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As a former high school math teacher, I have witnessed firsthand how STEM education and literacy can work together to create powerful learning experiences. This understanding has been deepened through my collaboration with Kathy Renfrew, whose journey from a self-proclaimed “science-phobic” teacher to a renowned STEM educator and leader illustrates the transformation that occurs when educators break down traditional subject matter barriers. themes and create truly interdisciplinary units.
Kathy's attitude toward STEM changed when she met a physics professor who introduced her to hands-on, inquiry-based science education. That transformative experience led her to pursue a master's degree in science education, beginning a 30-year career that would include innovative projects such as building a log cabin with her students as part of their scientific learning. An active advocate for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), she eventually became the Vermont Science Assessment Supervisor and has served as an NGSS curriculum reviewer and board president of the Society of Science. NSF Presidential Primary Awardees. I suspect I'm not the only one who thinks fondly of her as the “mother of NGSS.”
I have observed that many elementary teachers, like Kathy, are curious about how to teach STEM, but with the strong emphasis on ELA in early education, they need engaging resources that bridge the gap between science teaching and literacy development. .
The Attractive Power of Phenomenon-Based STEM
Through our collaboration, Kathy and I have focused on making NGSS more accessible and practical by helping educators understand how to teach STEM effectively without having to reinvent implementation strategies. Our work culminated in the development of The water princess unit–a multi-day, phenomenon-based, interdisciplinary resource that combines literacy and STEM learning. The unit is designed for second graders for two very specific reasons: 1) elementary schools are eager for age-appropriate STEM resources; and 2) second graders have the literacy skills to write questions, read content, and record their own observations. In short, they have the foundation and academic independence to benefit from interdisciplinary lessons.
In creating the unit, we built on Kathy's belief that phenomena inspire curiosity by providing students with interesting and relevant experiences to investigate and question. That phenomenon could be an interesting story as The Princess of Water, which tells the story of a young girl's quest to bring clean water to her African village. The phenomena can be based on any common experience that is meaningful to all young students, such as the playground on a hot day. There are a number of questions that students can explore here: Why is the slide so hot? Why is asphalt hotter than grass? What can we do to make it cooler? Anchoring lessons in something familiar yet mysterious encourages critical thinking and exploration. Phenomenon-based STEM lessons are attractive to students and teachers, who can express their creativity by creating their own lessons and units or exploring those that have been designed with intentional interdisciplinary goals.
When we shared the unit at NSTA (National Science Teaching Association) and later in Kathy's home state at MSTA (Massachusetts Science Teachers Association), comments included gratitude and enthusiasm.
How to design and teach units that combine STEM and literacy
Kathy has a number of guiding principles when designing units. She always starts with the standards, and at the same time remembers that she is teaching the children, not the curriculum. This means that you adjust your curriculum to meet the needs of the children you teach. She says it's not always true, but often “what's good for struggling students is good for most of the kids in my classroom.”
Of course, not all teachers have time to design their own units and may need a variety of resources to help them bring STEM into their elementary classrooms. Just as effective teachers meet students where they are, the most helpful schools provide teachers with the inspiration or guidance they need through professional learning opportunities. The water princess The unit, for example, includes a video of an educator who brings the unit to life with students. Additionally, if an educator is struggling with content areas like NGSS or the science of reading, they have access to a wide range of professional development offerings spanning dozens of topics.
Kathy recommends that when adopting high-quality instructional materials, teachers think about how they can implement instruction with students' interest and identity in mind. They may choose to start small by adapting small parts of a unit, rather than following it “as is”, thus making it more meaningful to students. It is essential that teachers make the unit their own so that they feel excited to implement it in their classrooms. Your enthusiasm will serve as a model for students.
To incorporate literacy skills like reading, writing, speaking, and listening into any STEM lesson a teacher chooses, Kathy frequently recommends interactive read-alouds. He also has all students write in a science notebook. Notebooks help students develop coherence, teach them writing skills, and allow them to evaluate their own learning. It also makes student thinking visible, a practice that Kathy also supports through the use of a “KLEWS chart” made up of student observations written on cards and posted on the wall for everyone to see and use throughout the unit. . KLEWS is an acronym based on these questions:
- What do we believe know?
- What are we? lwinner?
- which is ours myknowledge?
- What are we still? W.low?
- That YesHave we learned words, principles and phenomena related to science?
Kathy also reminds educators that practices like a “word wall” that are often isolated from ELA lessons are also great supports for a STEM lesson and can help normalize interdisciplinary learning.
Connecting STEM to literacy begins by introducing students to readings that inspire them, make them want to understand something, and prompt them to ask questions. When students are curious, science begins to emerge. My collaboration with Kathy was driven by a desire to help teachers, especially those who are “science-phobic,” feel more comfortable and confident teaching science. As Kathy says, “By breaking down the walls of the classroom and showing quality teaching in action, we can elevate educators everywhere.”
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