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Goal

The goal of this project is to bridge the gap between conceptual science standards and real-world applications using STEAM-based manipulatives. Classroom research has proven that manipulatives help students learn by allowing them to move from concrete experiences to abstract reasoning. Since science is an active and often abstract discipline, manipulatives help facilitate the learning process by allowing the students to visualize scientific concepts that are invisible to the naked eye or too far out of reach to initially perceive. To view a diagram or video of wind power is one thing, but to have students physically engage with manipulatives that allow them to generate their own wind energy helps take their learning to a whole different level. The activities and resources provided by this grant will help to establish a STEAM based activity and instructional resource center where students can quickly and efficiently engage in critical hands-on experiences.  

What will be done with my students

Dover Elementary school is a Title 1 school in the Hillsborough County Transformation Network. 92% of the students are Hispanic and 96% live at poverty level. Most of these students do not have basic resources such as internet, home computers, or access to a variety of educational resources. Many parents and family members speak only their native language and often there is little educational content related discourse with their children. This use of manipulatives provides multiple ways for students to learn concepts through developmentally appropriate hands-on experiences connected to grade-level content.
When students engage in activities that combine different elements of STEAM, they experience guided inquiry in which they must ask thoughtful questions, discover answers, apply what they learn, and problem-solve creatively. With the resources from this grant, students can explore three-dimensional science concepts that are anchored in real-world phenomena and can work individually, in partners and in small groups. These resources meet each student at their individual point of entry and help deepen their conceptual understanding of grade level content. Use of these manipulatives will aid students in bridging the gap between conceptual and abstract learning, increase social and cooperative learning skills, provide an avenue for increased academic language, and increase science process and engineering skills.
 

Benefits to my students

Expected outcomes include stimulation of higher order thinking and retained conceptual knowledge to aid students in attaining proficiency in district-wide assessment performance.
These hands-on creative activities will also improve student engagement in the classroom increasing collaborative work. This engagement has the potential of carrying over into sharing these experiences outside of the classroom and at home providing avenues for family discourse and increased use of academic vocabulary.
 

Budget Narrative

This grant provides individual Stem Bins that are complete with task cards and all needed materials allowing students to quickly implement the STEAM process. Students will use the Stem Logs to facilitate the engineering process through writing and blueprint creation. The Stem Challenge charts will be used with craft items already existing in the classroom for small group work to increase collaborative projects. The Scratch Coding cards will ensure that STEAM is incorporated with advancing computer technology. The Renewable Energy Kit, Heat Transfer Kit, and the Weathering and Erosion Kit contain materials for 30 students for up to two years to explore essential physical science concepts in 4th grade. 

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