Look around your classroom or home office. What STEM innovations do you see? Maybe you have a printer, a microwave, a thermometer, a thermostat, and probably a box of crayons. Each of those items was influenced by an innovator who saw the need and filled it with scientific exploration and experimentation.
If we want to prepare children to be future scientists, we need to inform them about the past. The TV series Impossible Engineering shows viewers how the innovations we see today, like high-tech airplanes, were influenced by inventions achieved by historical engineers. Show students that most of the things they take for granted were originally just an idea in a scientist’s mind.
Hundreds of books show students about the history of
STEM. Certainly, technology history is
fascinating for kids, but there are also books about biological, chemical, and
physical achievements to interest your young readers. For younger readers, consider the fascinating
story of Eugenie Clark in a biography entitled, Shark Lady: The True Story
of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist. For your middle school readers, Black
Stars: African American Inventors, is an outstanding exploration of
twenty-five innovators like George Washington Carver, an agricultural scientist,
and Benjamin Montgomery, who invented a propeller that improved steamboat
navigation.
Many movies and videos also document the achievements of
inventors. One of my favorite series
is Inventions that Shook the World. This
is a 10-part series available on Amazon Prime Video that includes nuggets of STEM
information during the 20th century.
From wireless radios to the Hubble telescope, viewers see how technology
has exploded and lives have been changed as a result of advancements in the
world of STEM. And your students will
surely enjoy Modern Marvels - Walt Disney World, which explores how Walt
Disney built his mega-kingdom of entertainment.
Every area of your history unit can be packed with STEM
topics if you know where to find them. Consider the math that you can
include in your unit on The Great Depression.
The architecture in your Ancient Civilizations unit. Or the train technology during your Western
Expansion unit. STEM can be a valuable
and interest-inducing adjunct to any topic in your required curriculum.
According to Ainissa Ramirez, a materials scientist and the
author of The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another,
“Once students are more engaged with how STEM is part of a larger fabric,
they will have the skills to see the world more clearly and the lens they need
to start posing tough questions.”
To jump-start your students into the world of STEM history,
consider posting a STEM question as a DO-NOW to begin your day, as a filler for
students who finish early, or as extra credit to boost a less-than-stellar
grade. Use STEM STUMPERZ for every day
of the year. They are keyed to an event
that happened on that day! CLICK
HERE to get started with STEM STUMPERZ for February Check out the bundles if you want seasonal or
yearly packages.
I hated science in elementary and high school, but I started loving it as an adult. I became so engrossed in it that my two girls became scientists because they were constantly being surrounded how interesting I thought science was, especially at the dinner table. You are so right to provide teachers with inspiration to develop STEM.
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