STEAM... The Importance of the "A"

              

Integrating STEAM activities into everyday lessons engages students in their learning. Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics all tie together in a way that encourages students to think critically and creatively. Technology is a great way to implement Language Arts into STEAM. There are endless resources and applications available. Teachers can use online books, science labs, and more to vamp their STEAM lessons. Often times, Language Arts gets left out of STEAM activities because people associate the A in STEAM with arts and crafts, when in reality, it is so much more.

                      

      Step By Step Blog Series on Implementing STEAM with ELA 

When combining STEAM with the Language Arts, teachers have the opportunity to pull in books that discuss diversity, culture, and gender biases. Teachers can read books that contain a wide variety of cultures and discuss the challenges the characters face as they embark on their journey. Then, students can ponder ways to create new, alternative resources for the characters to use to help them resolve the conflicts they are facing. Teachers can also introduce books that talk about gender biases. For instance, there is an abundance of books that portray females as doctors, scientists, engineers, and other ‘male’ occupations, as well at male characters talking on ‘female’ roles, such as nurses and teachers. This is a great way to open discussion and eliminate any biases your students may have.

                     

           DIY Pioneer Journals- STEAM with Social Studies 

In my classroom, I would love to use STEAM and the Language Arts to teach history lessons. Often times, in lower elementary classrooms, history and social studies get pushed to the backburner. STEAM is a great way to include these subjects, while still teaching the required standards in math and language. I would love to do a unit on the Underground Railroad, The Civil War, and other events that helped shape America into the country it is today. I would assign each student a certain time period and have them compose a narrative in their journal about their side of the story and how the event affected them and their families. They would also discuss what technologies and inventions they wish were available to help them with farming, sewing, baking, or everyday tasks. They may even include a blueprint of their desired invention and discuss the materials and steps on how to create it. Next, they would use teabags to stain and create a vintage letter and transfer their pieces over using a quail feather pen. This is just a few examples of how I wish to implement STEAM into my future classroom.