Days 2-3
Character
Education
What are student expectations
STMS STEAM Boot Camp 2014
Lesson
Day 1
Overview
From STEM to STEAM
What does it mean to be a
STEAM school?
Key Concepts

What STEAM stands for
(Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts, Math)

Basic ingredients for
STEAM

Integrated curriculum including Arts

Inquiry and questioning

Problem/Project
Based Learning

Challenge Based
Learning

Real World
Connection to real problems

All students participate in STEAM @ STMS in addition to parents, community, teachers, and staff.

STEAM Student
Qualities SSQ (10 qualities used schoolwide to support student character and success)

Thinkers, Inquirers,
Communicators,
Resources
STEAM Philosophy background sheet for teachers
(Bootcamp Module)
Videos
#1 STEAM Through Education - student made video http://youtu.be/ecv4Ac9x47I
#2 STEAM and LittleBits – this is actually an ad for a product but has cute children trying to verbalize what STEAM means to them https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=A89HCQV
5LQo
#3 STEM to STEAM - key leaders and policy makers taking stand for
STEAM; Real life - Real learning http://vimeo.com/50850803
Options:
For discussion, use STEAM Snippets Sheet (Bootcamp Module)

and provide to groups; assign a number to each group and ask them to talk with group members about what the sentence with the correlating number states about STEAM and to provide examples to support the statement. Have groups share with whole class.

After discussing components of STEAM, have students create their version of what STEAM means to them. One way – create voice QR codes with student messages about STEAM. Go to http://qrvoice.net
to record the message and then make a QR code to hear the message.
The hardest part will be working together in a group to design the message.

Another choice for students to collaborate and summarize what STEAM means is to use www.mindmup.com
to create a mindmap which shows a visual representation of STEAM – Groups should share with class.
Note: there is a feature on this site to have students work collaboratively on the same map using Googledrive

Background info for teachers re: Inquiry Learning http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/03/5-tools-to-help-students-learnhow-to-learn/
Class posters for STEAM Qualities/STMS Mission Statement (should be hanging in all rooms)
Options:
 NEW this year! SSQ Competition - Word Clouds – divide class into groups to make Wordles for each of the STEAM Qualities – one group per student quality - Students submit digital Wordles for school-wide
STMS STEAM Boot Camp Curriculum – 2014 Page 1

STMS STEAM Boot Camp 2014 at our school?
How will you impact our classroom, our school, our community and the world?
How can you use the design process to think like an engineer?
Innovators,
Knowledgeable,
Balanced,
Compassionate,
Trustworthy,
Confident,
Determined

STMS Mission
Statement

Life consists of many types of communities
(family, school, church, team, community)

Everyone has personal strengths and passions

When personal strengths are shared, community becomes stronger

Make connections between your own personal strengths and those of others

Awareness of schoolwide core values for students

Use the Engineering
Design Process
(Identify problem,
Brainstorm, Design,
Build, Test & Evaluate,
Redesign, Share
Solution

Use collaboration skills

Think like an engineer contest to C. Moore - Winning Wordles will be printed and displayed in poster size frames - students will receive author credit and invitation to pizza with principal; for information on how to use Word Clouds http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/12-valuable-wordle-tips-youmust-read-word-clouds-in-education-series-part-1/
 Looking for something more than Wordle or Word Clouds? Try Tagxedo for customized shapes and fonts. It also uses images as custom shapes.

STMS Mission Statement - printable
(Bootcamp Module) Analyze Mission Statement in terms of Student
STEAM Qualities (SSQs)

Create concrete models of each quality (tinfoil, puppets, bottle people, etc)


Create a digital visual of each quality (photography, posters, collages)
Create a publication or performance of the SSQs ( picture book, student handbook/guide, video , role-play)

Select a read-a-loud and analyze the qualities of the characters in terms of the SSQs

Analyze a list of popular Hollywood celebrities, historical figures of the past, and/or inventors in terms of the SSQs
(Bootcamp Module)
Class posters for STMS Design Process (should be hanging in all classrooms)
Options
 http://www.centexeweek.org
activities-experiments for middle-school; divide into groups - each group works to complete the activity (i.e. building tower) ; use end of class to share the design process and have students analyze their use of the engineering design process rather than delivering it upfront at the beginning of the lesson; be sure to emphasize the significance of failure in the innovation and creation process

(6 th GRADE/from Last Year) Caine’s Arcade – Cardboard Challenge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul9c-4dX4Hk&fe ature=youtu.be
STMS STEAM Boot Camp Curriculum – 2014 Page 2

Days 6-8
STMS STEAM Boot Camp 2014

Communication Skills

Impromptu speaking

ABC’s of speaking :
Accuracy, Brevity,
Clarity

Overcome nervousness when speaking before an audience can occur with practice

Organize and present ideas logically and convincingly

Listen carefully to others' ideas

Offer advice to help others improve their speaking and leadership skills

Practice to develop confidence; rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal

Tips in speaking (eye contact, clarity, effective message, expression, appropriate gestures, etc.)

IMPORTANT for all Teachers: Review this video about how to teach kids to become more confident in communication skills – 7 Tips for Teaching
Kids Public Speaking – For Teachers only https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27-rAnFapk0
 Use this site for prompts and background information "It's all about the message." http://homeworktips.about.com/od/speechclass/a/Impromptu-Speech-
Topics.htm
 Day 1: divide into groups of 3 – all groups should practice impromptu speaking in 2 min intervals simultaneously
 print copies of prompt sheet for each group (Bootcamp Module)
 print and cut numbers to be drawn for each group – student receives the prompt which matches the number chosen ; these number slips/bags can be used each day
 Guidelines for Speaking – Introduce the topic/Make 3 points including examples/Interesting, lively, exciting statement to conclude

 speaker gets 1 minute to prepare ; can jot down key words if desired teacher monitors groups while they are practicing to encourage and reinforce effective speaking habits
 Peer Critique Suggestions - group members give positives to the speaker and have the speaker self-assess growth areas to the group
 Day 2: repeat process using bags/numbers to change prompts – (
(Optional) other examples of prompts can be used such as favorite seasons, letters, numbers, animals, etc. Any topic can be used for the talks. Caution: use any strategy which will prevent students from taking up too much time to select a topic
 Peer Critique Suggestions – if teacher feels that the students are ready, a rubric for giving feedback is available . (Bootcamp Module)
 Day 3: have students recall the previous two days of "talks" in their group and nominate one member to repeat their "talk" before the class


Peer and Self Critique encouraged strongly at this point.
Suggestion – After individual talks, use this time to reinforce communication skills which are strong, natural, and effective (eye contact, clear voice, body language , strong message including intro/3 pts/conclusion – Avoid giving students too many “tips” such as these before starting the talks. Allow the skills to develop naturally with
practice. It is believed that the reason most people have anxiety about speaking is because there is too little practice with this skill. These lessons are intended to give individual students safe practice in small group situations to develop their confidence levels. These lessons should continue long after Boot Camp is over and will hopefully transfer into better and more confident student presentations of quality work.
 Teacher Tip for future presentations – provide students with opportunities for digital practice in speaking using SPREAKER App – http://www.middleweb.com/6660/student-speaking-skills/
STMS STEAM Boot Camp Curriculum – 2014 Page 3

STMS STEAM Boot Camp 2014
Day 9-10 
Importance of Coding to Literacy

Coding promotes students becoming
Producers/Designers/
Creators versus
Consumers in today’s technology

Coding basics in
Scratch program online
 http://novemberlearning.com/learn-code-code-learn-interview-drmitch-resnick/ (podcast about coding – worthwhile 25 min. for teacher;
Gives explanation for why all students can benefit from learning to code
 “Learn to Code : Code to Learn” Mitch Resnick
 “The ability to code computer programs is an important part of literacy in today’s society. When people learn to code in Scratch, they learn important strategies for solving problems, designing projects, and communicating ideas.” Mitch Resnick
 Coding - Mitch Resnick MIT, director of Scratch team who created

SCRATCH, online coding tool. http://scratch.mit.edu
Coding for Educators - http://scratched.media.mit.edu
Scratch for
Educators (lesson plans in all subjects)
 Download SNAP and/or HOPSCOTCH for students to practice coding on iPads
 Teacher note: Important goal in a program like Snap, Hopscotch, or
Scratch is to encourage and develop student inquiry skills. The programs are self-paced and students will begin with various levels of experience.
Encourage students to help one another as needed.
 Our school will participate in the Hour of Coding this year in December.
There will be some exciting activities planned for students and teachers.
 Step by step directions for how to provide an hour of coding are given at this site. http://csedweek.org/educate/hoc
Days 11-15 
Web Literacy

Three components for building research skills:
1.
Is the source valid?
2.
Is the source relevant?
3.
Is the source current?
 There are two ways listed below to approach teaching research skills.
One is by using the Alan November’s site and the other is by using the
Common Sense Media site. Alan November’s site is great for building research skills as an educator. Common Sense Media’s site is more
structured and intended more for students (lesson plans).
 Web Literacy - Alan November http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-foreducators/information-literacy-resources/
 Web Literacy – Common Sense Media (see unit three)
 https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-andsequence#grades-6-8
 Day 1: Alan November/ Web Literacy Quiz – Have students work with partners to complete the quiz. (Bootcamp Module) Conduct a class discussion after students complete the quiz to diagnose student success on the quiz. Be aware that the answer key with explanations is provided on the website.
 Day 2: Alan November/Validating Websites – Not all information on the web is true. Assign various websites to students working in small groups.
Have them explore the websites and report findings to the total class.
Use this site to find suggested web links and background information for the teacher. http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-foreducators/information-literacy-resources/3-web-sites-to-validate/
STMS STEAM Boot Camp Curriculum – 2014 Page 4

STMS STEAM Boot Camp 2014
 Day 3: Alan November/[Part 1] How to Read a Web Address – The goal is to make judgments about website information based upon what the
URL tells you. Here are 3 guiding questions to consider:
1. Do you recognize the domain name?
2. What is the extension in the domain name?
3. Are you on a personal page?
Use this site to gain background info http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-foreducators/information-literacy-resources/4-how-to-read-a-web-address/

[Part 2] Alan November/Find the Publisher of a Website – Two example sites to try which are appropriate for middle school age students are
Harry Potter: www.harrypotter.com
or
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus: http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus.html

Background information for teacher is found at this site but be aware that the examples given contain racist and inappropriate content http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-foreducators/information-literacy-resources/5-find-the-publisher-of-a-website/
Day 4: Alan November/ What is the history of a Website? Background information for the teacher can be found at this site http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-foreducators/information-literacy-resources/6-what-is-the-history-of-aweb-site/

Teach students to use the Wayback Machine: www.archive.org
which will allow browsing archived Web pages.
Day 5: Alan November/Check the External Links Background information for the teacher can be found at this site http://novemberlearning.com/educational-resources-foreducators/information-literacy-resources/7-check-the-external-links/

Teach students to examine a website’s external links to validate internet information by asking three questions.
1. Who is linked to the website?
2. What is the purpose of the link?
3. What do other sites say about the information on the site?
STMS STEAM Boot Camp Curriculum – 2014 Page 5

STMS STEAM Boot Camp 2014
Common Sense Literacy – Unit 3 Lesson Plans https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-andsequence#grades-6-8

Day 1: Trillion Dollar Footprint Students learn that they have a digital footprint and that this information can be searched, copied and passed on, but that they can take some control based on what they post online.

Day 2: Identifying High-Quality Sites Students learn that anyone can publish on the Web, so not all sites are equally trustworthy.

Day 3: The Reality of Digital Drama Students draw connections between young teens’ perceptions of digital drama and stereotypes of men and women on reality TV.

Day 4: Cyberbullying: Crossing the Line Students learn to distinguish good-natured teasing from cyberbullying.

Day 5: Rework, Reuse, Remix Students expand their understanding of fair use, apply it to case studies, and create an original work of fair use.
STMS STEAM Boot Camp Curriculum – 2014 Page 6