-1.png?width=350&height=89&name=TinkRworks%20Logo_Learners%20to%20Innovators%20V2%20(1)-1.png "TinkRworks")
Revitalize your school's approach to STEM and STEAM education in 2024. Kick off the year with a burst of energy through captivating and immersive STEAM projects. We've curated our top resources to inspire educators from elementary to eighth grade!
Before introducing STEAM projects into the classroom, it’s important to understand exactly what a solid STEAM education looks like across a range of different age groups. Projects with several components and steps might be too advanced for younger students, but they can be modified to introduce different topics at different times.
For example, if you are teaching younger students how to build a remote-operated race car, you can break the project into phases that happen at different points in the year. In the first phase, they can research materials and their weights or durability. In the second phase, they can build the body of the car. In the third phase, they might learn how to operate it with a remote mechanism, and in the fourth they can race through obstacle courses to test the maneuverability and speed of their cars. In each phase, the research and instruction can singularly focus on the concepts covered in that portion of the project.
Additionally, learning the difference between STEM programs and STEAM programs is helpful when choosing projects for students. Having a greater understanding of how STEAM and STEM differ allows you to isolate the topics and skills you want to prioritize with your students. There are plenty of resources available that claim to teach STEAM concepts. Understanding the key components of a rigorous STEAM project-based learning curriculum helps you to cut through the noise and choose projects that truly benefit your students. It’s also vital to know the characteristics of STEAM Project-based Learning that make it so beneficial to students. Below, we have listed expert-curated articles to help strengthen your STEAM curriculum.
Articles to Strengthen Your 2024 STEAM Curriculum
Read through these resources to enhance your understanding of STEAM education and to help you identify the components that you need to incorporate into your curriculum.
STEAM: The Basics
- Why STEAM Education Matters in Schools
- 5 Characteristics of a High Performing STEAM Classroom
- Teaching Students to Think in the STEAM Classroom
How STEAM Helps Students
STEM/STEAM Guides for Educators
Top Downloadable Resources for STEM/STEAM in the Classroom
Now that you know all about STEAM, you are ready to explore the ways in which it can be implemented in your classroom. Check out these free educator resources and kits to help you build a successful STEAM curriculum in your school.
- STEAM Project-based Learning Kit
This kit can help you unlock the power of hands-on learning in your school! Access a list of prompts and project ideas for STEAM learning at a variety of grade levels, as well as reflection worksheets for students. - STEAM Superheroes Classroom Kit
Introduce students to the six STEAM superheroes: Captain Collaborator, The Incredible Innovator, Inquisitive Investigator, Technology Titan, Problem-solving Pro, and Agent Persistent. This kit includes posters to hang in your classroom that will inspire and encourage your young STEAM learners! - High Performing STEAM Classroom Professional Development Kit
Get access to everything you need to build a successful, high performing STEAM classroom, including a Planning Guide and a Teaching Survey to help you assess the efficacy of your STEAM program. - STEAM Discourse and Reflection Resource Kit
Learn how to prioritize discourse, employ purposeful questioning, and encourage students to reflect on what they’ve learned in a STEAM curriculum. This kit includes a variety of resources like question prompts, reflection sheets, and planning documents that enable you to create a productive environment for STEAM discourse. - TinkRpedia
This free educator-curated makerspace lesson library contains several hands-on STEAM projects that can be used for multiple grade levels. Browse a variety of projects that use recycled materials for some cost-effective STEAM learning. - Lunar STEAM Survival Scenario
This project is great for students grade 3 and up. Using the resource, lead student groups through an exercise where they must employ their STEAM knowledge to survive on the moon!
The final step to kick off a fun year of STEAM learning is to find STEAM projects so you can get started with STEAM Project-based Learning!
For some well-designed, engaging, and easy-to-implement STEAM projects, check out Art Electric (grades 1-8) or LaunchPad (grades 3-8) These projects offer students the opportunity to explore and use real-life coding strategies to bring their ideas to life.
You are ready to start the new year with STEAM! Use these resources to help your students find a new passion for learning, creating, collaborating, and growing in 2024. For more information, resources, and access to introductory offers of STEAM projects, subscribe to our blog and receive a weekly recap.
