STEM learning greatly increases participation with your students. There are many ways to be intentional about including STEM activities with literature. One way that you can do this is to have a STEM night. This could include having STEM activities based on a book that your class is reading. You could also use the JIGSAW activity and engineering journals. It is important to know the role of Language Arts when integrating the two together. Something I hadn't thought of before is the fact that most science standard has integrated some kind of language arts component! Including the language arts component of the standard makes the two come together naturally. Early and even upper elementary teachers can use picture books like the "Three Little Pigs" to have the students participate in a design challenge. There are many picture books out there that could be used for the same or similar purposes. These activities can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want them to be. Many teachers choose to use recycled materials to help with the cost. They also ask parents and or students to bring in recycled materials as well. Some schools are fortunate enough to receive funding for these things, but if your school does not there are ways to complete STEM activities without funding. It just takes a little hard work, but when students are learning and actively participating in the learning process it's all worth it! You can also use children's books with a sequencing theme to have children code the sequence of the story! How cool?! This is probably my favorite activity that I learned about during this presentation. Coding is something that will get bigger and bigger as our students grow. It is important for them to have foundational skills in such an innovative activity. Connecting STEM to the arts can be as simple as taking your students outside and letting them use nature and their surroundings to create a map. Map reading is a skill that is difficult for students to grasp and this simple activity could help to build that foundation that they need. There are also apps that you can use to help incorporate STEM into the classroom. Some apps are NOVA, Tappity, and PBS Kids. As long as you are intentional and willing to learn and grow there will be endless opportunities and ways to incorporate STEM into language arts. Do it, and watch your students flourish!
Books for your STEAM Classroom!
