Schools
STEAM Sparks Energy at River Elementary
A team of River Elementary teachers thought a STEAM room would be just what students needed to realize their unique potential.
From Patch-Med Schools: In keeping with the Patchogue-Medford School District’s vision to inspire curiosity through creative learning opportunities, a team of River Elementary teachers thought a STEAM room would be just what students needed to realize their unique potential.
STEAM, of course, stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.
The team of teachers that came up with this vision for the building are Jacklyn Ensel, Kerryn Fries, Jeff Peterson and Greg DeSario.
“The team wanted the room to be not just a classroom, but an extraordinary place for students to engage, explore, explain, evaluate and extend their learning,” said River Principal, Dr. Tania Davenport-Dalley.
Tammy Belmonte, a teacher at River, wrote a grant and they used grant money to purchase materials to make the room esthetically inviting.
Teachers also created lessons for each grade level based on Nex Gen Science Standards. They have been attending Nex Gen Science conferences so that they can stay current on the new standards and share this information with the rest of the River team.
There is a sign-up sheet outside of the STEAM lab, so teachers can block out time to use the room.
The lessons have proven to be topical as well. In the spirit of Halloween, River PTA co-president, Kristen Fischer, helped with a project in her daughter’s second grade classroom where tese little scientists got an opportunity to observe what happens when you mix certain ingredients together. They were incredibly excited to see an exploding pumpkin volcano.
They also found out that scientists are mathematicians and the activity required some drawing which touches on the ‘A’ for Art in STEAM.
“Here at River, STEAM stimulates students and sparks their energy,” said Dr. Davenport-Dalley.
There are similar rooms like this across the school district. We will be highlighting various educational programs and concepts like this from across Pat-Med all year long, so stay locked in to our social channels and follow along. #GoPatMed
Image Courtesy of Patch- Med Schools
