STEM-Infusing the Elementary Classroom

Make learning relevant with STEM essential questions

Planning interdisciplinary STEM lessons that meet K-5 grade level expectations can be a challenge. How do you fit it all in? In this engaging, well-organized guide, STEM instructional trailblazer Miranda Reagan provides a teacher-friendly, research-based guide to quickly and confidently infuse STEM concepts across content areas. Real-world vignettes, sample lessons and templates, discussion questions, and immediately applicable action steps help you seamlessly promote college and career ready skills.

This inspiring guide helps teachers use STEM-infused interdisciplinary instruction to:

• Deepen all content areas, including English/ Language Arts
• Promote the 4Cs: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity
• Require students to take risks to solve problems
• Differentiate instruction and scaffold support
• Expand students' specific measurable capabilities
• Incorporate design skills into the curricula

Save valuable time and confidently develop standards-aligned STEM projects across all content areas with this breakthrough guide!

"Spirited Teachers Eliciting Memories. Miranda′s book is an inspiration for the elementary teacher who wants to begin using STEM in the classroom." She has answered all of the "but what ifs" and the "I′m not sures" and given teachers the answers to the "hows and whys" it will work."
-Dr. Jill C. Mertz, Adjunct Professor of Education at Maryville College, Maryville, TN

"After reading this book, infusing STEM into your elementary classroom will be as easy as 1,2,3...A, B, C!"
-Susan Schipper, Elementary Teacher, Charles Street School, Palmyra, NJ

Author: Miranda Talley Reagan
Publisher: Corwin Publishers
Published: 03/25/2016
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 9.90h x 6.90w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781483392363

About the Author
Miranda Reagan is an Instructional Coach for STEM and Technology Infusion at Sam Houston Elementary School in Maryville, TN. As part of a district-wide initiative to improve math and science instruction, Miranda accepted a job as STEM lab teacher for her school in 2012. At the time, resources for STEM instruction in elementary school were difficult to find. Therefore, she began piecing together a curriculum for her STEM class using ideas from websites, blogs, etc. This curriculum focused on problem-solving and collaboration through design challenges. In doing so, Miranda discovered that the problem-solving concepts and patterns of thought associated with the STEM subject provided a strong foundation for teaching across content areas. Therefore, in 2013 she and her colleagues began experimenting with what she now refers to as STEM-infusing their elementary classrooms, or using STEM concepts to teach all content areas. That year, Miranda informally led an effort to transform teaching in her school towards a higher-order, problem-based approach to learning. She also shared many of her ideas from STEM class on a blog (http: //www.maryville-schools.org/Page/3631) and resource page on her school website which received over 30,000 hits from teachers all over the nation and abroad. Furthermore, her series of posts on Corwin-Connect (http: //corwin-connect.com/2014/06/stem-infusing-elementary-classroom-part-3/) have continuously ranked among the top posts on that site since their publication. Now, Miranda formally coaches teachers within her school and has also provided trainings within her district and other school districts on infusing STEM in the elementary classroom. This book is a collection of lessons learned and ideas that have surfaced during her five years as a classroom teacher, two years as a STEM lab teacher, and now time spent as an instructional coach for STEM and technology integration.