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lessons in the K-5 STEM year

How to Stretch Out the Lessons in the K-5 STEM Year Long Bundle [ep.111]

How to Stretch Out the Lessons in the K-5 STEM Year Long Bundle [ep.111]

lessons in the K-5 STEM year

Check out the full episode on How to Stretch Out the Lessons in the K-5 STEM Year Long Bundle:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

If you’ve been wondering how to stretch out the lessons in the K-5 STEM year long bundle, then today’s episode is for you. As we approach the back-to-school season, teachers are busy organizing their lesson plans and daily activities. So, I want to provide you with guidance on year long planning and help you create a plan for your lessons that works best for your STEM classroom. Whether you see the same kids every day or have a rotating schedule, we'll explore different scenarios and strategies to stretch out the lessons.

Do you have a different schedule for your K-5 STEM classroom? I would love to hear about it. Send me a DM on Instagram @naomimeredith_ and let me know what teaching schedule you have.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How to structure and pace your lesson plans
  • How to stretch out the lessons in the K-5 STEM year long bundle
  • Tips and strategies for the most common schedules when teaching K-5 STEM

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


During back to school, this is the time of year when you are trying to figure out what your elementary STEM is going to look like and what exactly you’re going to do each day. And many of you are wondering what should the pacing of your year look like. In fact, this can look different for the different types of lessons you teach and how often you see your students. In this episode, I'm going to break down a whole bunch for you that is going to help with your year long planning. We're going to be talking about the pacing of your lessons and what that can look like, how to stretch out your lessons for the year long plan bundle, and how this works out with different scenarios of STEM schedules that are pretty common in this elementary space. So let's get started and see how we can implement this lesson planning.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:05]:


I've mentioned this before, but if you are new here I used to teach elementary STEM for five years and a total of eleven years teaching in elementary. And when I got my K through five STEM teaching position, I got a brand new to me school and a brand new classroom with limited supplies and zero curriculum. And in fact, this is a very common narrative in the elementary STEM space. I actually put a poll over on my Instagram not too long ago and I asked if you are in charge of your STEM curriculum planning. And 81% of you who answered this question said, yes, I am in charge of my STEM curriculum. That is a lot to think about, even if it's just one grade level.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:20]:


But more than likely it's multiple grade levels. There are a whole lot of moving pieces and how are you going to make it all work? So maybe you have your plans already. You kind of have an idea of what you want to teach. Maybe you even bought my K-5 STEM year long plan bundle that is constantly growing with lots of cool updates and lessons. But you're wondering, okay, so how can this even work for my STEM schedule? I'm going to be referring a lot to the engineering design process throughout this episode. So if you are a bit unfamiliar with the engineering design process, this is a next generation science standard for K through two and three through five. If you are a little bit unsure about the engineering design process or want to learn more, I created a whole series about each step in that.


Naomi Meredith [00:03:13]:


So if you go back to episode 15, I go through every stage of the engineering design process. Also, I have created free podcast playlists where I have categorized all of the episodes here on this podcast in categories of topics that you probably want to learn about. So any episode that is related to the engineering design process, including those in that series, are all in its own playlist. You can check that out at naomimeredith.com/podcastplaylist, and that will be linked in the show notes. I put together four common scenarios when it comes to teaching in your elementary STEM space. So hopefully I gathered a scenario that is very common to yours or maybe exactly like yours. And if not, I know that you can learn a lot about these structures and how it can help you of structuring your year long plan of lessons. The first scenario is probably the luckiest one and that is where you see the same classes every day in a row, or pretty close to it.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:24]:


You see them five ish days, five to six days in a row. This was my schedule for about half the time when I taught STEM. So I had the same six classes starting on Monday and I had them all the way leading up to Friday. I had 45 minutes for each class. In the middle of my day was my lunchtime and about five to ten minutes when it comes to passing time. So lots of time with the same kids for the week. Then the following Monday I would get a new set of kids. So I will say this is again a very lucky schedule because you can continue on with the same lesson throughout the week.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:04]:


So if I was doing an engineering design process project, here is the basic structure that we went through. Day one was ask and imagine. So I proposed the question to the kids and we used different resources that I pre researched to help them gain knowledge about the topic that would inform their decisions when they went into the planning. Now every day, if students weren't finished with every part of the engineering design process, and this goes for any day, they had the opportunity to keep working on that process. So if not everyone is on that stage in that day, that's okay. Think about it like the writing process. I always told the kids, I'm always going to teach you the next step, but if you need to continue the next one, keep going at it, that's fine. If they didn't get to the project, they didn't get to the project.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:50]:


That's where they're at in the process. That's real. That's real life. So day two was planning. So students would thoughtfully plan their designs and maybe a few would start building if they were ready. Day three was all about that create. So really diving into their project and making changes along the way. Day four, more creation.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:10]:


And really, for those big changes to be thoughtful, students had a modification checklist that was specific to their project that could help them improve their design. And finally, on the last day is where students would share their designs, oftentimes by taking videos and pictures of their work and reflecting on the things that we did together that week. Later on in the year, maybe a couple of months in, I would actually do some STEM stations with my kindergarteners and first graders. I'm going to briefly highlight how this structure worked. But if you're wanting to hear more how I do this in a complete unit, go and check out this on demand workshop. I have an on demand workshop for K through two, STEM planning, and then an on demand workshop for three through five. So this can help you with your whole year, but you can check that out at Naomi Meredith.com workshops, and you'll see all of those laid out for you. But if I was mixing in STEM stations, the first one to three days would be the project.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:11]:


So we would condense the engineering design process, and then the last two days would be STEM stations. So they would do two the first day, two the next day. And there was a really specific way on how I planned those STEM stations, so they were getting a variety of things. I realized that with projects, it didn't really work well doing five days a row in a project. For little kids, their Stamina is just at a different place. That's where they're at developmentally for typical kindergarten and first graders. There's nothing wrong with that. So that was definitely how my weeks would go.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:45]:


Sometimes I would even flip flop it, depending on the week and what was going on. Sometimes I even started with STEM stations and ended with a project. It really just went based on what was happening at school and all of those fun things. On to scenario two. Maybe you only teach kids two to three days out of the week, and then you see the same kids next week, two to three days. I did this schedule, but it was just the three days in a row. I didn't see them again for the rest of the month. So this one is interesting.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:17]:


There's a few options of how you can structure this. If you have your K through five STEM year long plan, you have those lessons. You can still do projects just like you would for the younger students. You can actually condense the engineering design process in three days. So if you see them three days out of the week, maybe just condense the project, kind of speed up some steps a little bit more, maybe do a bit of the imagining together. The plan could be verbal. It doesn't always have to be through drawing, which there are benefits to that. But maybe it's a verbal plan.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:51]:


They're going to talk about it with their partner and what they're planning. Maybe they're going to take a video and explain what pieces they're going to use. And then you can spend more time with the building. I wouldn't just jump into building. There is value through the process, but you can speed it up so you can get through the project in three days. It is very fast. So I do recommend having projects that are smaller because it uses less supplies and it is less to store. I talk a lot about this in my Makerspace episodes, namely episode five and six.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:24]:


Maybe you don't want to speed up a project. You know you're going to see the kids again. So instead you could do the same project for two weeks, so lasting five days and have one flex day. So I would actually follow the same schedule that I talked about before, like having kids five days a week, I would do that same exact schedule. And then you have one day that could be like a makeup day. Maybe you had a sub and you needed to not have kids be in all of your building supplies that day. Maybe there is a day off of school when it comes to like a snow day or something like that. So you could still do the five days on a project.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:07]:


So do half the first week, half the next. If you get kids to create, they're going to be really excited to jump into the create the following week. So that way they're not like, oh wait, I planned this, but I want to do it again. And they're starting all from scratch. Make sure they create a little bit or even just have them collect supplies and then they can get into those steps again. So having that six if you're doing three days, three days, that six flex day is really helpful. Or maybe it's two and two. You could do a project in four days.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:40]:


I have definitely done that. Especially when students are getting used to you and you are using that same process over and over again, they're going to get a lot quicker at building as well. What if you want to mix in some of those STEM stations when you have kids? Three days the first week, three days the next week? Well, you could do STEM stations the whole time, and you could have two different kinds. Here's how I might do it with STEM stations that would repeat. So let's say I start seeing kids Wednesday. So I would do two stations on Wednesday, they would do the next two. On Thursday they would start it all over. So Friday they would do two.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:20]:


Monday they would do two. And then you can do like fun one day lessons for the last two days you see kids. Maybe you want to mix it up a little bit. You do STEM stations for half of the week. So you do STEM stations Wednesday, Thursday, and then Friday, you have, like, a fun STEM and stories, a one day lesson. And then the next week, you do it again. So you do okay, you're going to do the stations again. So two today, two tomorrow.


Naomi Meredith [00:11:46]:


And then you have a STEM and stories or half and half. First week, you do a STEM project that lasts three days. Next week, you do two days of STEM stations. The last day, maybe they pick their favorite station. Or you do a STEM and story. So there's a lot of options. We know with the little kids, you got to plan more, but those are some creative options that you can mix it up with your lessons. Scenario three, one of the most common scenarios I have found when talking to all of you in the digital space, you only see kids one time a week.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:22]:


You see by the end of the week, every student in the school. And you're wondering, I have all these lessons. I have the K through five STEM year long plan bundle. Can I still do the projects? Will I have enough time? I think yes. And I have had this schedule, too, where I saw kids one day a week. So here's how I would structure it. Week one, you would do that, ask and imagine. So what is the question, what is the problem they're trying to solve? And what is some inspiration behind it? The next week, you might want to add in another video to trigger their memory.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:02]:


And then they would do some planning and maybe gathering some materials so they have it on hand, put them in a bag. The third week, they really get into that creation. So for the first two weeks, you're not doing a lot of storage of projects already. Then the fourth week, you can really talk about those modifications and how they can share their work. So I still think that you can get a project done. You will definitely have to find your rhythm with this one and what would work best and a natural stopping place. But I still think that you can do a thoughtful lesson if you only see kids one time out of the week. And the last scenario, which isn't as common now, but I feel like it's becoming this way based on funding needs.


Naomi Meredith [00:13:49]:


And this is actually a question that was asked in my signature course, STEM Teacher 101. And there is a teacher who actually splits their time between two buildings. And when it comes to materials, super overwhelming. Should I be carrying materials back and forth? What should I be doing? How can I make sure robots are charged? All of that. So I haven't done this position. I have co taught with teachers in my building. But when it comes to the supplies, here is a creative way of looking at this. You can still teach those lessons.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:22]:


You want to teach. This will take some careful preparation. Now, if you have the bundle, you already are prepared. You just need to make sure you have all this stuff ready to go, but you can do a flip flop. So let's say I'm looking at my year long plan, and I have STEM Survival Camp as my first unit, and my second unit is Digital Citizenship. You could start off with both. Now. You could do STEM Survival Camp.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:46]:


At both schools. There's not very many supplies, but for the sake of this conversation, at school number one, they're doing STEM Survival Camp. Month one, school number two they're doing digital citizenship. All right? So that's month one. They're doing different things.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:04]:


Moving on to month number two. School number one, you're flip flopping. School number one is doing Digital Citizenship, and school number two is doing STEM Survival Camp. So that way you don't have to be worried about, oh, my gosh, I have to switch these materials back and forth, especially robots, blah, blah, blah, blah. No, in fact, this is a cool way that'll mix it up. So let's say you have four classes of a grade. Then that way you're not teaching it eight times, which eventually you're going to have to teach it eight times, but you're going to get super bored really fast. So at least you're breaking it up.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:41]:


You get to test it at both schools. And then month two, it can work out a lot better. So again, it'll take some careful planning. But that way you're not flip flopping materials every single week and your car is in a mess. You just have to keep track at which school is teaching what. So that would be a fun solution to that. The teacher in this group really liked this suggestion, so I can't wait to hear how it goes this school year for that teacher. So let me know if you're listening.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:06]:


Let me know in the Facebook group, or I'll check in on you to see what you ended up doing. As a recap, here are the different scenarios that we talked about when it comes to stretching out your year of lessons using the K-5 STEM year long bundle or any lessons that you have on hand. We talked about the first scenario where you see the same kids five days in a row. Next, we talked about the scenario if you see kids three days out of the week, and then you see them again for another three days the following week. The third scenario is when you see kids only one day out of a week for four weeks. So you see all the kids in the school by Friday, and then it starts all over again on Monday. And then the fourth scenario that we talked about is if you are splitting your time between two schools, what are your options for you? I'm curious. Do you have a different kind of schedule when it comes to your K through Five STEM space, I would love to hear about it.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:09]:


Send me a DM over on Instagram at Naomi Meredith underscore. Or if you are watching the video version of this episode, feel free to leave a comment below, and I would love to check in with you. Thank you so much for listening, and I will see you in the next episode.

lessons in the K-5 STEM year

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

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

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

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

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

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

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

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

engineering design process

STEM Survival Camp & The Engineering Design Process [ep.103]

STEM Survival Camp & The Engineering Design Process [ep.103]

engineering design process

Check out the full episode on STEM Survival Camp & The Engineering Design Process:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

Today’s episode is the audio from a presentation I did at the Seesaw Connect Summit. In this episode, I share how I merged the Engineering Design Process with my STEM survival camp unit in my K-5 STEM classroom. 

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The history of how STEM survival camp was created
  • How to integrate the Engineering Design Process in my STEM survival camp lesson
  • How to integrate Seesaw with the STEM survival camp challenges
  • Examples of how I implemented this in my K-5 STEM classroom

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith [00:00:00]:


One of my most favorite units I have ever taught is STEM survival camp. If you are looking for a way to easily double your Makerspace supplies for practically free and have the opportunity to take your students outside, then this unit is perfect for you. While the audio from this episode has never been heard before on this podcast, this was a presentation I did in the past at the Seesaw Connect Summit. In this episode and session, I'll be sharing with you how I merged together the Engineering Design Process and this fun, hands-on unit into my classroom with this K through 5 STEM unit with examples. If you wanna hear more in detail about STEM survival camp, I just did a re-release, and you can even scroll back all the way to episode 4. And I talk in that episode specifically about every single challenge in the STEM survival camp. If you need more background knowledge when it comes to the Engineering Design Process, I do get into it in this session, but I'm linking the 2 together. So STEM survival camp and the Engineering Design Process.


Naomi Meredith [00:01:05]:


So if you wanna hear more about each of those stages, go all the way back to the episode series all about the Engineering Design Process. So that starts in episode 15, then it skips to episodes 17 through 22. So you can listen to that first Or listen to this episode, and then go back and listen to those episodes that I just listed, and that can give you some more background knowledge to understand what I'm talking about. So let's jump into this fun episode to talk about one of my most favorite units. 


Hey there, teachers, and welcome to the session that's going to help kick off your year using the outdoors STEM survival camp. I am your guide, Naomi Meredith, a former classroom teacher turned current K through 5 STEM teacher and coach. My role not only includes teaching over 500 students in my school but also leading professional development and co-teaching with the teachers to help them integrate STEM and Technology. With over a decade of experience, along with a Master's in STEM Leadership and a STEM certificate, I help teachers worldwide navigate the best practices, strategies, and tools out there.


Naomi Meredith [00:02:53]:


I truly believe that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM and Technology in their classrooms. I can't wait to connect with you and be your guide during STEM survival camp in our short time together and other adventures. Here is an overview of the session and how we will spend our time together at STEM survival camp. First, you're going to hear the origin story of how STEM survival camp got started. Next, you're going to learn how to integrate and understand what the Engineering Design Process is, which is used in these STEM survival camp challenges, then you're going to see real examples of ways that you can integrate Seesaw with these STEM survival camp challenges, and then you're going to have some resources that will help you implement this in your own classroom. Let's gather around the campfire campers, and let's hear the origin story of STEM survival camp. Everybody likes a good origin story, and where things come from, so I think you'll like this one. This unit was born during the summer of 2020, and I was in the middle of a pandemic just like you. My school district was still planning on going back to school 100 percent in person for elementary students, along with the possibility of going remote at a moment's notice.


Naomi Meredith [00:04:18]:


The units I had done in the past, during August, wouldn't work since students would share classroom materials and most likely didn't have the same items at home. I needed to create something that could be shifted no matter what, and students could still have the same STEM experience. At the time, I was watching this survival show alone. And if you haven't seen it before, people are forced to be creative to survive, well, alone, by building their necessities, gathering, and protecting their food, traveling the land, and for those that stay really long staying entertained, thus STEM survival camp was born. This is one of six units I taught in my K through 5 STEM classroom, and we had an absolute blast. So much so that this is a unit that I taught again and will be taught each year coming back to school to help ignite creativity, create engagement, and improve critical thinking skills. I'm excited to have you learn more about this experience so that you can start something similar in your classroom. Before you dive into the actual STEM survival camp lessons, it's important to understand the basics of what the Engineering Design Process actually is.


Naomi Meredith [00:05:43]:


In my own definition, the Engineering Design Process is the real process engineers use to ask questions, find solutions, iterate ideas, or try something over and over again. So why is this important in the elementary space? Why is this even relevant? Well, the Engineering Design Process is part of the Next Generation Science Standards, even starting in kindergarten. Of course, there is a progression of learning among all the grades, but this is something that needs to be taught to our students. Now depending on which state you're in, your state might have even different variations of the Engineering Design Process and your standards and what they have adopted. So check that out and see what the science portion is for your state and district. Also, the Engineering Design Process is different than the scientific method. This doesn't mean getting rid of the scientific method, either. So I would say the scientific method is using science to prove and investigate a problem, and there typically is that scripted outcome or reason why something happens, at least in that elementary setting.


Naomi Meredith [00:06:58]:


It's great to integrate the Engineering Design Process along with the scientific method. So different types of experiments, different lessons, but the Engineering Design Process is used to plan, build, and solve a problem with multiple outcomes and solutions and, often, this comes with inventing. So, again, both are very different. Both are relevant. Both are needed. You typically don't teach both in the same lesson. So that'll help you understand the difference between the two. And also, when you're teaching the Engineering Design Process, this is a great opportunity to promote that creative problem-solving and also creativity with constraints.


Naomi Meredith [00:07:43]:


Students are creative beings, and it's amazing to tap into that. But also giving them those challenges where things aren't unlimited, they have to be creative with what they have. And you will see in these STEM survival camp examples that I'll be sharing with you that there is some creativity with constraints, which is really important to have so that students are problem-solving in a different way. In this course, I will be providing you with some free resources to help you get started when planning using the Engineering Design Process that will help you with these STEM survival camp challenges along with other STEM challenges that you want to implement in your classroom. Now that we have a basic understanding of what the Engineering Design Process is let's see how we can integrate that with Seesaw when we are accomplishing STEM survival camp. I'm going to be showing you these examples from kindergarten and 5th grades to the same challenge for each of those 2 individual grades so that you can flex up or down depending on the age of your students that you and you might even teach all of the students as I do as well.


Naomi Meredith [00:08:57]:


Now you already know that Seesaw has some amazing creative tools that you can use with any type of lesson and any type of subject, and I will use a mixture of both tools depending on the time and experience my students have with Seesaw. So, of course, you have the green add button. And when you click on that button, you get a variety of tools that pop up on your page, just like what I'm showing here. And then you also have those same tools that are embedded with activities. So, again, depending on their experience, you might want to it up. So, for example, my kindergartners don't have as much experience with Seesaw when coming into the school year. So I will typically start with one-page activities with them that have one goal in mind, or I will do a one-day challenge with the green add button. So maybe that is, let's just take a picture of our work today.


Naomi Meredith [00:09:52]:


Now for my older students, that I have had more time with, the years and more experience with Seesaw, not only with STEM survival camp but other challenges we do during STEM. I will use more of a mixture of multi-tools. So we might do let's take a picture and record our voice on top using the arrow tool. or I might even send them multi-page activities that we will edit throughout the week and go through during our time together. So really mix up the creative tools when you are using CSA with your student. The 1st stage in the Engineering Design Process is at. Now you are asking the problem that needs to be solved. This problem can be teacher or student-directed depending on the time that you have and what you're really trying to accomplish.


Naomi Meredith [00:10:43]:


Since I have limited time with my students, I typically will have the ask the problem already written out for them, and I will keep this question really open-ended. So when you're thinking about the problem that you're trying to solve, shift from can you do this, which is typically a yes or no answer, to how can you, which keeps it more open-ended. So just shifting those few little words can really change the outcome of your challenge. So for this STEM survival camp experience, kindergarten has the question, how can you create a solution to help you cross the river safely? And 5th grade's challenge is how can you create a shelter that will withstand different types of weather. So both are very open-ended for the challenges that they are going to attack. The next stage in the Engineering Design Process is the imagined stage. Now, again, depending on the time you have, you probably want to pre-research a lot of these resources for students to explore. just so that they can attack what they need to. Again, research is a really great tool, and skill for students to have.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:00]:


That isn't always in my STEM position, what time we have for. I really want to get kids into building and collaborating. So I will pre-research in a lot of ways and provide those resources for students. So you see on the left that there is the shelter inspiration, so I found different images of shelters that are built in real life by people. My students are gonna build little small prototypes of these or whatever they choose to plan. And if you've done challenges before, really think about how you can take pictures and videos as students work in action because that's really helpful for kids to see what real kids have done. Now this isn't a means to copy each other's work, but just seeing different examples that will give them a basis of understanding. The cool thing with Seesaw is you can even go through your past classes in Seesaw and save work with those QR codes.


Naomi Meredith [00:12:56]:


So if you click the three dots under a student's post in a journal, students could scan that QR code, and they can check out work that way, or you can even create a list of links to past student work. Also, in the Imagine stage, you can find videos online, websites that are related, podcast whole podcasts or even podcast clips, or even create a collection in Epic Books that you can share with students. So the more pre-research that you do as a teacher and giving those tools to students, that can really help you save time and help them focus on what they need to know for their challenge. Group students have gathered ideas from all of the imagining resources. It is time for them to plan their design thoughtfully. Planning designs is important for all grade levels and is possible for all grade levels, no matter what their abilities are. The planning stage is also where I will tell them how much of each item they're going to be able to use. So in this unit for STEM survival camp, there are predetermined amounts of materials they're allowed to use along with anything that they collect from the outside.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:05]:


So here is an example of a kindergarten plan, and this is from a different related project. So you notice it says Pumpkin Bridge. It's from something else; however, the challenge is how you can create something to help cross the river safely. So a bridge would definitely work in this situation. So ahead of time, in this one-page activity that I sent my kindergartners, I added in the predetermined materials that they would be able to use for my classroom. So, for example, they will be able to use popsicle sticks, cubes, and cups. You can even limit this even more and have a set amount of popsicle sticks, cubes, and cups; that is entirely up to you. Now for this challenge, they are also able to use anything that we collect from the outdoors.


Naomi Meredith [00:14:51]:


There are some rules that will go over in the create stage for that. So students use Seesaw, the drawing tool, to draw their design, and I really encourage them to use colors to really think about how their plan could look like in real life. They can also label their drawing as well. I've seen students draw lines from the materials list to their actual drawings, or they like to use that text tool to label on top. So depending on their experience with Seesaw and how you want to go with this. Those are a couple of options for planning for those younger students. You can also leave that material section blank if you don't have time. Or, if you want to use Seesaw tools even more, students can take pictures of the materials that they're going to use in the classroom, and then they can put that in that empty space.


Naomi Meredith [00:15:43]:


For the older students, I do still have them thoughtfully plan their designs. And what I have found is that drawing their plans on a separate piece of paper can really bring out those details just based on the types of devices that I have that they use Seesaw on. Older students will often get frustrated drawing their plans just using their fingers because there's so much that they want to add. So I still have them plan on a piece of paper. I'll send them that planning sheet, but then they will take a picture of their plan. and then also they can talk about their design using the microphone tools. So, again, they can use the c sub tools in a different way. When the older students are planning, I will try to encourage them to draw more than one view of their plan based on our planning rubric, label the parts, and also explain what each of those parts will do.


Naomi Meredith [00:16:34]:


So in this example, they're going to use 6, a bag, a wrapper, and string, and you notice that they describe what each of those parts is going to do. During this planning stage, if you are thinking about using the money for students to purchase supplies, this is the stage that you would do that. I do use money in other units. For STEM survival camp, I just have the set amount of materials. But if you are thinking about adding money and a budget, the planning stage is where you want to do that. Now that the plans are underway, it is time to take, which is the students’ favorite part, especially since they get to find some materials from the outdoors. So like, I mentioned during the planning stage, I will tell them the amount of the predetermined things for my classroom that they are able to use within their design.


Naomi Meredith [00:17:25]:


So, of course, it goes back to that creativity with constraints. It's always good to let students be creative and design whatever is in their heart's desire that is school appropriate, but also have those constraints when it comes to the material because when you think about things that we build in real life, there usually isn't an unlimited amount of materials and students need to realize that. and be creative with what they got. So we'll go over those things that they can use from the classroom, and then they can go outside to collect the materials that they want to add to their design. So this is really fun, especially when the weather is nice, so keep that in mind as well. So when we go and collect things from outside, I do have some ground rules that I go over with all of the classes. So these are the same rules for k through 5. So these are my biggest things that we are collecting, is only take what you need.


Naomi Meredith [00:18:20]:


So we don't wanna be excessive with what we're taking from nature. But based on the plans, we only take what we need. I will have one initial day that we will go outside to collect materials. And then depending on the class, some classes do want to go back out a few days later, and some of them will actually take things back outside and then collect something new. So I also don't have students bring bags with them because I did that the first time, and then they came back with bags of dirt and all sorts of things. We had a spider and a slug. So happen to be able to carry what they take from the outside indoors. Next is that living things stay living.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:03]:


So we're not picking up all the grass out of the ground, taking leaves off of trees, taking small little creatures on purpose; those living things need to stay living. And then, along the same lines, sticky, slimy, and wet things stay in nature. So that might even include, like, a bag wrapper that they find that is all wet and soggy. Let's leave that outside. probably even put it in the trash. So that way, things that are coming indoors aren't as filthy. Your room will be a little bit of a mess, but this will help with that collection piece. Once students have gathered their materials from the doors and also used the things in your room, they are going to create.


Naomi Meredith [00:19:48]:


So here are some of my 5th grader's examples with the build the shelter challenge. From me, they were able to use one foot of string, one grocery bag, one foot of tape, and 2 brown paper bag pieces. You notice there are other things in their designs. They did actually find a lot of things outdoors, and then they decided to combine designs after we tested them. For kindergarten, they had other materials for me as well, along with things that they collected from the outdoors. So for them to cross the river, however, they chose. They had one foot of tape, one piece of bubble wrap, 3 small pieces of cardboard, 4 popsicle sticks, and one plastic top. I did give them more material since it's their first-ever challenge with me, and I wanted them to experiment with things that sync and flow, which we'll talk about in the experiment section of this little course.


Naomi Meredith [00:20:38]:


You also can see in the picture of one of those kids. There is a little Lego person. They happened to have that in their pocket. They wanted to add it to their design. I said sure. And then I added water on the last day, so they built their designs for a couple of days. And then the last day is when we tested with the water, which again will go over in the experiment and improve. The improve stage really goes along with the create stage as well. Now with this done survival camp, they are fairly separate because students really do need to be pretty much done with their design before they experiment.


Naomi Meredith [00:21:15]:


However, when you're thinking about other challenges that you do in the future using the same process, there's a lot of experimenting and improving that go back and forth. So with the 5th-grade challenge, how can you create a shelter that can withstand the elements? After students have built their shelters, we will have an experimenting day. So they have a slide, a modification, and a testing checklist, and this actually got improved with my student suggestions. but they have different tests that they will put their shelter through. So they will actually guess before they test which rhymes. But they wanna guess, do they have an entrance for people to get in? Yes or no? Will it keep the inside dry? Does wind not get in, does it protect against snow, and can it be moved without breaking? So this isn't for a grade, and I remind students that this is just a way to test how you designed your shelter. So they will go through and guess using Seesaw, and they will either use the shape tool to add a little star or even just the drawing tool. And then, they will go through and test their design, which I will have set up around the room.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:26]:


So we have the wind station. The snow is glitter. And then there's a water station. You can kind of see in the picture that there is a little basket, and then there's another bucket with water. They put this sponge in the water, and then they squeeze it on top of their shelter with their shelter in that basket. So then they're not flooding. They're designed completely. It might be based on how they designed it.


Naomi Meredith [00:22:50]:


And then, from there, they will go back to their checklist and then check off what actually happened. I do have another agency saw where I have students take a picture of their design before and after testing, which is really helpful. and I will have some towels on hand because a lot of students if they have time, will actually go back and improve their design and test again. So it's really great having Seesaw. Make sure to keep it away from the water. But having Seesaw available because they can really showcase what is happening during those experiments. Similarly, with kindergarten with the crossing the river challenge, I have them if they take a picture of each other's work and add it to their modifications. So they're thinking about if certain things would sink or flow, and you could do this part after their building piece or even beforehand, depending on the flow of your lessons.


Naomi Meredith [00:23:46]:


So, again, Seesaw makes it really easy to record the results and things that paper might not be able to do. From there, students can share their work either by taking a picture, or a video adding to those pictures that we're taking for testing the experiments, sometimes I will take the picture for them and put it in their Seesaw account depending on our time. Other kids will help each other take pictures of as well of their work, which is really helpful. And then, I always make sure to have some questions at the end to reflect on. And I use these questions throughout all of my different types of units because the responses will definitely change over time. and based on the types of projects that we are working on. So students can either use the text box tool to type in their thinking can record a video answering the responses. Some students prefer not being on video yet, so they might use the microphone to record their voices as well.


Naomi Meredith [00:24:47]:


For younger students, I will maybe ask them one of these question prompts, and then they will respond back, and you can hear my voice on the recording as well. We might do all three, or maybe I will type in their answer for them. So there are a lot of opportunities for students to reflect on their work throughout this process. Thank you so much for joining in on this little journey, campers. Now that you have seen the examples used in kindergarten for a STEM survival camp, along with how it can be taken to higher levels in the 5th grade, you can now explore and create your own STEM survival camp challenges that you can use during back-to-school time. I have included some free resources to help you plan using the Engineering Design Process, so make sure to check those out, And these planning pages can help you when you're designing STEM survival camp challenges along with other Engineering Design Process lessons that you may be teaching in the future. If you have any questions and make sure to reach out, I can be found in a lot of different places. You can find me on my website, naomimeredith.com, send an email, contactnaomimeredith@gmail.com, and @naomimeredith_, where I share a lot of STEM and technology content all the time.


Naomi Meredith [00:26:08]:


And then also on YouTube where I have more video tutorials and also things for students as well. Thank you so much again, and I hope you have a wonderful school year. This presentation had a ton of visuals, and I bet you are dying to see all of the examples and handouts. You can grab the video recording of this episode, the video slides I referenced throughout, student examples, and bonuses for only $5. That's less than a fancy coffee drink. This will all be linked in the show notes, and you can check it all out here at naomimeredith.com/PDreplay.

engineering design process

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

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

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

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

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

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

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

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

STEM lesson planning

Are You Complicating Your STEM Lesson Planning? [ep.89]

Are You Complicating Your STEM Lesson Planning? [ep.89]

STEM lesson planning

Check out the full episode on Are You Complicating Your STEM Lesson Planning?:  

 

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Episode Summary

Do you find yourself wanting to implement all of the cool STEM lessons you see on social media or hear about on this podcast? Do you feel the pressure to try to implement lots of new STEM lessons in the hopes you will keep your kids engaged in STEM? In today’s episode, I’m breaking down things you may be doing that are complicating your STEM lesson planning and sharing what to do instead.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • 3 things that complicate your STEM lesson planning
  • Why these 3 things complicate your STEM lesson planning
  • 3 ways to simplify your STEM lesson planning to reduce your overwhelm

Resources Mentioned:

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

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

Are you complicating your STEM lesson planning? Teaching elementary STEM is such a highly creative subject to teach. But it can get overwhelming very quickly. With all of the cool ideas that you're seeing all over social media, or maybe even things that you are hearing on this podcast, you might be getting a little bit of FOMO or fear of missing out, you want to teach it all. Trust me, I was like this too, especially when you first are getting started teaching STEM, you feel like you have to do all the cool ideas that you see, or your students aren't going to get a great STEM experience. But guess what this could actually be contributing to your STEM, overwhelm, and making your lesson planning a lot harder than what it should be. So let's the solution. In this episode, I will be sharing with you the things that are probably contributing to your STEM, overwhelm, and some solutions to combat this.


Naomi Meredith  01:17

If you are listening to this episode live when it comes out, the doors are open only for a little short while to the STEM into summer group coaching program. With me as your coach, you will have 16 weeks with a hands on experience, along with other STEM teachers who are doing what you're doing. But also create a scaffolded STEM lesson plan that will work best for your space. Be prepared for the whole year, along with lessons that are actually going to work along with templates and lesson plans and resources that will help you along the way. Along with that you will have access to me with video messaging and weekly video calls. So you definitely want to book your spots before they all run out and really be prepared for this upcoming school year. You can jump on in and get started at naomimeredith.com/STEMintosummer. Also for being a podcast listener, you can get an extra 25% off, make sure to use the promo code STEMSUMMERPOD to get your special discount. As soon as you sign up, we will set up your bonus one to one video call with me so we can get to know each other and set you up for success. So join me and other STEM teachers at naomimeredith.com/STEMintosummer. 


Naomi Meredith  02:49

When I jumped into the K through five STEM space from being a classroom teacher for six years, I absolutely fell in love. And I was spending all my weekends doing the lesson planning going into my classroom, staying late at night and getting there early in the morning. And definitely I felt a ton of overwhelm. And the biggest thing with that not to mention teaching 500 plus kids and six classes a day. But it has a lot to do with the lesson planning. What's very different that I have found from being a classroom teacher to being a STEM teacher is you really don't have any curriculum to work with like not really even a little bit. A lot of different programs come with things to get you started. But then it's so hard to make everything fit and everything pieced together and make sure it's not random. Or maybe you are making things random, but having it all go together cohesively. So you are not rushing around from class to class and not knowing what to teach when you show up or not even feeling prepared. And it can get overwhelming very, very quickly. So let's take a deep dive into your lesson planning habits in your STEM space. And let's see if you are doing these things that are probably overcomplicating your STEM lesson planning. It is hard, however, it doesn't have to be that hard. And let's see if we can refine those things and make this end of the year and going into the next school year a lot smoother for you. 


Naomi Meredith  04:23

The first thing that is probably complicating your STEM lesson planning is you are doing too many ideas at once. That is actually a good problem to have. But it can make it very complicated. Maybe our lessons look like this. Let's say you are teaching all about landforms the first day you have kids doing robotics. The next day you are going to have them do a mini Makerspace project. The next two days you have a another Makerspace project. And then the last day is some free choice time Whoa, that was exhausting even explaining that, yes, all those ideas are probably cool, but you actually don't have to do all of them. Well, these are all awesome STEM lessons to teach, they are really all over the place. Back in the last episode, Episode 88. I talk a lot about this. So make sure to go back and take a listen. But this is really probably contributing to your overwhelm. You are rushing from lesson to lesson a lesson you are making sure, okay, we're gonna do this this day and do this this day. That's a lot of planning to keep up with. Likewise, you might not even be realizing this, but your students might also be feeling rushed as Well. So not only as you as a teacher, you're rushing from lesson to lesson a lesson. But so far your students, and they might not find that they are finding success, because they have to do something new every day. And you might be feeling as a teacher, “Well, I am the STEM teacher, I do need to make it fun.” It's like a party every day. It kind of is like a party. But it doesn't have to be something brand new. It's okay, if you are not implementing every single fun thing that you're seeing all over Instagram. You don't even know with these teachers if they taught this lesson five years ago, and maybe they're just posting an idea to give you some inspiration. You have no idea what's really going on behind the scenes, it really is a highlight reel. So don't feel like you have to change it up every single day to keep your kids entertained. In fact, this is something that I did when I first got started. And this is what was really taking up my weekends, coming up with new ideas every day. However, when I switched it to having more long term projects, where we were working on the same thing throughout the week, or throughout the days that I saw them if it was once a week, then what the new things that I would be implementing is the new things using the Engineering Design Process, or the process that we were using at the time. So students were able to improve and really think about the project that they were doing. Rather than switching from project to project to project to project. There's a book that I have read years ago that I highly recommend it is called the Talent Code. And it shows these case studies of famous people who are experts in their craft, athletes, people who are sharing content, artists, and it shows that they are more successful because they have more repetition and more ways to practice. So think about that with your projects. If you are rushing from project to project or project and they're all completely different, sure, you might be giving them some awesome exposure, but they're not really getting the time to really go deeper into that process, and really improve what they are working on. So in the long run, they aren't really refining what they are doing. One way that can really help with this too, is to take a supply audit, look at the materials that you actually have in your classroom. And this is actually going to really give you a big picture of how you can use these things in more effective ways with all of your different grade levels. Also think about are there things that are in your supplies that are outdated, maybe you need to replace a few things, maybe you will have things that are actually better suited for older students or an after school club. So understanding all of the materials and supplies that you have in your classroom can really help with this lesson overwhelm certain supplies. And I've talked about this in past episodes before, certain supplies can actually be used again, over and over again within the same grade level, or even multiple grade levels, but you're switching out the content, and they can practice it in a different way. So it all doesn't have to be brand new every day. That's exhausting. thing about being a classroom teacher, you don't always have to do brand new every day. So why do you have to as a STEM teacher, just because you're the STEM teacher. So thinking about that whole supply audit will really, really be helpful. In my STEM into center group coaching program, I actually have created a template, the same one that I used, when I looked at all of my supplies to really think about what do I have on hand? What do I need to get donations for what could be something I could write a grant in the future years, or what kind of human purchase with the limited budget that I had. So this will help you again, make that big picture and really help you not have to rush through all these different things, but zone in on the topics that you want to teach your students. 


Naomi Meredith  09:46

The second thing that is probably contributing to your STEM planning overwhelm, is all of the grades are doing different themes. So we just talked about how you're planning all these different lessons for one class, think about what you're teaching all the grade levels. Maybe you're teaching all different themes. So possibly first grade, you're working on animals, maybe fourth grade, you're working on space, third grade, you are working on fossils, that's a lot of content to track. You found all these cool project ideas, and again, you want to teach them all and keep track of everything. But then you have certain supplies for one grade level, and then you're switching it out for another, you need robots for this one. And then you're going over to 3D printing, you have all of these different things going on. It's not even controlled chaos, it's chaos, and you have all the supplies out too. That's a lot. You have Makerspace things out, you're charging all this stuff. What's happening in all there, it looks like a tornado hit your room. So what is actually the solution for that? Think about can you plan in your grade level theme? So let's say you have K through five, or K through eight? Can you plan in content themes. So if you are going to teach robotics, can you do robotics for everybody, K through five, they could be learning different standards within those robotics lessons. But that way, you're only worrying about robots at the time, maybe you have a handful of different kinds, that you can switch out throughout the classes, the robots will actually hold a charge better than you think I have tried it. So definitely try it out. But when it comes to your planning, if you are planning within that same theme, and maybe you also have that same, let's say you have earth science, and then robotics, you are doing this whole umbrella within the earth science and the robotics, and then this is going to get you in the mind as a teacher to find lessons and really think through those lessons that will work in that theme. This is also going to help you with supplies, some of you actually go into the classrooms and have to bring your supplies with you. So if you are planning within this whole consistent way, then you're not switching out things as often that you have all the things in your mindset, but also ready to go. So you're not switching out from Makerspace, through robotics to 3D printing, you have a whole consistency and differentiation within all of those different grade levels. So a great way to do this is having that big picture of your year long plan, and then taking an audit of the lessons that you are going to teach or the ones that you have taught for each grade level. And think about how long that lesson is going to go. What standards are going to apply to those lessons, what materials are you going to need, and really think through every single grade level in this way. And it's really going to help you with that progression of learning. And again, help you beat that overwhelm and that complicating of all the lessons, this is something that I actually did one summer, I used to have a little bed and my home office and me and my little dog Frederick would cuddle. And he loved all this time it took me because he got extra cuddles while I was lesson planning. But this is exactly what I did to help create my STEM year long plan. And this is something that I am also constantly updating as there are more materials come out and other ways to look at standards. So taking that time really sitting through during the summer. And this is something that I will definitely help you with and you're in the STEM into summer group coaching program is giving you that template with spreadsheets with drop down menus that will really help you think through those lessons. And this is also a really great time to to think about, oh, is this lesson even good? Or is this just a fun activity kids could just do for fun, but it's not really getting getting to the standard at all. So that will be part of the first thing that we will really take a look at in that first month together is the supplies and also your lesson planning so that you can be set up for success and then go from there and actually create the year long plan. 


Naomi Meredith  14:14

And the third way that you might be complicating your second lesson planning is planning the same way for all your grade levels. So I was just talking about how you can use those same content themes and STEM ideas for the grade levels. But when it comes to the actual lesson planning for each of those grades, are you planning everything the same? Or are you really keeping in mind the ages of your students and their capabilities? When I first got started, I kind of really didn't. I did and I didn't. I was really planning the same way and I was really getting so frustrated as a teacher because I felt like I was a failure. We weren't finishing the projects at all, especially With my younger students, we weren't finishing them. There wasn't any motivation of the students, I wanted to do a cool project over the course of five days. By day four, and five, they were super over it, and then didn't want to do it anymore. They just didn't have the stamina. Likewise, when it came to my older students, I actually was making the projects way too hard. “Nothing is impossible. Everything is figureoutable,” as Marie Forleo says. But the way I was planning things I had too much going on, I was changing up the process I was using each time the way that they were taking notes, adding in too much digital or even too much paper things. I was making things way too hard. I was too ambitious. And likewise, I was kind of planning the same for all the grade levels, and that wasn't going to work. So again, after taking that audit of my lesson plans and thinking about the materials that I had, this is when I actually figured out the hack when it comes to planning for K through two, and then three through five and above. And I kept that same system up for those grade levels, just changed out the content, change that the themes. And it was like magic. My planning was so easy. And also the way that I was teaching made it easier. The students knew what to expect. They weren't complaining about brainstorming and planning their ideas anymore, because they knew this was part of the process. This is what we do in the projects. I had my younger students begging me are we doing STEM stations today, I'm like not today we're doing our projects, like, okay, it sounds great. But really thinking through the way that I plan for my littles is helping prepare them for when they get to the older grades. And likewise, the ways that I was planning for my older grades was something that they were actually ready for, and not feeling overwhelmed. Once I figured this out for myself, I was way less stress coming into the classroom, I felt prepared, even if I was teaching something new I've never taught before, like 3D printing. And I think I've said this before, 3D printing is weirdly one of my favorite units to teach. There's quite a few I really like I really like video and audio production. I also really like 3D printing. Even if it was something new I haven't actually taught before, I still felt really prepared. Because I was using this same process of planning, I was just plugging in those content themes and thinking about those standards and creative ways that all the tools would come through, it would actually start working out those are just little troubleshooting things that as a teacher, that's what we do. Anyway, we're not going to know every single tool every single time. But it was exciting to try this new stuff. Because the structure of my lessons were very consistent. And again, for same for my students, the structure was consistent, but the other things would change out. So then they didn't feel stressed out overwhelmed, probably because I was stressed out and overwhelmed. Planning and engaging lessons is literally one of my most favorite things to do as a teacher. Even as a classroom teacher, I loved doing this. And I think sometimes my teammates would get annoyed with me, because I had all these creative ideas. But I think they were a little annoyed because I actually could do them. And they're like, Okay, I guess we'll do this. But it makes it so much fun. Come on you. If you're having fun as a teacher, so are the kids. So it's all for the kids. Okay, part of my role. Also, in this case, your STEM teacher position is also being a co-teacher and co-planner with the classroom teachers in my building to help them implement innovative strategies. So I was working with our first grade team, and they had an upcoming insect unit. And they had a whole system of things that they would do in the past, but they really want to make it more hands on and engaging, which I was so excited that they were on board with this. And we came up with a whole thing for students while they were with our classroom teacher. They were researching more about insects and all of the things on their anatomy. So we're thinking about their antennas, their segments, their eyes, they have six legs. So all of those things that insects have. And then they had to pick their favorite one. And they came into my space. We got donations from the parents. So this was something that we did. We played up to this. So parents had donated things. And they came into my space and they had the opportunity to build their insect or a new insect. And they had to make sure to include all of the parts that An insect has. And their little things that they came up with were absolutely adorable. And I gave them some strategies have different things that they could actually use to put on the insect. How could they represent the antennas? How could you represent the eyes? What could you use for the legs? So we'd talked about those different strategies, and then they had the opportunity to build. So this really beefed up their projects, they were actually just drawing things before great way to plan. But then we went from there and created this whole experience for the students that they were so proud of. If you are actually interested in this lesson, you can find the whole Makerspace lesson that uses the Engineering Design Process in my TPT shop, I will link that in the show notes. But this was a really great lesson, especially for the end of the year, getting those little hands busy. 


Naomi Meredith  20:35

Also, in my STEM into summer group coaching program, you will actually have a similar experience by being able to audio message with me, where maybe you have this idea for a lesson or maybe you have a standard, that you're not quite sure how to take it to the next level. Oh my gosh, this is my jam. And I love brainstorming with people. You can hear it in my voice. I'm like so pumped up about it. So this is something that we'll be able to do over the summer, it gets feedback on chat back and forth. We also have the live calls with the other teachers where you can feel successful and not feel like you're planning alone, because that can definitely help that can definitely contribute to the overwhelm as well is you are doing this all alone. And I didn't list that as one of the three ways because that's not really always in your control. You're not the one hiring other seven teachers usually. But there are options out there. And there are teachers I know who are feeling that same way. So let's support you this summer is a great time to feel inspired, you have the sunshine, you are ready to go. And I would love to be in your back pocket where we can chat with each other and really think about things that will work best for your classroom and the time that you have with kids. 


Naomi Meredith  21:52

As a recap, here are the three things that are contributing to complicating your STEM lesson planning. First is you might be doing too many ideas at once. Next, we talked about how all the grades might all be doing different themes. And third, that might be complicating things is that you might be planning the same way for all the grade levels. Like I said, STEM is such an exciting thing. And it's such a great opportunity that you are bringing to your students, and you are really getting their creativity and collaboration flowing. But it doesn't have to be as complicated as you might think. And again, I am here to support you here with my podcasts and all of my resources. And we'd love to be in your back pocket where we can actually chat and almost like bringing this podcast live a live elementary STEM coach, but I would love to chat with you this summer and join me in my STEM into summer group coaching program. You can reserve your spot so we can get started in June 2023. You can find that at Naomi meredith.com/stemintosummer

STEM lesson planning

 

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!

project based learning lessons

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

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

project based learning lessons

Check out the full episode on Project Based Learning Lessons with Jeff Imrich from Rock by Rock:  

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Episode Summary

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

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

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

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

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

Meet Jeff Imrich from Rock by Rock:

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

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

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

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

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

Connect with Rock by Rock:

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

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


Naomi Meredith  01:56

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


Jeff Imrich  02:30

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


Naomi Meredith  02:31

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


Jeff Imrich  05:09

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


Naomi Meredith  07:44

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


Jeff Imrich  08:37

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


Naomi Meredith  09:21

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


Jeff Imrich  10:15

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


Naomi Meredith  11:01

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


Jeff Imrich  11:45

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


Naomi Meredith  14:13

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


Jeff Imrich  15:13

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


Naomi Meredith  15:46

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


Jeff Imrich  16:35

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


Naomi Meredith  17:15

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


Jeff Imrich  17:45

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


Naomi Meredith  18:17

Ooh, that's a great question. 


Jeff Imrich  18:20

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


Naomi Meredith  20:08

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


Jeff Imrich  20:44

What's your favorite animal? 


Naomi Meredith  20:45

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


Jeff Imrich  20:55

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


Naomi Meredith  21:01

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


Jeff Imrich  21:13

I love it. That's awesome. 


Naomi Meredith  21:15

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


Jeff Imrich  21:26

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


Naomi Meredith  22:56

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


Jeff Imrich  23:33

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

project based learning lessons

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

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

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

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

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

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

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

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

STEM sub plans

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

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

STEM sub plans

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

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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

Episode Summary

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

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

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

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

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

Resources Mentioned:

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

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

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


Naomi Meredith  00:52

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


Naomi Meredith  01:44

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


Naomi Meredith  02:46

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


Naomi Meredith  03:53

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


Naomi Meredith  05:43

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


Naomi Meredith  07:16

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


Naomi Meredith  09:24

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


Naomi Meredith  11:40

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


Naomi Meredith  13:40

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


Naomi Meredith  14:44

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


Naomi Meredith  16:35

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


Naomi Meredith  18:24

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

STEM sub plans

STEM sub plans

 

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More About your host, Naomi Meredith

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

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

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

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

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

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

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