THE STEM CENTER

Please note the STEM Center website has been updated. If you are booking a visit, please know there are 3 steps:

1. Secure a date on the booking calendar.

2. Fill out the Google form with the details of your visit

3. Book your transportation

We believe our role is to empower kids to make an impact on the world around them and fully believe in themselves. - John Spencer and A.J. Juliani

The Dot, by Peter Reynolds, is a fabulous picture book.

The book’s message is about overcoming self-doubt and embracing one's unique talents is both powerful and inspiring. Its simplicity and charm make it accessible, while its deeper themes encourage readers to explore and celebrate their own creative journeys. It’s a great reminder that sometimes all it takes to make a difference is taking that first step and believing in yourself.

Below, you will find a link to some simple dot activities that can span from a classroom, to whole school involvement. PLEASE feel free to add to the document any additional ideas you may have.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1p983WwAR_AG5BCiCoRGZdm8WjlQRdDTq9HyRZ29eInY/edit?usp=sharing

Please be advised that this virtual field trip includes a live demonstration of an actual car crash test at a professional safety facility. While the demonstration is conducted under controlled and safe conditions by experts, the content may be intense or emotional for some participants, particularly younger students or students with prior car crash trauma.

The crash test will involve the collision of a vehicle to simulate real-world accident scenarios for educational purposes and safety ratings. Some students may find the sights, sounds, or implications of the demonstration to be disturbing.

Parental Discretion Advised: We encourage teachers, parents and guardians to carefully consider their child's sensitivity to such content before participating. If you believe that your child might find the experience upsetting, please discuss it with them beforehand or consider opting out of this portion of the virtual field trip.

ADDITIONAL LESSON IDEA: https://app.thepocketlab.com/lab-report/3ZsE6Df70008UzW701w8Tz?filters=Crash%20Science%20in%20the%20Classroom&ro=1&ref=%2Fpocketlab-library%3Ffilters%3DCrash%2520Science%2520in%2520the%2520Classroom&utm_campaign=IIHS%20virtual%20field%20trip&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8iBUMzygLLk7aqUOm42Hv3hB2uKN3LfiXxF4jvtHyYtdfP1JxpG7Hig8vJffjYl0gDDtzl59HQeq4WBj40q9Q8kdWs9g&_hsmi=315979479&utm_content=315979479&utm_source=hs_automation

https://www.thepocketlab.com/

Quickly create a free account and check out their lesson library. Find something you like and want to try with your students? Contact the STEM Center to check out the Pocketlab kit. It is remarkable!!!!

We currently have the thermo, air quality, and temperature sensors. For grades 4-12

Want to touch on some computer science and 21st Century skills, while following other standards you need to address in your classroom? Try a versatile unplugged activity.

Have facts, images, paragraphs etc. around your room, on stakes you can put outside on the school campus, and have students code each other in the proper sequencing order. Another student can be writing down the code. Debug the code as needed. This can be a great way to not only practice CS skills that are state standards, but also allow them time to be engaged in learning and out of their seats.

(a great formative assessment without it being "an assessment")

So far in the first couple weeks of school, we have already planned some AMAZING PBL units that students will soon be experiencing. (covers science, social studies, ELA, math, 21st-century skills, SEL skills and more)

• Nature hikes, while creating digital journals to reflect back on as a part of an ecosystem unit.
• Using Pocketlab in real-time data collector to monitor air quality, along with analyzing if our area has heat islands, while researching ways to improve our ecosystem.
• Kitchen chemists for students to engage in learning about chemical and physical changes.
• Studying Vernal ponds, why they are important, and why they need to be protected. Then taking action steps for awareness in our local community.
• LEGO Education for hands-on on engaging inquiry learning while also covering Michigan CS standards
• Learning to 3D print. Students will be designing and printing a prosthetic limb for a stuffed animal in the STEM Center.
• Underwater robotics in the middle schools. Students will be building their own robots, testing and updating their prototypes, and completing their final product to test out as it performs specific tasks as a final challenge.
• Learning about buoyancy. Students will be designing and creating a cardboard boat and testing the prototype. The end of the project will be an exhibition between the classes involved.

THE LIST GOES ON AND ON....

Are you interested in giving one of these units a try? Reach out to Karen Dickelman at dickelmank@wwcsd.net?

Make a free account with PBLWorks for tons of FREE units. Use them as is, or adjust them to fit your needs.

https://www.misocialstudies.org/GIANTSHome.html

GIANTS is a research-based, teacher made curriculum that not only covers social studies, but applies ELA, Literacy Essentials, math and science along the way. GIANTS uses multi-media resources that are all linked in, including the MI OPEN Book project that elementary schools have access to. PLEASE take a look at a unit or 2 for your grade level and see if you can try this resource in your classroom. I would love to hear some feedback.

Email: thestemcenter@wwcsd.net

In District Website: https://sites.google.com/wwcsd.net/stem-center/home

Website: https://www.wwcsd.net/schools/educational-programs/stem-center/
Location: 36105 Marquette Street, Westland, MI, USA
Phone: 734-419-2447