STEM Giveaway and Free Printable Election Activities

Erica Peron Teacher Resources for Success

In honor of November’s National STEM Day, our resources this month are all about STEM! No doubt, your students are also still talking about the results of the 2020 election. What better time to roll out a math lesson on the election results? Check out the details below and explore more exciting activities to use this month.

STEM Giveaway!

For National STEM Day we are giving away a sample of simulated dirt from Mars! Could we survive on Mars? Experiment with different plants and soil types by growing plants in “dirt” that is similar to the surface of Mars.  Click here to enter!
Free STEM & Math Lessons and Activities:

Nominate students now for the 2020 Virtual Rising Stars Awards! Click here to nominate.

 

To view more resources click here!

4 Live Virtual Field Trip Options You Don’t Want to Miss!

Erica Peron Teacher Resources for Success

We know that with all the adaptations teachers are making this year, there is not much time to search for interesting activities or engaging field trips. For many teachers, in-person field trips are not even an option right now. That is why this month’s resources are designed to provide you with easy to access, free, exciting, live field trips and virtual tours that you can experience with your students. We hope these resources can help engage both the in-person and remote learners in your classroom!

  1. Skype in the Classroom
    • By far the best option for virtual field trips, guest speakers, tours, and virtual connections. This completely free resource offers personal tours and conversations with experts in any field! Check out their library of virtual field trips, join a special live event, or schedule a scientist or a best-selling author to be your next guest speaker.
  2. Live Distance Learning from the National Parks
    • The National Parks have gone virtual! Chat with a Ranger or join one of their many educational live events. Two parks with excellent live distance learning options are Zion National Park and Grand Canyon National Park.
  3. National Pro-Football Hall of Fame’s Free Youth & Education Video Conferencing Programs
    • The NFL Pro-football Hall of Fame’s Youth & Education Center offers free video conferencing programs on a whole host of topics.
  4. Free Virtual Tours & Live Programs from the Center for Interactive Learning & Collaboration
    • Tours and programs cover topics such as Art, Nature, History, STEM, and so much more!
Don’t have time to schedule a live session? Try a Virtual Tour!

Let Educate help provide your faculty with personalized pathways of support. There is more to Educate than technology. To view support pathway options, click here.

Hispanic Heritage Month       
  • The deadline for the 2020 Hispanic Heritage Month art and essay contests with the theme of “Celebrating Untold Stories and Contributions of Hispanic Americans in Florida” has been extended to 5:00 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, October 15, 2020. In addition, students, parents, teachers, and principals are invited to nominate full-time educators in elementary, middle and high schools for the Hispanic Heritage Month Excellence in Education Award. Click here for more information!

To view all previous Teacher Resources for Success postings, click here.

3 Simple Actions to Improve STEM at Your School

Erica Peron School Leadership Resources

Improve Technology at Your School without Breaking the Bank
  • Microsoft has partnered with many of our schools to offer affordable options for purchasing or leasing devices & software.

– Questions? Want to talk with someone about technology at your school? Contact Wildaliz Ramos, our Education Expert from Microsoft at wiramo@microsoft.com.

– Microsoft is offering a Minecraft Cart Bundle complete with 30 laptops, the Minecraft STEM aligned educational program, and Microsoft 365 for Education. Click here to learn more!

Find Quality Curriculum at a Lower Cost
  • Have you heard of EVERFI? Step Up for Students is excited to share our continued partnership to bring EVERFI’s digital learning platform to your school at NO COST. These free courses are student-paced, grade themselves and come with supplemental lesson plans.
    • The courses address topics such as Character Education, Financial Literacy, Bullying Prevention, STEM education, and many more.
    • Your school is already set up and has full access! 1) Visit EVERFI.com/register 2) Select Florida 3) Type in the first part of your school name to get started. EVERFI also provides training and support to your teachers cost-free. Contact Liam Obrien at lobrien@everfi.com or 241-886-0690 with questions or to schedule a training for your staff.
Offer Free STEM focused Professional Learning Options for Interested Teachers

To view all previous School Leadership Resources postings, click here.

5 Easy Ways to Get Started with STEM

Erica Peron Teacher Resources for Success

For most teachers, tackling STEM in the classroom can be a daunting endeavor. What is STEM? Where do I begin? How do I find lessons, activities, and experiments? How long will it take?

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math. Three of the most important components of a good STEM lesson include:

  • Problem Solving or Challenge Based Learning
  • Real World Applications
  • Integration of Multiple Disciplines

The goal of STEM activities is to put students in the driver’s seat and encourage them to think critically to solve real world problems using ideas and concepts from many different subject areas while reflecting on their successes and their challenges.

It turns out incorporating STEM in the classroom can happen in all kinds of ways, not just in the form of complex experiments. November 8th is National STEM Day and we’ve dedicated this month’s post to helping you get started with STEM using 5 easy to implement ideas.
1. Start with a Book or an Article
  • Unsure of where to begin? Find a short book or an article that touches on a problem or STEM career you wish to highlight. Reading this story aloud with students can be a wonderful starting point to get students in the problem-solving mindset.
    • For Elementary Students- Consider books like Rosie Revere Engineer, by Angela Beaty, or The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds.
    • For Secondary Students- Consider starting with this PBS article about a 15-year-old student who invented a new test for the early detection of pancreatic cancer.
2. Create Maker Time and Maker Space
  • Set aside an area in your classroom for students to build and create. STEM Bins are an easy way to organize materials for students to build with.
  • Create your own STEM Bins from many everyday items found in your house. Popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, straws, plates, magnets, etc. Click here for a step by step to create your own!
  • Feeling more ambitious? Consider a STEM subscription kit like this one! You’ll get new age appropriate STEM activities in the mail each month for students of any grade level!
3. Promote Challenge Based Learning & Activities
4. Plan a Field Trip
  • No budget for field trips? Try Skype in the Classroom! You can take your class on a digital field trip to museums, national parks, laboratories,and even to the ocean floor!
  • Do you have hands on learners? The National Park Service offers “Traveling Trunks” that are filled with artifacts and hands on materials to learn about over 100 different topics and locations!
5. Expand on Careers & Real-World Workplaces
    • Have you heard of EVERFI? Step Up for Students is excited to share our continued partnership to bring EVERFI’s digital learning platform to your school at no cost. These Lessons are student-paced, grade themselves and come with supplemental lesson plans.
    • The courses address topics such as Character Education, Financial Literacy, Bullying Prevention, STEM education and many more.
    • Your school is already set up and has full access. 1) Visit EVERFI.com/register 2) select Florida 3) type in the first part of your school name to get started. EVERFI also provides training and support to your teachers cost-free. Contact Liam Obrien at lobrien@everfi.com or 241-886-0690 with questions or to schedule a training for your staff.

To view all previous Teacher Resources for Success postings, click here.