Skyvue Students Experiment With STEM
Imagine: second graders are coding computer games; third graders are building simple and compound machines (and explaining what that means!); fourth graders are building M-Bots, machines that they control via a computer or mobile device; fifth graders are building robots to hypothetically remove hazardous waste from the environment and keep it out of the water. This is only the beginning for STEM activities at Skyvue Elementary.
Thanks to Project Lead the Way, a non-profit organization that develops STEM curricula for schools, Mrs. Griffin’s classes have elevated from your typical class to one of exciting, hands-on learning.
Not only are they coding and building machines and robots, but the teachers take extra care to integrate STEM concepts into other courses: the fourth grade history students were studying slavery, so the STEM class used a Virtual Reality headset to visit a slave cabin. When science students were learning about Canada, they all took a Virtual Reality tour of Canada!
Skyvue Principal Chris Caldwell animatedly discussed the elementary and high schools’ goal of integrating Project Lead the Way all the way from elementary to high school classes, potentially beginning next year. He states, “A program like this helps students make connections and find meaning when they can do things hands-on. Learning real-world skills is supposed to trigger excitement, and I walk around these halls and hear kids talk about how thrilled they are for STEM that week. That’s the goal.”
The opportunities STEM presents not only within itself, but within other courses, are immense, and Skyvue is jumping in to take advantage of the increased engagement and learning they provide with both feet.
