Virginia Children's Engineering Conference

1. STEMming Off Stories
Alisa Downey and Tina Coffey

2. Introductions
Alisa Downey
Tina Coffey
Special Education Teacher
Oak Grove Elementary
Email: adowney@rcs.k12.va.us
Instructional Technology Resource Teacher
Roanoke County Schools
Email: tcoffey@rcs.k12.va.us
Blogs:
http://kidblog.org/4-Thompson-Downey/
http://kidblog.org/5-Sharp-Downey/
Blog:
http://tcoffey.edublogs.org

3. Objectives for this Presentation
• Background
• Hands on STEM activity based on story
• Ideas to Differentiate/Accommodate/Adapt a STEM project
• Practice
• More Resources

4. How we started with STEM stories…
• Big Bad Wolf Video

5. Group Task:
Your class has just read, Snowmen All Year Long and At Home in the Cold. It’s
now your job to build an outfit to keep a snowman cold for as long as possible!
You have 30 minutes.
• Draw a design for the snowman’s outfit
• Figure out which materials you want to “buy” from your box.
• Build your snowman’s outfit using the supplies
• Be ready share.

6. Student Snowmen Projects
Snowmen Design Video

7. Student Snowmen Projects

8. Student Snowmen Projects

9. Student Snowmen Projects
• Videolicious Video
Example 1
Example 2

10. Turning a Story into STEM
• Look for science, math, or engineering embedded in the story.
• Remember stories can be used with various grade levels.
• Consider what types of digital technology would enhance the project.

11. Example Project: The True Story of the 3 Little
Pigs!
• The Fourth Little Pig’s House

12. Example Project: Rosa Parks
Videolicious Video:

13. Example Project: Insulated Snowmen

14. Example Project: Iditarod Tracking
Students research mushers and create a trading card on one of them.
Students will follow 5 of the mushers during the Iditarod.

15. Example Project: Free Little Libraries
http://littlefreelibrary.org/

16. Meeting the Needs of All Learners by using…
• Technology
• Behavior Strategies
• Academic Strategies

17. Technology: iPad Apps
• Camera (Video and Photos)
• Pic Collage
• Videolicious
• Popplet

18. Technology: Presenting Projects with Photos and
Video
Students presenting their Snowmen outfit blueprints.
Watching Presentations to Self Reflect and
Evaluate

19. Technology: iPad Apps
Camera App
Your Task:
• Take some pictures of your snowman.
• Create a short video (no more than 1 min.) explaining
your snowman’s outfit.

20. Technology: iPad Apps
Pic Collage

21. Technology: iPad Apps
• Snowman Video
Videolicious

22. Technology: iPad Apps
Popplet

23. Technology: Bridging Background Knowledge
Use videos, images, and text to help build prior knowledge.
Example: Iditarod
http://iditarod.com/
http://itcteacheronthetrail.com/

24. Technology: Short Tutorials

25. Technology: Presenting Projects
Document Camera

26. Technology: Presenting Projects
VGA Cable for iPad (or screen mirroring)

27. Technology: Presenting Projects
Digital Archive (website, blog, or wiki to show work)

28. Behavior Strategies
• Contracts
• Non-verbal signals
• Reward for on task behavior
• Modeling
• Use Guidance Counselor and
other faculty resources

29. Academic Differences: Grouping Options
• Purposeful grouping
• Student choice/Teacher Choice
• Individual
• Partner
• Group
• Multi-leveled Design Briefs

30. Academic Differences: Leveled Reading
Example: http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/

31. Provides leveled text, readers theaters, and take home
books.

32. Academic Differences: Cross Grade Level
• Example: 4th Graders write Books for Preschoolers

33. Practice
• Read the book you’ve been given
• Come up with a STEM Project
• Think about your own class and utilize technology, behavior strategies, or
academic strategies to meet the needs of your students.
• Be ready to share!

34. Resources
• Check out the our Conference page on the Oak Grove Digital
Archive!
• http://oakgroveelementary.edublogs.org/vcec14
Check out Alisa’s Blogs here:
http://kidblog.org/4-Thompson-Downey/
http://kidblog.org/5-Sharp-Downey/
Check out Tina’s Blog here:
http://tcoffey.edublogs.org