STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
Our STEM classroom is abuzz with energy as students dive into the four disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As STEM specialist Becky Ginn puts it, "STEM programs provide opportunities for kids to ‘think with their hands’ while problem-solving. They allow learners to have direct experiences and engage in real-world problems."
Walk into the STEM room during class time or Maker Recess and you might discover kindergarteners and pre-kindergarteners building ramps to experiment with force and motion, first graders testing whether their handmade boats float, second graders investigating how materials respond to light, or third graders designing objects that use electricity. You might catch our fourth graders building a creative and joyfully chaotic chain reaction that takes up the entire room, or our fifth graders building and programming inventive robots.
Scientists at Work
THE STEM CURRICULUM
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) equips curious adventurers with tools to explore the world around them. As students progress from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, they return to and deepen scientific skills across disciplines.
Through exploration and experimentation in the classroom and outdoors, students develop a sense of awe, wonder, and care for the natural world. Students in every grade conduct field-based science investigations focusing on topics such as stormwater, organisms, weather, and daylight. Such hands-on projects deepen students’ understanding and sharpen their scientific skills in observing, investigating, analyzing data, and communicating results.
Students engage with the engineering design cycle at every age—asking questions, imagining solutions, planning with materials, building, testing, and improving designs. Students apply a growth mindset as they identify design flaws and work to redesign solutions. Students build flexible thinking as they observe a range of solutions from other peers. Over the years, students continue to build habits of collaboration, persistence, flexibility, and resourcefulness as they invent controllers, engineer bridges, program robots, build structures, and much more.
EXPLORE MORE | FILTER BY GRADE
In an interactive, supportive environment, pre-k students are encouraged to explore science, technology, engineering, and math using all of their senses through direct manipulation and materials including wooden ramps, wind tubes, natural materials, instruments, and light.
Kindergarteners investigate force and motion through the use of inclined planes, wind tubes, and magnets. Students work through open-ended engineering design challenges that require them to work collaboratively to investigate a problem and identify solutions. Students design vehicles that can roll down slopes, bridges that can hold weights, and instruments that make different sounds. Students deepen their skills in observing, questioning, and communicating by going out into the school garden to explore and document seasonal change in the schoolyard as they notice and record weather data.
First grade scientists deepen their understanding of seasonal change in the school yard by observing outdoors, asking questions, documenting changes in daylight, and exploring shadows to understand the changing positions of the sun, earth, and moon. Students figure out why seasonal change happens and why seasons matter. They build their skills of observing, questioning, and communicating through open-ended engineering design challenges that require them to work collaboratively to investigate a problem and identify solutions. Students apply the engineering design process as they build, test, and re-design vehicles, buildings, bridges, and boats.
Second graders plan and conduct investigations to identify how different materials respond to light. Students build their understanding that different kinds of matter exist and have different properties that are suited to different purposes. After spending time in the schoolyard investigating, recording, and analyzing data about organisms found there, students construct arguments with evidence to support claims about the relationships between environments and organisms. Students also work in teams to practice skills of communication and collaboration as they learn to use block-based programming with Dash robots.
In third grade, students study electricity as they figure out how to add switches, motors, and other components to their circuit design. They apply their knowledge of circuits as they use Makey Makey circuit boards to invent a physical controller for a computer game. Students persevere through technical problems as they identify ways to improve their design for the best user experience. Students also develop and apply their skills in observing, describing, and recording through an in-depth unit on rocks and minerals.
Fourth graders expand their skills in planning and conducting investigations as they design their own experiment using Wisconsin Fast plants. Students document the effects of changing a variable as they collect extensive data sets, graph their data, and write a final report to communicate their results. Students deepen these scientific investigation skills as they build and program a Lego robot that solves a problem in our community as well as through an investigation around community stormwater.
Fifth graders investigate the impact of human activity on the environment through an environmental mystery. Students make a claim using evidence from pH tests, sediment tests, phosphate tests, and population charts to determine who or what is responsible for the environmental disaster. These topics are further explored during a three-night field trip to NatureBridge in Olympic National Park. In fifth grade, students build on their block-based coding skills as they figure out the basics of physical computing through micro:bits and hummingbird robots. Students learn to attach and program LED lights, motors, and sensors to create unique inventions.
The Latest...
Monthly grade-level updates from our STEM Classroom.
- 4th Grade
STEM News in February: Fourth Grade
The fourth graders are diving into an exciting STEM exploration as they learn how engineers design buildings to withstand earthquakes. Through hands-on activities, they are discovering the challenges of building in earthquake-prone areas and the innovative techniques engineers use to create safer structures. To put their knowledge to the test, they will be using jello as a foundation to simulate the movement of the Earth's surface during an earthquake. By constructing and testing their own model buildings, they will observe how different designs respond to shaking and learn what makes a structure strong and stable. Their enthusiasm is growing as they prepare to become engineers in action, applying their creativity and problem-solving skills to real-world challenges!
- 3rd Grade
STEM News in February: Third Grade
The third graders are filled with excitement as they dive into their STEM exploration of rocks and minerals. Before the break, they conducted a fascinating experiment by making their own crystals using salt and water, learning how minerals can form through evaporation. They carefully mixed their solutions, set them aside, and are eager to see the results when they return. As they continue their study, they will observe and classify different types of rocks and minerals, using magnifying glasses to examine their unique textures, colors, and patterns. Their curiosity and enthusiasm are growing with each discovery, making geology an exciting and hands-on learning adventure!
- 1st Grade
STEM News in February: First Grade
In the first grade’s engaging STEM classes, students have been exploring the fascinating world of engineering through bridges, roads, and transportation. They have been discovering how engineers design and construct structures that allow people to travel safely and efficiently. Using the engineering design process, they brainstormed creative ideas, carefully sketched their own bridge designs, and discussed strategies to make them strong and stable. With curiosity and teamwork, they planned their projects thoughtfully and are now preparing to bring their ideas to life by building their bridges. Their enthusiasm is growing as they look forward to testing their designs and seeing their engineering skills in action!
- Pre-Kindergarten
STEM News in February: Pre-K
In pre-k's fun and exciting STEM classes, young learners have been exploring the wonders of air and movement through engaging hands-on activities. Using air tubes, they discovered how air pushes and lifts different objects. Through playful experiments, they learned how air affects the way things move through the sky, just like airplanes and balloons. The children made predictions, tested their ideas, and observed objects floating, spinning, and zooming in different directions. This interactive exploration sparked their curiosity about science and engineering, making learning both magical and memorable!
- 5th Grade
STEM News in January: Fifth Grade
In fifth-grade STEM, students continue to explore their creativity and innovation using Hummingbird Robots. They designed and coded projects like Bee Waggle Bumble Bees that mimicked the intricate movements of bee communication, and dancing jitterbugs that brought vibrancy to the classroom. Working in pairs, students also wrote imaginative stories and brought them to life through coding, blending storytelling with technology. By sharing their creations, they showcased both their technical skills and collaborative efforts, making STEM learning an engaging and interactive experience.
- Kindergarten
STEM News in January: Kindergarten
The Kindergarten class is having so much fun exploring exciting experiments with parachutes in the air tubes to see how high they fly and where they land as they float to the ground, as well as marble runs from different heights to measure the distance. With each experiment, they’re learning to make predictions, test their ideas, and observe the results as they carefully adjust their designs. As they watch the parachutes glide and the marbles race, their curiosity and creativity are flowing!