Mix it up - STEM and Language Arts

The arts community has successfully combined STEM with art to create the STEAM movement.  But what about Language Arts?  Consider STREAM! That is the link between STEM, Arts, and Reading (and writing)! Certainly children need to learn STEM concepts but they also need to be able to communicate these concepts to others.  This is especially true when they grow up and find themselves in a STEM-related career.  

It is estimated by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, that as many as nine million occupations will be added in STEM between the decade of 2012 and 2022. Today's learners need to be able to understand the vocabulary of their STEM careers in addition to being able to communicate their ideas to others at their place of employment.  Communication skills are just as important as STEM skills.

Some Language Arts teachers have included STEM in their curricula in several ways:

• Design a house for the main character using that character's personality traits
• Find the STEM in a guided reading passage and discuss what would happen if...
• Design a game based on a book, to be used as a presentation method to share the book
• Find the STEM in the daily news report and comment on the issue presented

Some Science teachers have included Language Arts in their classrooms in other ways:

• Write a summary of a STEM article in a magazine or newspaper
• Design a structure, and then write a verbal description of the process used to build it
• Describe step-by-step instructions for another student to follow
• Compare and contrast two STEM items from a list

A merger of the two curricula is essential to success as an adult in modern employment. In 2011, The National Writing Project published  "Turning STEM into STREAM: Writing as an Essential Component of Science Education" by Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein. In that paper, the authors feel that science teachers also need to add the thinking skills embodied in reading and writing. They also reveal that the average science course requires a student to learn the same number of new vocabulary words he or she would learn in a foreign-language course. 

How do children learn that STEM vocabulary when they are overloaded with other vocabulary in their language arts classes?  STEM vocabulary words probably are not included in the weekly lesson.  Consider things like the difference between "rotor" and "motor" or the meanings of "lever" and "wedge."  These are simple enough words to read but a little more difficult to understand.  When STEM is integrated with art and language arts, students learn STEM vocabulary and creative writing in one neat STREAM of knowledge.  

To add cooperation and respect to the mix, check out my STEM Stories activity for a whole-class effort that includes 160 STEM-related vocabulary words, 50 different settings for stories, and 40 literary devices to use in those stories.  This is a whole-class activity for grades 4-8 where 5 small groups each contribute a paragraph to the whole story.  What fun!  Picture Friday afternoon STEM day where your students work cooperatively and creatively while they learn about STEM vocabulary, literary devices, and the components of a mini-story.  

Renee Heiss

All-American Teacher Tools

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Cursive vs. Keyboard - an interesting debate

There have been many debates over the centuries regarding the education of our children.  From integrated schools to No Child Left Behind and Common Core curricula, teachers have had to deal with a plethora of revisions to their daily lessons.  However, hidden beneath the mandated revisions is a new discussion that centers around cursive writing vs. keyboard entry for student assignments.

Certainly, there has been much discussion regarding the teaching of cursive in elementary school.  Cursive writing as we know it today began in the 16^th century.  People started adding curls and connections to the letters in words.  Around 1840, Platt Rogers Spencer felt it was important to make handwriting an art form. He developed his own style of writing and taught his Spencerian method to his students. The Spencerian method soon became the official writing style of government and corporate documents from 1850 to 1925. However beautiful this style of writing appeared, it was also time-consuming.  The world was becoming a faster-paced place and the fancy handwriting slowed forward progress. Enter Austin Palmer to the scene.  The Palmer method was easier to use and to teach.  Schools used it almost exclusively until his textbooks ceased publication in 1980. Finally, Zaner-Bloser’s books took over the school market because they were easier for little learners to understand.  Today we are left with children who print, rather than write their assignments because even Zaner-Bloser’s style of writing was sometimes difficult for teachers to understand.  RIP, cursive writing!

Now those same little learners have little use for any style of handwriting.  The computer keyboard has supplanted any effort by both parents and instructors to teach cursive writing in school.  The keyboard, too, has had a long and twisted history.  Christopher Sholes invented the first modern typewriter in 1866. However, the keys jammed frequently.  James Densmore came up with what has become known as the QWERTY keyboard.  He put commonly-used letters in locations that were separated by some space to prevent jamming of the strike keys.  This was great for the early secretaries, but is a problem for modern elementary students who look for the letters in alphabetic order on a keyboard.

So what are we teachers to do?  Have students print assignments so we can read them more easily?  Or ask them to type their assignments, making them even more easy to read, but more difficult for the child hunting and pecking for each letter?  Ultimately, that will be your decision.  

One day I watched my 2^nd grade grandson struggle to write a 5-sentence paragraph on his tablet because he had to look for every single letter.  I decided that he needed to memorize the locations of the letters.  Sound like a difficult task?  Not at all if you consider that he has memorized the names of at least 50 dinosaurs!  And other children of that same age have memorized the location of piano keys in relationship to sheet music symbols.  So, I devised a 10-page practice packet whereby he can learn the locations of each letter on paper and on a keyboard.  You can find my KEYBOARDING PRACTICE PACKET for little fingers HERE.  Hopefully it will also help your little people learn how to efficiently use a keyboard, which will definitely help them later in life… unless voice recognition software takes over the universe!

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FREE Fun with Short Stories - a new comparison chart

  

I have found that when students make comparisons using the short stories in their anthologies, four things happen:

1. The temptation to copy another student’s work (either in class or on the Internet!) is eliminated.

2. Students enjoy the amusing images that some of the comparisons bring into the assignment.

3. Learning increases because minds become stretched to the limits of their imagination.

4. Students may need to research the characteristics of the comparison item before beginning the assignment – a bonus objective met!

This comparison chart activity can be used with any grade, but is optimum for grades 3-8.

This is more than a comparison between two short stories - it forces the comparison between a character and a giraffe or a refrigerator! You'll be amazed at the creativity you'll see in your students' writing!

Check out my other writing assists: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/All-american-Teacher-Tools/Category/Writing-507317

Underdog stories - books and movies

 

I LOVE underdog stories where the kid who is less than perfect ends up succeeding at something by the end of the story.   Good triumphs over evil and the weak become strong.  Great lessons for today's children.

Here are ten underdog books and movies summarized for you by our friends at www.babysitters.net.  

1. The Tortoise and the Hare – One of the oldest underdog stories known today comes from Aesop’s renowned fable the Tortoise and the Hare. Just about everyone has heard the tale of this classic race where the hare is so overly confident in his ability to win that he decides to take a nap while the tortoise finishes the race as he sleeps.
2. The Ant and the Grasshopper – Another of Aesop’s well known fables is the Ant and the Grasshopper. The big carefree grasshopper spends his summer singing and playing while the industrious little ant is doggedly preparing for winter. When the weather turns cold and bitter, the tiny ant is prepared to endure the long winter season while the grasshopper is left cold and hungry.
3. David and Goliath – Even older than Aesop’s fables is the story from the Bible of David and Goliath. David is a young lad armed only with a slingshot who takes on the giant Goliath. Although the giant is armed to the teeth and clad in body armor, the stone from David’s slingshot finds the one unguarded weakness of Goliath and hits him in the temple killing him instantly.
4. The Little Engine that Could – What child hasn’t heard the story of the Little Engine that Could? While all the other engines gave excuses as to why they couldn’t pull the train over the hill, the littlest engine just kept saying “I think I can, I think I can” until he achieved his goal.
5. Rocky – More recently movie makers have found new ways to expound on the underdog theme. The Rocky series of films are a classic example of this. The unknown boxer Rocky Balboa takes on the heavyweight champion Apollo Creed and although he loses in the first movie, he does beat him in Rocky II. The rest of the series pits the Italian Stallion against various opponents he must struggle to defeat.
6. The Karate Kid – Inspired by the success of Rocky, the Karate Kid is another movie series that is based on fighting, though this focuses on a martial arts theme instead of boxing. These movies are motivating to kids because they show that fighting dirty is not only wrong, but may not be successful either.
7. Star Wars – What kid wasn’t enthralled with the classic underdog story set in outer space? Star Wars pits the mere human Luke Skywalker against the evil Darth Vader and the Death Star. With the help of his alien friends, Luke gains the ingenuity and skill to overcome insurmountable odds.
8. Forrest Gump – Although he might not be the brightest crayon in the box, Forrest Gump is an inspiration to kids of every age. We all have our personal deficiencies, but can rely on our redeeming qualities to see us through.
9. Rudy – This is the story of a kid whose ultimate goal is to play football for Notre Dame. Rudy has to overcome the daunting obstacles of his dyslexia and physical size, but manages to win the hearts of those around him to achieve his dreams.
10. Braveheart – The historical movie about the 13^th century Scottish warrior William Wallace doesn’t end well for him, but his bravery and determination live on after his death. Robert the Bruce motivates his army by invoking Wallace’s memory and goes on to win freedom for Scotland.

It’s so important for children to learn that even though life is not always fair, everyone has something to contribute and can achieve greatness with determination and effort. A world where everyone has a guaranteed outcome would be boring and uninspiring. That’s why these underdog stories are so enduringly popular. We all love the idea that anyone can achieve the impossible dream, or at least surpass others expectations.

Happy reading!

 

For another underdog story, read Woody's World - the story of a boy growing up during the Great Depression as he learns to become independent through difficult times.  Also included is an 8-week study guide for grades 4-7.  

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Wednesday Weekly 5 under $5 - 9/15/2021

                       

Every week I put together a list of 5 great products from members of The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative (TBOTEMC) with the requirement that each product must be less than $5.  With a variety of subjects and a wide range of grades, there just might be something that you can use, so continue to read below and see!

In addition, if you're a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) who would like to get more information about joining TBOTEMC, contact me via email at ReneeHeiss@gmail.com or simply by leaving a comment on this blog post.

Number Sense: Subitizing Flash Cards - $3.00

by Mickey's Place
K-1st grades
Activities, Flash Cards, Games

Number Sense Subitizing Flashcards is an excellent way to practice math automaticity with your students.  Included in this flashcard set:44 black line pattern cards ready to print, 44 small black line cards for students to keep at their desks or to take home for further practice, and ideas for how to use the cards.

Grammar Review: Stories About Careers - $4.99

by Reading Spotlight
7th - 12th grades
Worksheets, Fun Stuff

These grammar correction stories include several hundred possible careers-- a unique way to review grammar and spelling skills for many students who have no idea what might suit their talents and interests in the future. Two Teacher’s Worksheets for individual or class error analysis are now included to help focus instruction and group students according to individual needs. Includes Answer Keys and Explanations.

Sir Walter Raleigh Lesson PLUS Activity Book Pair Pack - $2.50

by History at Home
K - 3rd grades
Homeschool Curricula, Activities

Discover, learn, and explore the mystery of the Lost Colony in Lesson #3 of a 34-week study of early American history. Your grades K-3 student(s) will learn about Sir Walter Raleigh and the Lost Colony of Roanoke through text, vocabulary words, pictures, and activities!

Italian Artist Research Project - $4.00

By Urbino12

For 10th - 12th grades

Research, Cultural Activities

Do you need your students to do more project based learning? Your students will create beautiful web page designs on Italian artists using the program Adobe Spark. Great project for college and career readiness at the upper grade levels! Can be done in English or Italian. 

Creative Writing Prompts - 3.50

By Sunshine and Laughter by Deno

1st - 3rd grades

Worksheets, Printables, Literacy Center Ideas

Students can show their creative side when given a variety of writing prompts that peak their interest. This no-prep resource contains 44 fun, engaging, creative writing prompts that contain a variety of styles of writing including personal narratives, how-to's, and imaginative writing. This resource would work great in your Language Arts lessons, as morning work for the students as they walk into your classroom, or in your literacy centers. Just print and go. This resource includes 44 creative writing prompts.

As always, I encourage comments and any ideas or suggestions by emailing me at reneeheiss@gmail.com

Renee Heiss

All-American Teacher Tools
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Wednesday Weekly 5 under $5 - 9/8/2021

                      

Every week I put together a list of 5 great products from members of The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative (TBOTEMC) with the requirement that each product must be less than $5.  With a variety of subjects and a wide range of grades, there just might be something that you can use, so continue to read below and see!

In addition, if you're a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) who would like to get more information about joining TBOTEMC, contact me via email at ReneeHeiss@gmail.com or simply by leaving a comment on this blog post.

Slay that Dragon - Character Education Bulletin Board Discussion Starters - 4.50

By All-American Teacher Tools

All grades

Bulletin Board Ideas

This collection of 36 discussion starters helps children learn, week by week, about many social and moral dilemmas they face every day.  Full instructions are provided to help you implement this valuable weekly plan to generate discussion about character education. It uses a dragon theme: "Keep the Dragons Out of Our Classroom" helps children understand that wrong behavior can be very dangerous.

All About Me Welcome to School Emergent Reader - $3.00

by Primarily Learning
K-1st grades
Fun Stuff, Printables, Literacy Center Ideas

All About Me Back to School Activities: Write a story and draw a picture to tell about you and your family. Read your All About Me Emergent Reader to a friend! Use the 6 BONUS frames to create an all-the-me poster to share on a Back to School Bulletin Board.

Rosh Hashanah - $4.99

by Urbino12
1st - 8th grades
PowerPoint Presentations, Minilessons, Cultural Activities

Do your student know about the Rosh Hashanah holiday? Incorporate multiculturalism into your curriculum with this valuable resource. Includes exercises and teacher answer key.

ELA Common Core grade level appropriate for: Knowledge of language, Vocabulary acquisition and usage, Reading Foundational Skills Fluency, Key Ideas, Details and Integration of Knowledge. Informational Text.

Pumpkin Hunting! Printable for Halloween Fun Grades K-3 - $1.50

by History at Home
K - 3rd grades
Activities, Fun Stuff

Want to celebrate Halloween in a Covid-friendly way? Pumpkin Hunting is here!​

These printable sheets include:​ Page to count pumpkins, Drawing sheet for their favorite pumpkin​, 2 coloring pages, Halloween Word Search, Halloween Matching Game, ​Halloween Word Scramble​, a maze, Scavenger hunt,​ and a link to Halloween Glow Stick Cards!

Three EDITABLE Lesson Plan Templates - $3.00

By Scipi

For staff

Lesson Plans (Individual), Professional Documents, Printables

This handout includes three EDITABLE lesson plan templates; one is a generic; whereas, the other two are specifically designed for mathematics (elementary or secondary) and reading/language arts.  

As always, I encourage comments and any ideas or suggestions by emailing me at reneeheiss@gmail.com

Renee Heiss

All-American Teacher Tools
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Wednesday Weekly 5 under $5 - August 25, 2021

                     

Every week I put together a list of 5 great products from members of The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative (TBOTEMC) with the requirement that each product must be less than $5.  With a variety of subjects and a wide range of grades, there just might be something that you can use, so continue to read below and see!

In addition, if you're a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) who would like to get more information about joining TBOTEMC, contact me via email at ReneeHeiss@gmail.com or simply by leaving a comment on this blog post.

Sentence Patterns Grammar Worksheets | Back to School Activity - $4.00

by Charlene Tess
9th - 12th grades
Activities, Handouts

Teach your students to rewrite sentences without changing their meaning to achieve sentence variety. At the same time, they will be reminded of things that are associated with going back to school. This resource is both printable and digital and can be used in both Google Drive™ and Easel™.

Compound Word Puzzles:  Picture to Word Literacy Center - $4.00

by Mickey's Place
K - 2nd grades
Activities, Assessment, Literacy Center Ideas

Compound Word Puzzles: Picture to Word Literacy Center is a comprehensive way for students to engage in and increase their learning of compound words.  ⭐This resource contains 60 compound words in which students will match the individual picture cards of each word with the word to form the compound word.

Italian Traditions Project - $4.00

by Urbino12
9th - 12th grades
Research, Fun Stuff, Cultural Activities

This Italian Traditions project will have your students researching an Italian tradition of their choice. They will present their findings to the class.

Farm Friends Addition Within 10 Clip Card Math Centers - $4.00

By Kamp Kindergarten

K - 1st grades

Worksheets, Fun Stuff

This resource provides inviting math centers for learners to practice addition facts to 10. There are 5 addition clip card math centers activities in this packet. Each activity has 12 clothespin clip cards and a recording sheet. There is an addition fact and a choice of three sums printed on each clothespin clip card. The cards and recording sheets have farm themed graphics.

Back to School Bingo - FREE

By All-American Teacher Tools

All grades

Fun stuff, Games

It sure takes a lot of supplies to teach a classroom of eager learners! Use this fun BINGO game in many ways. .

When all your students get a BINGO, ask them to write a story using all 5 words in their BINGO. 

As always, I encourage comments and any ideas or suggestions by emailing me at reneeheiss@gmail.com

Renee Heiss

All-American Teacher Tools
Check out my Store

Wednesday Weekly 5 under $5 - August 18, 2021

                    

Every week I put together a list of 5 great products from members of The Best of Teacher Entrepreneurs Marketing Cooperative (TBOTEMC) with the requirement that each product must be less than $5.  With a variety of subjects and a wide range of grades, there just might be something that you can use, so continue to read below and see!

In addition, if you're a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) who would like to get more information about joining TBOTEMC, contact me via email at ReneeHeiss@gmail.com or simply by leaving a comment on this blog post.

Figurative Language with Figgy - $2.50

by All-American Teacher Tools
3rd - 7th grades
Activities, PowerPoint

Here is a fun PowerPoint to teach figurative language during your creative writing unit. This PowerPoint presentation covers the following topics: Similes, Metaphors, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Personification, Hyperbole, Idioms, Adages, Oxymorons, and Allusion. Each slide provides a definition, examples, and a mini-quiz for discussion.

Watermelon and Seed Ideas - $3.00

by Sunshine and Laughter by Deno
1st - 3rd grades
Minilessons, Printables, Posters

This product is ideal for teaching students how to write about small moments in their lives. Often, when students are asked to write a personal narrative, they will write about a big "watermelon" experience. This resource will help them narrow down their ideas into smaller "seed" experiences. 

How to Interview Techniques, Tips, & Tricks Boom Cards for Grades 9-12, SPED - $2.00

by History at Home
9th - 12th grades
Homeschool Curricula, Task Cards

Interview Techniques, Tips, & Tricks for Grades 9-12, homeschool, SPED, and distance learning. Teach your students how to act and prepare before, during, and after a job interview through this 15 no-prep pack of BOOM CARDS!  ⭐Perfect for differentiation and use in SPED classes!  

Your students will practice: good communication skills in an interview; common mistakes; what to do (& not do) before, during, & after an interview; ins & outs of phone interviews; and the 10 most asked questions in an interview!

Grammar Review: History of Sports - $4.99

By Reading Spotlight

All grades

Worksheets, Fun Stuff

So much better than another set of boring language exercises, this set of 10 grammar stories is fun, effective, motivating, and easy to use. Students can read interesting stories about the history of sports while reviewing fundamental grammar skills. Perfect for the beginning of an English, writing, or ESL class, an additional two Teacher Worksheets provide error analysis and interpret strengths and weaknesses (both Individual and Class) to help focus instruction and/or group students. Answer Keys and explanations for each correction are included. Grades 6-12

40 Multiplication Bingo Cards, War, and Times Table Flashcards - $4.50

By Victoria Leon

2nd - 5th grades

Flash Cards, Computation, Games

These 40 Multiplication Bingo cards, multiplication flashcards, & Multiplication War cards will help students remember their times tables. Students have their own set of flashcards to learn their multiplication facts or they can play the game of War against other students. A blank Bingo card may be copied so that students can create their own Bingo card.

Other WW5U$5 Team Members on TpT to Visit:

Urbino12

Scipi

Charlene Tess

Tammy's Toolbox

As always, I encourage comments below and any ideas or suggestions by emailing me at reneeheiss@gmail.com

Renee Heiss

All-American Teacher Tools
Check out my Store