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Elementary Science/STEM Department

Information pertaining to Science and STEM Curriculum

ElementaryScience/STEMDepartmentInformation pertaining to Science and STEM Curriculum
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Laura Cropper, K-4 Science Instructional Facilitator

Laura Cropper is the Elementary Science Instructional Facilitator. She has served as the IF for the past two years. Within the district, Laura is currently employed as the Elementary STEM Coach, a position that is new this school year. Prior to taking on this role, Laura was a second grade teacher at H.C. Burgard. This is Laura's sixth year teaching at Manheim (eleventh year total). During those years, she has taught first, second, and third grade.

Elementary Science Curriculum

Each year, the district focuses on a content area and looks at updating and improving curriculum. Last year, the science curriculum was revamped. Grade level teams worked with consultants from Lancaster-Lebanon IU13 to correctly align science topics to standards and ensure overlapping was not happening between grade levels. In addition, topics on the fourth grade PSSAs were consulted to ensure content was taught prior to the administration of the test. Each grade level focuses on the three types of science: life science, physical science, and Earth science. Click the link below for a brief outline of the topics covered in each grade level.
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Elementary STEM Curriculum

STEM education is an intentional, integrative approach to teaching and learning, in which students uncover and acquire a cohesive set of concepts, competencies, and dispositions of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics that they transfer and apply in both academic and real-world contexts. There is great focus on the Engineering by Design Process and the 4C's: Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity, and Communication.


What does STEM look like at the elementary level? Teachers received EbD Teems curriculum specific to their grade level. The topics covered in each curriculum directly allign to the existing science curriculum and standards (see picture for grade level topics).

Currently, third and fourth grade students are receiving STEM as a special, just like music, art, etc. Students in K-2 receive their STEM instruction within the regular classroom. In addition, teachers in K-4 work with the STEM Coach to find opportunities within the existing curriculum to integrate STEM challenges and activities.


Below you will find students of all ages engaged in STEM challenges and the EbD Process.

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Silverware Monument

Students are challenged with making a monument/tower just out of silverware. This directly aligns with the social studies unit on American symbols.
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What to do with a Box?

Students are challenged to create something out of a box. This is a great introductory lesson to STEM as it focuses on the 4C's.
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Saving Fred Challenge

Students are challenged with saving Fred (a gummy worm). They must put his life saver on him using nothing but paper clips. This directly aligns with our ELA curriculum and a whole group reading of Diary of a Worm.
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Engineering by Design (EbD) Process

Students work through the EbD Process: identifying the problem, imagining, planning, creating, and communicating.