“Good STEM instruction blurs the lines
between subject areas”
STEM in Any Subject Area: Unique Ways to
Encourage STEM in the Classroom
This workshop will demonstrate to teachers the fun
and interesting ways to “sneak” STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) lessons into
any classroom. The idea of an interactive lesson will
be explored with resources and examples of how
STEM, Bloom’s Taxonomy, and intrinsic motivation are
interrelated.
Why Teach STEM?

Prepared for 21st
century careers: The
National Science
Foundation estimates
that 80% of the jobs
created in the next
decade will require
some form of math
and science skills.
Bridges and connects
in-school and out-ofschool learning
opportunities.
 Encourage Higher
Order Thinking Skills
and lose the “cookbook” approach to
teaching (students
follow direction, little
opportunity for selfthinking)

The STEM- Literacy connection

According to AAAS Project 2061:
“During the last twenty years our nation’s
educational system has scored some
extraordinary successes, especially in improving
the reading and writing skills of young children.
Yet the pace of literacy improvement has not
kept up with the pace of growth in the global
economy, and literacy gains have not been
extended to adolescents in the secondary
grades…….”
DeBoer (2010), (Slides 4-20).
What happens from 4th to 12th
grade?
•Literacy demands change
•Vocabulary demand increases
•Texts become longer
•Sentence complexity increases
•Structural complexity increases
•Graphical representation becomes more important
•Conceptual Challenge increases
•Types of texts used vary widely across content areas
The major difference between reading in grades K-5 and reading
in grades 6-12 is the transition from learning to read to reading
to learn.
DeBoer (2010), (Slides 4-20).
Why is an interdisciplinary
approach to literacy development
important?
There is a need for college and career ready
students to be proficient in reading complex
informational text independently in a variety
of content areas because most of the
required reading in college and workforce
training programs is informational in structure
and challenging in content

DeBoer (2010), (Slides 4-20).
There is a need for an emphasis on
reading informational text

Informational reading (as opposed to
literary reading) should increase
throughout the grades from 50% in 4th
grade to 70% in 12th grade.

The overwhelming focus of writing
throughout high school should be on
arguments and informative/explanatory
texts

DeBoer (2010), (Slides 4-20).
What exactly is a “STEM lesson”?
Is it designed to increase student interest in STEM?
 Is it effective in affecting STEM interest?
 Is the content related to real-world application,
ideally through hands-on learning ?
 Does it encourage critical thinking, collaboration,
and is small group work provided?
 Do community adults (i.e., parents, teachers or
STEM professionals) participate in the lesson?
 Is information about STEM career opportunities
provided ?

What is a 21st century learner?
Ways of thinking:
Creativity, critical thinking, problem- solving,
decision-making, learning and innovation
Ways of working:
Communication and collaboration
Tools for working:
Information and communications
technology and information literacy
Living in the world:
Citizenship, life and career, and personal
and social responsibility
Barriers to implementing a STEM
lesson
 I don’t teach math, engineering,
etc.
 I don’t have enough time in a
class period for a lot of extensive
hands-learning
 I’m not current with today’s
technology
Ways to implement STEM
 Career Day(s)
 College Fairs
Career Aptitude Programs
 Academic Challenges /Competitions
 Guest Speakers
 Interdisciplinary Projects
 Field trips
 Business /Industry Sites
 Job Shadowing /Mentoring
 Internships
 Real World Projects
 Problem-based learning activities

Ways to Implement STEM
Give Classroom Jobs:
Science Jobs
 Microbiologist-hand sanitizer distributer
 Recycling Coordinator-empties recycle bin
 Botanist-takes care of plants
 Zoologist-takes care of animals
 Arborist-pencil sharpener
Technology Jobs
 Computer Technician-passes out computers and
makes sure they are all back to where they need to be
 Photographer-takes pics for the week
 Freelance blogger-develops blog prompt for week
 Library Media Specialist- librarian
Ways to Implement STEM
Engineer Jobs
• Sanitation Engineer-table washers
• Electrical Engineer-in charge of lights
• Civil Engineer-line leader
• Production Supervisor-assists teacher in
making sure all materials are turned in
 Math Jobs
• Accountant-handles tokens, incentives earned
• Director of Inventory Control-paper passer
Cryptographer-delivers information to the teacher
Statistician-analyzing data relevant to the classroom

•
•
STEM literacy
David Gross (2004 Nobel Prize Winners in Physics)
“From the age of 13, I was attracted to physics and
mathematics. My interest in these subjects derived
mostly from popular science books that I read
avidly . . . it seemed incredibly exciting to spend
one’s life attempting to find the secrets of the
universe by using one’s mind”
A STEM lesson: What is the format?







Clear set of expectations
Modeling
Scaffolding (more support tapered to
independent learning; too much or too little
support can hinder development)
Direct- instruction is used sparingly
Small group activities include student discussions,
peer tutoring, and cooperative learning encourage
learning.
Feedback is used to encourage independent
thinking.
Assessment to measure high order thinking skills
Evaluation and assessment:
How do we know if they actually
understand?
 What have they learned?
 Have they mastered the content
objectives?
 Can they answer questions in a
logical manner?
 Does the answer “make sense”?
 Can they transfer what they have
just learned to a concept that is
built upon this?
DeBoer (2010), (Slides 4-20).
Assessment styles
120
Creating
1.Selection: which includes
multiple-choice, matching,
and rank-order items
Evaluating
100
Analyzing
80
Applying
60
Understanding
40
Remembering
20
0
Assessments and ways to evaluate
HOTS
2. Generation: which
includes short- answer,
essay, and performance items
or tasks
3. Explanation: which
involves giving reasons for
the selection or generation
responses.
How to evaluate depth of
knowledge:
Levels of Complexity
 Recall/Reproduction – Recall a fact, information, or
procedure; process information on a low level

Skill/Concept – Use information or conceptual knowledge,
two or more steps

Strategic Thinking – Requires reasoning, developing a plan or
a sequence of steps, more than one reasonable approach

Extended Thinking – Requires connections and extensions,
high cognitive demands and complex reasoning
Resources for hands-on lessons
eGRI
http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/
 PhET
http://phet.colorado.edu/
 Catch the Science Bug
http://www.sciencebug.org/index.html

Resources






Engineering is elementary
www.eie.org/
Teachers pay teachers
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Get-Caught-EngineeringStem-For-Kids
The engineering place
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/theengineeringplace/educators/k8plans.php
STEM collaborative
http://stemcollaborative.org/additionalResources.html
STEM Georgia
http://stemgeorgia.org/resources/resources-andmaterials/engineering-resources/
Teachers try science
http://www.teacherstryscience.org/lp
References
Buckles, M. (2013). ELA + STEM = Developing Literacy with Math and
Science. Retrieved from http://nms.org/Blog/TabId/58/PostId/213/ela-stemdeveloping-literacy-with-math-and-science.aspx
California Department of Education. (2013). Science,Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics. Retrieved from
http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/stemintrod.asp
DeBoer, G. (2010). The Role of Language Arts in a Successful STEM Education
Program. Retrieved from
http://forum2010.collegeboard.org/The_Role_of_Language_Arts_in_a_Su
ccessful_K-12_STEM%20.pdf
Fioriello, P. (2013). Understanding the basics of STEM education. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/TammyHarris1/savedfiles?s_title=understandin
G-the-basics-of-stem-education&user_login=drfioriello
Smith, J.A. (N.D.). Sneaking STEM in. Retrieved from
http://www.piecesoflearning.com/image/data/Sneaking%20STEM%20in.pdf
Teach Engineering. (2014). Retrieved from http://Hands-on Activity: A Tasty
Experiment
UMASS. (2011). Increasing Student Interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math (STEM). Retrieved from UMASS, Massachusetts Department of
Higher Education website.