Naomi Meredith  00:00

Are you struggling with how to structure your STEM time for K-2? Well, these little friends in our STEM space can often have a lot of energy. They also have a ton of creativity that they can bring into this environment. Planning for K-2 is often one of my most favorite grade levels to plan for. I am going to be sharing with you three hacks to make the most of these lessons for these little ones. 

Naomi Meredith  00:40

I know that I have been starting these episodes with some announcements and things to keep your eye out for, but this time, my special announcement is going to come at the end. So make sure you listen through all the way and not miss out on this special thing. I am so excited and have been working behind the scenes for a while on this for you, so make sure to check that out, you definitely don't want to miss it. I've mentioned this before in past episodes, but when I was in college, I was really thinking about getting my degree in early childhood education. I've always loved children. I've been around children my whole life as the oldest of five, and babysitting all the kids in the neighborhood. I am just so used to being around little kids. So I was really close to getting my degree in early childhood education. I was working at a preschool at the time, but ultimately, I went with elementary education. I'm so glad that I did. But I still have a special warm spot in my heart for those younger students. Before I became a K through five STEM teacher, I taught second grade for two years, and then third grade for four years. All those student teaching experiences, those were also in the primary space. So I definitely have a love for this, and I can always see that potential of what those littles are able to do. I feel like they have even more creativity sometimes than the older students. So let me share with you three hacks that I use to manage these little guys in my classroom, and really go forward with the planning. So I think you're really going to enjoy this one because I know a lot of you struggle with younger kids. There is no shame in that whatsoever. I think that this is going to really help you out with your planning. So let's jump in. 

Naomi Meredith  02:58

One of the biggest game changers that has been for me with my younger students is how I structure my week. The way that I plan for my little ones, mainly K and first, but sometimes second grade, at the beginning of the year, is a lot different than how I plan for my third through fifth graders. This is super, super important. I was planning the same way for everybody, but then I realized that wasn't working out. So let me let you take a behind the scenes of how I actually structure my week when I'm making my plans for my younger students. Now, I see my same students, so I have K through five, and I see my same six classes for five days in a row. So you can modify this schedule that I'm going to explain to whatever works best for you. I know a lot of you actually see different kids every single day, which is a lot. But this structure can definitely work out for you as well. So I will switch up the order. So what I'm going to talk about in a second, I might not always start with the same thing on the day one. It really just depends on what's happening in the school, and with breaks and everything. But here is how I actually plan a unit for my younger students. So in general for all of my classes, I plan with a unit in mind. So there is a progression of learning for all of my students. If you want to take a peek at this, I actually have my FREE K through five STEM year long plan that you can access for free. It'll be linked in the show notes or you can find it at Naomimeredith.com/year long plan. So I have this same theme. So if I'm doing 3D printing, everyone is doing 3D printing. If I am doing LEGO Education building kits, everyone is doing that. So that way you can actually see that progression of learning and it actually makes the planning a whole lot easier. So start with that. Of course you're integrating the standards, so there are past episodes that I have as well to help you with the actual planning. So I'm just talking more about the structure of my week. So I have my overall theme, I have the standards that I want to attack, and then I have a special structure for these little ones. 

Naomi Meredith  05:17

For two or three days, depending on the project, I will do a mini Engineering Design Process project with the kids. I will go through all of the steps with the students, but it won't stretch out for the full five days. We know that with the little ones their stamina is not as great as those bigger kids. In some ways, the bigger kids don't have great stamina either when it comes to work time, but they can dive in deeper, and they have a lot more when it comes to their projects. So my projects for the younger kids still follow along the Engineering Design Process. But we will go through all of the steps a lot quicker. There is no rulebook that says you have to do a different thing every single day. I like to do that, but it doesn't really always work out for the younger students. So we will go through the process really fast. Sometimes even the creation of the project is one day and that is plenty. So here's how I go. Let's say I'm starting off my week with this mini project. So day one would be to explore the question to gather research and to do a plan. Sometimes if we have enough time, depending on the class, I might even have them gather their materials, and hold on to that. So then the next day, day two of the project, we can jump right into the building, and they're usually fine with one day of building. Then if we extend it one more day, day three, then students who still need to finish can finish their projects. This also gives them the opportunity to share, which often in my class is taking a picture or a video of their work and sharing that through Seesaw. 

Naomi Meredith  07:00

So they're happy with this structure, and sometimes it's even two days. So we might not get to the final share piece. By day two, they're pretty much done with their projects, and then they can even take them home. So we don't need a whole lot of time. It does take some careful planning and having all of those resources and things ready to go. But once you have it, and you have a project that works, it's so nice, and you get it done a lot quicker. So let's say our project in a five day week, is three days. Then the next two days, I like to do STEM stations that are still going along with that overall theme and standards. So let's say for my project, let's say for first grade, the beginning of the week, we were working on the 3D printing project, which is about animal babies and their adults and the traits that they have on their bodies that make them similar and different. So that would be that main standard. There's one in the NGSS I can't think of it off the top of my head, but that's the 3D printing project that we do, not counting the printing time. Obviously, that takes more time, but the creation and the digital platform, we get that done. Then the next two days would be STEM stations that are related to that standard. So I like to plan my stations with the four letters of STEM, so science, technology, engineering and math station. So they will go through two stations a day. So that makes for and then we will even start off with a video that is related to the content. So it really is great where kids aren't rushing through all four stations, but they can actually take their time, and it gives me time to explain them. 

Naomi Meredith  08:37

The second day I'm even able to re-explain them. There's always those kids who say I already know, and I'm like, well, there's kids in here who might have forgot, or they just showed up today. So I will do two days of STEM stations. Now if it's a weird week, I might do one day and then there's two stations, so then they can flip flop. So that doesn't happen very often. But that's just another structure that you can do as well. What's also really great about STEM stations is that you're not always doing whole group instruction all the time, for every single day with the little kids that can get really exhausting. They are way more independent than you think. Think about what they're doing in their regular classrooms. More than likely they are doing station rotations with their teachers because they don't teach in front of them all day every day. Maybe some do. But most of the time, they're doing stations as well. So take what they're doing in their regular classroom and put it into yours, it will work and the kids are really good at it. So be very clear with your expectations, and you're going to have just like a sigh of relief. The kids love STEM stations, they asked for them all the time, and when we're not doing them they actually get a little bit sad. So again, take some careful planning, but it is a lifesaver. So that would be five days. So if I did three days with a mini project, and then two days with STEM stations that would take up five days. However, I like to have a backup plan just in case if the project goes a lot faster, or if I need a sub plan in a pinch. So I always plan on the side a STEM and stories lesson that is related to the content. Again, it could be a fiction or nonfiction book, and they have a quick one day challenge that they can go through using Makerspace materials or even reusable things like blocks, LEGO bricks, or whatever you have. So it's always good to have this on the side. Again, if you plan this all out, you can use it year after year, obviously, with some modifications, but then you are really creating things, a structure that kids are getting used to and looking forward to. 

Naomi Meredith  10:47

The next hack, when it comes to my K-2 planning is having low prep materials. There are a lot of reasons for this. This goes with the many projects is STEM station, STEM and stories, all the things that you're planning, you want some low prep materials, and here is why. First of all, less materials means there is less to clean up. That is the biggest thing, you always want the kids to clean up on time. Well, if you have a 5 million things out, they're not going to be able to clean it up in time, it's just not going to happen. You always have the stragglers, and then the ones who are always cleaning up the most. So that's not going to happen. So less materials, less cleanup time. Sometimes with things like if the kids are going to cut, glue, and color, I won't even get all the materials at once. I'll have kids get the buckets of crayons, and then they'll color. Then maybe five minutes later, they can get the scissors and then five minutes after that, get the glue. Then slowly, we'll put the crayons back, they've slowly put those scissors back and slowly put the glue back. So it's a gradual release of the materials and a gradual release of putting them back. So less materials, the better. Along with that, when it comes to you and your instruction, if you have 5 million things going on, then it's going to be a lot harder to explain. Also when in turn, it's going to be harder for kids to remember what they're supposed to do. So having maybe a maximum of five different materials that they're going to be using at the time, that is easy to remember. It can be repeatable. So keep that in mind when you're using the different materials. Also, with these low prep materials, think about how you can reuse things. This can include Makerspace items, and even blocks, bricks and all of those things. Sometimes when I have kids build something, they might use the items from my Makerspace. But they aren't using tape, scissors or glue, they just get to use those things to build their creation for a one day challenge. For example, in Kindergarten, we were talking about shade structures. We did a one day challenge where students were building shade structures in the classroom and using flashlights as the sun. We use some blocks to help them build, and then I also pulled out some things like coffee filters, cupcake liners, paper plates, that they could build within their design. But then they couldn't cut them or glue them. So I integrated those materials. Then we also put those back. So using less materials, but also any creative way can be really helpful when you're planning for your younger students. 

Naomi Meredith  13:26

And finally, you might think I'm a little bit crazy on this one. But with those K-2 students integrate more technology. Yes, I said it. Now in my role, I have taught K through five throughout the whole week. But I've also done a lot of co-teaching with the teachers in my building as well. Those little ones can do a lot more than you think. It takes a lot more explicit instruction and a lot of strategies and all of that. I have a blog post that I'll link in the show notes where I actually talk about how I structured teaching technology, specifically integrating it in the classroom. So we'll link that for you. But integrate more than you think. They are really, really fast learners with whatever you do, they're really fast. So they will catch on, and they are even more eager to help out each other. So it's really good to integrate the technology, they want to use it, they're excited to use it. So use it more in your classroom. It doesn't always have to be engineering and building challenges, you can integrate more technology. Here are some ways that you can do that. So think about how you can use the same tool over and over again like k one and two, but you change out the content. One way that I do this is I love the Bee Bots more. I upgraded to the Blue Bots. Same little guys or code and go mice. You know how I feel about those, but using those robots with different grade levels, but we changed out the content. So I had first grade first and we were learning about things that you can see during the day and during the night. So using the Bee Bots, they were coding to different pictures of things that can be seen during the day, during the night, and both. Sometimes you can see the moon during the day and the night. So they use the Bee Bots for that challenge. Then I actually had kids take out the cards for me, I had mats that have a clear cover sheet, or you can laminate whatever works best or whatever you have. Then I had different cards for Kindergarten, same robots, but they were coding to different shade structures or coding to the sun, because we were talking about the sun in the shade. So really ask them because first grade had some background knowledge of how to use the robots from Kindergarten. But the whole challenge was completely different, the content was different. They were also adding more components to their codes, they were doing more multi-step codes instead of one thing at a time. So it's also really good to help them have that progression of learning. Along with that, for that progression of learning, think about technology tools that have multiple pathways, and ways that can differentiate or get harder and harder. Another tool that I love using with the primary students are the Osmos. If you haven't seen Osmos, these are super cool. These are specific for iPads or Kindles. When you purchase these, just make sure that you get the version that is applicable to the device you have. There are different versions, they have the same components, but it just fits the device and works with the device in the way that it should. So what's really cool is you have your tablet, and there is an attachment that goes over the camera, the front facing camera. What it does is this attachment has a mirror, and it's reading the manipulatives that come with the kit that the kids are using on the table. So with the corresponding app, let's say it's a numbers app where they have to combine dots to create the number on the screen, they have the little manipulatives. What it's going to do is let's say there's a five, they have to get on the screen, they're going to use the little chips, the little manipulatives on the table, they're going to make a five, so add up all the dots. Then the attachment is going to read what they make with their hands and then send it back to the application. Then it's going to self correct. So it's going to let them know if it's right or wrong. What's awesome is these apps have so many different ways to differentiate. The kits are a little bit pricey, but they're really sturdy, and there are many levels. So I can do the numbers game K-2, because there's a lot of different things in math that they can learn. What's also great too is yes, you can start them off at the same level. But once you get to know your kids more and their needs, you can differentiate for them within the app. So there's some really cool ones, the ones off the top of my head, there's a tangrams app, which is great for spatial awareness and problem solving. There's a numbers app, which helps them with those different progressions of math learning. So counting with dots, I'm doing the subitizing. I'm probably saying those wrong, but you know what I'm talking about. So have the different progression of learning with math, and then it also moves into that numerical form. There's also a coding kit and the coding one actually has three separate apps, which is super cool. I've been playing around with that one for the younger kids. There's different ways to code with that. So definitely think about tools that have these differentiation options. Back to those Blue Bots, I upgraded to those specifically, because the kids can code without a screen. But then with the older kids, my second graders, they can actually code the robot using the tablet. So think about those multi-use tools and ways that you can use a progression of learning with that technology. Another thing for technology is thinking about tools that you can repeatedly use over and over again. Bonus points if this is a tool that they're already using in your classroom. The one that I am thinking of that you guys probably know what I'm going to say is Seesaw. They get a lot of free publicity on here because I love them. I used it all the time when I was a classroom teacher and I use Seesaw K through five because it works for everybody. There's great differentiation options for all learners. Anyway, the students in some classes use Seesaw as a way to show their learning with their homeroom teacher. So I might as well use it in STEM because the skills I might show them might be a little bit different than what their teachers are showing them. They might be learning things in their classroom that I don't know yet. So vice versa, they're using a tool that is repeatable, that they are familiar with, and then they can showcase their learning, of course and STEM. You're going to do things that are different and that's okay that is kind of the whole point of it also, but think about those tools that you can use over and over again. Maybe it is Google tools. If you have to for the littles you can definitely do that. I prefer Seesaw, but there are very similar things. Also, Epic Books is another great one when it comes to research. So think about those tools they might be familiar with, and then give it that STEM twist, because kids can definitely be successful with that. They're just using it in a different way to showcase their learning. 

Naomi Meredith  20:18

As a recap, here are the three hacks for planning for your K-2 students that we talked about in this episode, and then we have the special announcement that I have for you. The first is to create a structure for your week. Next is think about having low prep materials. And finally, you might think I'm a little bit crazy on this one, but trust me, integrate more technology. Okay, this is the moment you've been waiting for, and I get so many questions about this. So I'm so excited to finally be sharing with you that the doors are finally open for my first ever live workshop, and it is a K-2 virtual planning workshop. So you get to spend two hours with me live and with some other STEM teachers around the world. We're going to tackle that planning for K-2. I shared with you some great hacks, but we're actually going to plan out a unit for one of the grade levels. I'm going to show you exactly how I plan for my students and give you the tools to be successful. You probably feel so confident and so good about planning for your older students, but when it comes to the little ones, it can definitely be overwhelming. But I'm going to be here for you where we can tackle this together. During those two hours, we're going to plan some STEM stations, or mini projects and a STEM and stories that you can directly take back to your classroom, that is also standard space and encourages creativity and engagement with your students. Now, if you aren't able to attend live, or if you are listening to this way off in the future, don't worry, it will all be recorded. So you definitely can get access, rewatch it, and work at your own pace. The benefit of joining us live is you can ask me questions in real-time, and I can answer you. You can also interact with the other teachers who are going to be there. So I'm so excited about this live virtual workshop. It's awesome. It's a two-hour commitment, you get a certificate of completion when you're finished, and then you get a whole bunch to take back in your classroom. So it's very actionable. The key is workshop. So it's not a sit and get kind of thing. It's something that you definitely can benefit from. Don't feel overwhelmed anymore. I'm here for you, I hear you. So this is definitely created for you to be successful so that you have this unit planned. But then, you can also apply this same model and strategy to all the other units for the rest of the school year. So this is definitely going to build that base for you. So all of this is going to be linked in the show notes for you to join in, whether it's live or access the recorded version. I would love to have you be there. And definitely jump on and get your hands on this. The doors are open, and I can't wait to see you there.