At a recent conference, Steve Spangler brought it to our attention that everyone is getting on the STEM bandwagon. By adding art and reading to STEM, it just becomes school with a cool acronym. If STREAM makes school fun and cool, I'm all for it.
During the last few weeks of school, we had fun integrating science, technology, and engineering with some classic books. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper was given a 21st Century spin by attaching "boxcars" to my Dash robot, and having the students program the "train" to get school supplies across the library. Preschoolers and kindergartners were excited to know they could program a robot.
Introducing students to classic children's books addressed the "Next Generation Science Standards" of the AASL Standards for kindergarten.
K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
It's wonderful when lessons align with the standards.
