WHAT IS STEAM
STEAM is an integrated approach to learning which requires an intentional connection between standards, curriculum design, lesson implementation, and assessment from at least two or more areas: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. At St. Benedict's our STEAM Specialist and Academic Chair have worked diligently to align our new STEAM curriculum to current pacing guides for complete program cohesion.
WHY STEAM
Our goal at St. B's is to prepare our scholars for a growing STEAM job market and to increase diversity in STEAM by exposing minorities and girls to STEAM educational content.
St. B's STEAM activities focus on Design Thinking which is a methodological approach to learning that consists of overlapping or repeating processes to ensure a problem is solved. In addition, children will engage in the Engineering Design Process, the Scientific Method, and Creative Expression. These methods are research-supported and proven to increase student engagement, participation, and learning.
In 2020, St. Benedict's received a Goizueta Grant totaling $500,000 to fully fund an integrated STEAM program with state-of-the-art technologies and an interdisciplinary STEAM Specialist. STEAM integration is now fully incorporated in every classroom at St. Benedict's, beginning in preschool through eighth grade. The program also benefits the wider community, offering STEAM-focused summer camps that expose resources that may not otherwise be available to them.
OUR STEAM STORY
ENGAGE IN STEAM AT HOME
Make a Pinwheel
CLICK HERE TO PRINT AND DOWNLOAD PDF THEN FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS BELOW
Materials:
-
Straight Straw
-
Coloring Utensils
-
Push Pin
-
Scissors
Steps:
-
Color inside the squares.
-
Cut on the grey lines & dashed lines.
-
Fold the corners in, the black dots should overlap.
-
Push a pin through all of the black dots and into the straw.
-
Test your pinwheel!
Did You Know:
-
Wind is the movement of air caused by differences in air pressure and air temperature.
-
A gust is a short burst of wind!
-
Winds have different strengths. You can have a breeze, gale, storm or hurricane.
-
Wind direction is measured with a wind vane.
-
Anemometers are used to measure wind speed.
-
Other planets have wind too! Did you know that Saturn and Neptune have the fastest winds in our Solar System?
HOW PARENTS CAN
GET INVOLVED
Parents can recycle, clean, and donate the following items:
Paper Towel Rolls
Clean Cardboard Boxes
Sanitized Egg Cartons
Wine Corks
Paper Packaging
Plastic Bottles
Ziploc Bags