only been bent a little, it can be reused. But if they bought a straw and cut it into tiny pieces, they can’t get their money back. I also don't let them get their money back for tape or hot glue gun use unless they didn't use it. I don't give them their money back even if they use a little bit. But for most things, they can have their money back.

Tape and the hot glue gun are expensive items that they can purchase. They can have the option of buying a little bit of tape for $5. I don't think they actually can buy a little bit of hot glue gun. They can buy a small amount of tape for five dollars, unlimited use of tape for ten dollars, or unlimited use of the hot glue gun for $10. That's about half of their budget.

The kids are so funny! Some will not want to spend anything and only use free items. Nothing happens if they don’t spend their money. I could have an incentive, and some kids spend it all right away.

What's awesome about this process is when kids are in that planning stage. They will start bringing stuff from home as they build and want more things. I don't ask them to bring things from home. They don't have to since I have plenty of materials unless we need more grocery bags.

Some kids will even think about how they can use their breakfast trays. I had some girls who wanted a specific size bucket for their design, so they decided to use the bowls they used for breakfast that morning. They rinsed out their cereal bowl at the end of breakfast at school and brought it to class for their project. Your students may even get creative with the trash and recyclables they're using already.

What to Do After a Makerspace Lesson

On the last day of the lesson, make sure you leave enough time for kids to clean up all of their materials. That is part of taking care of the space and the whole process of the Makerspace menu. Give them about 10 minutes to put back any supplies they didn't use, return any money they didn't use, and any projects they don't want to keep.

They can take apart the unused projects and put back items that can be reused. Again, some kids will bring things from home, and they'll let me keep the rest, which is awesome because I'm restocked for the next group of kids. Having the students clean at the end must be added to the system. Don't say, “Okay, good job, you're done. Bye,” and your room is a disaster.

Part of the Makerspace experience is cleaning up. I tell my students, “I don't care if you make a mess, but I care if you don't clean it up.”

Conclusion

I know this sounds like a lot, so I wanted to make this setup even easier for you. I have made you a Makerspace bundle for getting started that comes with the Makerspace menu and money that I just shared with you about.

The bundle includes 180 plus supply labels with words, pictures, and different colors to match your classroom theme. The Makerspace bundle also consists of an editable donation letter, anchor charts, and getting started lessons. This will all be linked in the show notes, or you can grab it using this link Naomi meredith.com/tptMakerspacebundle.

Thank you so much for joining me today! I can't wait to hear how this system works in your classroom.

makerspace-in-the-classroom
makerspace-in-the-classroom

makerspace-in-the-classroom

makerspace-in-the-classroom

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

STEM Favorites that You’ll Enjoy: 

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!

need-for-a-stem-classroom

What Do You Need for a STEM Classroom? [ep. 3]

What Do You Need for a STEM Classroom? [ep.3]

Check out the full episode on what you need for a STEM classroom:  

 

Watch the video version here on YouTube:

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Episode Summary

Are you in charge of setting up the STEM space in your school? Have you been gifted a classroom with a collection of supplies but not sure what to keep, what to toss and what to buy? 

And let’s mention budget; what should you be buying within different budgets and balancing that between consumable and non-consumable items? 

Let’s break down what you actually need for your STEM classroom and create a system that will work best for you.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Tips and tricks gathering materials when setting up your STEM space: 

    • #1- List those current assets 
    • #2-Create a budget 
    • #3- Be creative when gathering materials 
    • #4- Plan ahead

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: 

Are you in charge of setting up the STEM space in your school? Have you been gifted a classroom with a collection of supplies but not sure what to keep, what to toss and what to buy? 

And let’s mention budget; what should you be buying within different budgets and balancing that between consumable and non-consumable items? 

Let’s break down what you actually need for your STEM classroom and create a system that will work best for you. 


The first step when setting up your STEM space is to list your current assets. Now you might be starting with a blank canvas, so you have nothing to list; you can skip this step! But you might want to keep it in mind for next year so don't write me off completely! First, pull out everything that you have in your space and notice: 

-What are some things you absolutely want to keep? 

-What are some things that you can toss or recycle? (like an old Boombox or CD player. I'm sorry you're definitely not going to use that!) 

-What are some things you can donate within the district? 

-Are there items that are actually not age appropriate? 

Maybe the items are actually too young for your students and you can get them to other schools or preschools that are within your district. Maybe even your ILC/SPED programs in your school would like them. 

You might even have items that are actually too advanced for your students; that could be a possibility for an after school club. Or they actually might be better suited for your middle school or high school programs. 

I actually had a lot of these types of supplies when I entered my STeM space that were purchased by other STEM and tech teachers who were in my school [before me]. I was able to donate those to our middle schools and they could definitely get more use out of them. 

Once you have the items that you know you're definitely going to keep, think about what type of balance of materials. Are you overloaded with robots? Are you overloaded with coding materials (like I was) and are you in need of more building materials? Or maybe vice versa! Maybe you have a lot of Makerspace items and don't have any robots at all! 

Definitely think about the balance because when you move forward with these supplies, this is going to help you keep in mind the types of lessons that you want to be planning. Again, you definitely want your lessons to have a balance. 

Once you are aware of all of the assets that you definitely have in your classroom, next you need to think about creating a budget.

Budgets are really tricky, especially in the STEM space. Some teachers don't have a budget, some have a little bit, some have a lot. There are opportunities to gather materials whether you have money or not; we will be talking about how to be creative with the funds you may or may not have. 

First, you want to know how much money that you have available and when you actually need to spend it. Some schools are really particular about when money needs to be spent at certain times of the year. Some of them are flexible and let the funds carry over year after year. Find out what this means for your school and how and when you need to spend your budget. 

Once you know how much you do (or do not have), this is a great time for you to create a donation opportunity. Amazon has a great selection for you to get started on a wishlist. You can easily get that set up and keep adding items throughout the year. You can share with your families and friends outside of your school. 

Donors Choose is also another awesome website where you can create a grant opportunity and they walk you through step by step how to create that grant. They actually will gather the supplies once the funds are fully funded. The process is so easy; I've definitely had things funded in the past and now paying it forward into other classrooms and helping fund their projects as well. 

Another way that you can be flexible with your budget that actually won't cost you anything is to reach out to other STEM and science teachers within your district. They might have items that they have purchased already and they might be willing to let you borrow them for a unit. This can really help you as well to try things out if you do or do not or actually want to buy them! Likewise, you might also have items that another teacher would love to try as well and you guys can do a little bit of a swap. I have a few friends in my district where we do this and it's such a great opportunity to help out their students that they have enough supplies and vice versa.

That last suggestion actually goes into this next tip; be creative with materials. There are a lot of ways to build up the supplies in your classroom that doesn't cost anything. 

Think about consumables and non-consumables in your classroom. What I mean by this is consumables are the things that once students use them, they are used up; you can't use them again. 

No matter what your budget is, you want to somehow get your hands on lots of tape. Kids LOVE tape. I think it's the new pencils; I'm pretty sure kids eat tape. Definitely set aside a budget for that! I set limits on tape, I make baby tape rolls (where I wrap a certain amount and wrap it around a popsicle stick and that's their tape limit), but I swear I don't know where this tape goes. They love it! 

Think about those consumable items that students love, and how you can have a budget for that. 

Sometimes you might want to purchase things that are a little bit more expensive because you know are going to last a longer amount of time. 

My best example is when I'm thinking about robots. There are the code-and-go mice and the BeeBots. They are very similar robots; they pretty much do the same thing. When teaching over 500 kids, the code-and-go mice are not the most durable. The code-and-go mice are awesome for a home robot and I suggest this for students if they love coding at home. This is a great robot. It's about twenty bucks or so.

I do purchase the BeeBots. or even the BlueBots. The BlueBots even cooler; they can connect to iPads using Bluetooth. If you can invest in BlueBots and have iPads to connect to, I definitely recommend those. 

Either way, the BeeBots and BlueBots are a great investment of my money. I will buy one or two each year based on my budget because I know that they're going to last. They're durable and also they don't use batteries. They have a rechargeable battery so they are worth the investment.

When purchasing, especially when it comes to those non-consumable items that will eventually become out of date, you don't always need a class set. A big part of STEM is being able to collaborate and use those materials as a team. So if you're buying one for every kid, where's the collaboration!? 

Think about how you could buy items where it works for about half of the class, where they can work in pairs. Could they work in groups of 3 or even even smaller; how could they work in a station rotation? If you're unsure about a material you would like to buy, start small, enough for where it could be a station rotation, and build up from there. 

Don't go all in when you're none getting started! You might not even like the tool or have found you don't even have time to use it. 

Another way to build up your materials is to ask for donations. You can get very creative when you're asking for those donations! You know at the beginning and end of the school years when teachers are cleaning out their closets teachers are getting rid of stuff and you're so tempted to not look but you don't need anything? 

Okay, as a STEM teacher, go look! You will be amazed by how many science supplies you will find from past science kits, math manipulatives that kids can build with, even lined paper which is great for planning. You can find a ton of stuff in your own school building! 

Even sent out an email. Some teachers have kids who are growing up and they want to get rid of a big bucket of LEGO (take them up on it)! There are resources in your own building that you can definitely pull upon. 

If you know you're going to start a Makerspace project, set out a box in your teachers lounge. Have teachers put in the boxes from their breakfasts and lunch meals that they're heating up in their microwaves and save that cardboard for your projects. That is the best cardboard to use by the way; all kids can cut it with regular scissors. 

Be creative with the things that already are happening within your school building! 

Another way that you can be creative when gathering your materials is to have a LEGO Donation Day. Have kids bring in those little snack bags filled with some basic LEGO bricks. If you have about 500 or so kids in your school, that's a lot of basic bricks that you can add to your collection! That would be a really cool thing to do for your Back to School Night! 

Have kids bring you in a snack size bag filled with the LEGO and maybe you give them a cool sticker in return or another little behavior incentive for thanking them for their donation. 

Also consider reaching out to local businesses. Businesses are looking for ways to have tax write offs, especially when it comes to STEM education. This is a big opportunity that businesses are just waiting for. They might have materials from their company they would love to give you. Or even if you write a grant, in return, they'll purchase items that you're looking for. 

Finally ,when you are building up the supplies in your STEM classroom, you want to plan ahead. You won't get everything that you want your first year. [If you do, I want to come to your class because it would be amazing!] Having an ongoing list of supplies that you would love to have. 

This is great because what if a business reaches out to you and they ask?, “What do you need?” You will have a list of things you already know that you would want and you can hand it over. Same with PTOs or parents; you will be prepared with that list also for your planning ahead. 

Also, plan for repairs you're going to set all those systems routines and rules for all of the things in your classroom, but things will break. Now less things will break if you do have those systems and routines and rules, and you won't have as many repairs. But, accidents happen, things break with wear and tear. If you can set aside a budget or what you're going to do if things do break, have a plan for that.

Let's have a recap of now that you have all of these tips and tricks for setting up your STEM space. 

#1- List those current assets 

#2-Create a budget 

#3- Be creative when gathering materials 

#4- Plan ahead. 

Now that you have this system for setting up the supplies in your classroom that you can use year after year, you probably want to know, “What exactly do I need right now? Just tell me exactly the things I need to buy!” 

I actually went through and inventoried my whole classroom and created a spreadsheet of the must have items that work well in K-5.  You can download that whole inventory spreadsheet for free here: naomimeredith.com/stemsupplylist

Thank you so much for ah thank you so much for hanging out with me today I will chat with you in the next episode.

 

need-for-a-stem-classroom
Have a Makerspace donation box outside of your classroom and near the front entrance of your school.

need-for-a-stem-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!

what-stem-education

What STEM Education means in the Elementary Classroom [ep. 2]

What STEM Education means in the Elementary Classroom [ep.2]

what-stem-education

Check out the full episode on what STEM education means:  

 

Watch the video version of this episode here: 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Episode Summary

Have you ever had people ask you, “What do you do?” And you say, “I'm a STEM teacher!” Then they respond with, “Well, what is STEM? And you explain, “Well, it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math!” Then after that, they say, “Well, how is that different from what they're already learning in the regular classroom?” 

Have you had those conversations? 

I definitely have. 

In this episode, we're going to get a clear understanding of what STEM education means, in the elementary setting, debunk common misconceptions, and build a strong foundation for your own classroom.

In this episode you’ll learn:

  • Elementary STEM misconceptions and how to shift those assumptions
  • Misconception #1: STEM is a step-by-step craft
  • Misconception #2: STEM is just isolated activities
  • Misconception #3: STEM is only Coding
  • Misconception #4: STEM is just playing with “cool” stuff

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Have you ever had people ask you, “What do you do?” And you say, “I'm a STEM teacher!” Then they respond with, “Well, what is STEM? And you explain, “Well, it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math!” Then after that, they say, “Well, how is that different from what they're already learning in the regular classroom?” 

Have you had those conversations? 

I definitely have. 

In this episode, we're going to get a clear understanding of what STEM education means, in the elementary setting, debunk common misconceptions, and build a strong foundation for your own classroom. 

According to the US Department of Commerce, STEM jobs are expected to grow by 8.9% from 2014 through 2024 (which were so close to!) In fact, STEM occupations earn 29% more than non-STEM jobs. 

While the numbers are there, we need more educators to better equip students for their futures. How can we prepare students for those futures? 

We need to understand clearly, even at the elementary school level, what STEM is and what STEM isn't. 

Here are four major misconceptions about STEM education and how we can debunk those ideas. 

Misconception #1: STEM is a step by step craft

How many times have you seen some really awesome stem projects, you see one of the solutions, and then you see another solution, and then another one, and it looks exactly the same? 

Now, within STEM projects, some parts definitely do require step-by-step instructions. But if all of the solutions look the same, what creativity have you really inspired? 

Instead, STEM is project-based learning with multiple solutions, based on curriculum standards. STEM is an awesome opportunity for students to look at the world in a new way. 

Think about the Wright Brothers. What if they were creating what everybody else was creating? We may or may not have the airplanes that we have today! They kept thinking of new solutions and how to make it even better. From there, we have all sorts of different airplane designs that fly in our sky. 

In Elementary STEM, the standards are actually still really important. When planning your STEM lessons, become really familiar with the NGSS standards, Common Core, and even the ISTE standards for students. These definitely have a place in your classroom, where you can design lessons where students can create endless possibilities, and not just a step-by-step craft. 

Misconception #2, STEM is just isolated activities

Have you ever seen someone do a science experiment in their classroom, and then they come back with, “Oh my gosh! We just did STEM!” Maybe….?! But really, STEM is the integration of science, technology, engineering, and math all together; not one is more than the other. They are a mixture of all of those things. 

The ‘Getting Started Lessons’ that come with all of those STEM kits, robots and LEGO education kits are awesome. They're a great way to really focus on the rules and routines when using those materials in your classroom. But you can go further from there!

So let's think about this sample lesson plan that you could possibly do in your classroom. This is based on the third grade NGSS standards that talk about life cycles, but you can also dive into other standards that you think this would apply to as well, or shift this in a way that makes sense for you. 

So let's say you want your students to code with the Dash robot or any type of robot. Day 1, you learn how to use the robot, and how to handle those appropriately in your classroom, how to connect to the app, how to take turns and share roles… that could be your day 1 lesson.

Day 2, have students take a little break from the robots and do a little bit of research about their favorite animal and their complete lifecycle. A great tool that I like to use for research in the STEM setting is Epic! books. It is kid-safe, has videos, audio books, read-to-me and awesome ebooks in one whole platform. I highly recommend! 

After students have done the research about their favorite animal, then they can create little cards that show a visual and labels of each stage of that life cycle. 

Day 3, they bring in their lifecycle cards (or you have them saved) and use those cards to code the robot to the different parts of the lifecycle in order or even backwards or from different parts of it. 

Now if students were researching maybe by themselves, in pairs or groups of three, they might have a whole collection of different animals to learn from! Not only are they looking at the lifecycle that they researched about, but others that students have done in this class.

With this lesson, not only are you doing just robots, but you're integrating those standards, and other elements of STEM into one whole lesson. 

If you're a little pressed for time, or if you need some more support for specific students, you can find a growing collection of lifecycle coding cards at naomimeredith.com/tptspringlifecycle. 

Misconception #3: STEM is only coding

Coding is extremely important, and there definitely is a place for it in the elementary STEM classroom. However, STEM  isn't just coding. 

I often hear a lot of students at other schools or in other states, or parents talk to me and say that their kid had STEM , but they only did coding. STEM is so much more than that! 

Instead, STEM is hands-on, explorative and creates problem solving opportunities, where coding can be one of many types of solutions. 

When you're planning out your year, make sure there's a balance of robotics, and coding. Also, these two solutions should have equal weight compared to other solutions, like Makerspace, LEGO and 3D printing. Not all kids will like coding, not all of them will like robotics, not all of them like Makerspace or 3D printing. But make sure to have a balance and give students a variety so that they are exploring STEM  and multiple avenues. 

This can also help you when you're making purchasing decisions, and create a balance of tools and materials you have in your classroom; a balance of coding, robotics, and building supplies.

Misconception #4, STEM is just playing with “cool stuff”

Okay, in a STEM setting, you definitely should have cool stuff; STEM is super cool! But it is way more than that. 

I often see other teachers or admins or even district personnel who come into the building parents, and they are so mesmerized by the cool tools that we're using. They have the shiny object syndrome, and they're like, “Oh, you just play with cool stuff all day!” 

Yes, we do “cool stuff” in STEM, but there definitely needs to be a purpose for why you are using that “cool stuff”. What standards are integrated into your unit? What lesson objectives are students accomplishing? Are they practicing critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and problem solving? 

When you are planning your lessons, you definitely still need to ask yourself, “What is the academic goal that is being used behind this tool?” If you can't really answer that, if you're really stretching that answer, that might be a better answer to would this tool be better used for an after-school club. 

After-school clubs are a great way to explore, experiment and try something out before you have it in your actual classroom setting and use it with a small selection of kids. You can definitely play around that way. 

Again, STEM shouldn't be boring, but you do have a purpose in mind when you're using these tools in your classroom. 

Recap

You are going to definitely continue to develop your philosophy behind what STEM education is and what it means in the elementary classroom setting. In fact, I am sure that's a big reason why you are here listening or watching! You can see an infographic [on this website] I put together to highlight these four major misconceptions and how to reframe what STEM education means in your elementary classroom.

Let's recap what those four misconceptions are and how we can debunk those. 

  • Misconception #1- STEM is a step by step craft
  • Misconception #2- STEM is just isolated activities
  • Misconception #3-STEM is only coding
  • Misconception #4- STEM is just playing with “cool stuff”

Continue to build your work around these misconceptions. With what you're doing in the classroom, you're definitely going to help educate others when you get asked that question, “What is STEM?” and, “What are you actually doing all day?”, you will build a foundation that is deeper for your students, more meaningful and makes those cross curricular-connections that they can apply to their classroom settings and in the real world.

what-stem-education

butterfly-life-cycle-coding
Students can use these cards or create their own to learn more about life cycles of living things and code their robot to each stage.

 

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!