🧰 Tools for Impact in the Classroom!

26 August 2022

Welcome Back!

We have always been proud of the tools and resources we provide to our participating teachers each year, and more than that, we are proud to see how all of you have used and contributed to these resources to engage and stimulate your students.  Covid-19 remains a concern for everyone, but we are looking forward to steps we all are taking to make this year nearly typical!  Steady as she goes has never looked so good.

In this newsletter, we invite you to explore some of the new ways STEM Pre-Academy hopes to support and engage you and your students this year.  And this is only the beginning!

Here’s to a calm, collected, and community-building year!

The STEM Pre-Academy Team
 

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Graphic Design Workshop: Communicating with Impact!

In our last newsletter, we announced our newest workshop. Graphic Design: Communicating with Impact, will delve into the application of graphic design for posters, presentations, and infographics. This workshop will cover basic graphic design principles that can help you and your students tell your information stories.  The workshop will be presented by Searider Production alums, Deana Goslin and Dannen Dano.  

In our past digital media workshops, we have focused on techniques and principles that you can use to effectively tell your stories in a variety of mediums. This time, the focus is on application to specific types of projects. Deana and Dannen will cover graphic design principles for intentional poster design, infographics, and t-shirts. Each application uses graphic design differently to communicate to its own audience. We’re excited to see how you and your students apply these lessons in class and during after school activities!

After a wondrously busy summer, we have a date!  Sign up now!
 

 

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New Teacher-Created Resources!

🎯 Research, System Design and Community Impact – Pacing Guide and Project Outline – ‘Ilima Intermediate School

Randall Shinn, Science teacher at ‘Ilima Intermediate school created an extensive project that incorporates the Hydroponics instruction, the Engineering Design Process, and a community-based outreach component, where students created an incredible end product for a Kapolei assisted living facility.  Students also had the opportunity to design systems for other real-life teacher clients at Campbell High, ‘Ilima Intermediate, and Ka‘imiloa Elementary.

Activities and lessons include:

• Engineering Design of Portable Hydroponic System for Community Members
• A 12-lesson Introduction to Hydroponics
• Data Collection
• How to Organize a Zoom / Google Meet Conference with Community Members and Subject Matter Experts

Want to check out this resource?  Let us know!
 

🎯 Hydroponics for Social Studies – Multidisciplinary Research and Activities with Autumn Pemble – Washington Middle School

As part of the STEAMER project, Autumn Pemble, Social Studies teacher at Washington Middle School, has put together some amazing activities that take a truly multidisciplinary approach to teaching hydroponics.  Autumn’s activities integrate poetry, music, and games to let students research perspectives through primary and secondary sources, explore global citizenship through big learning, and learn how research can identify problems and refine solutions. 

Examples of activities include:

• Hydroponics Diamante Poem
• Hydroponics Infographic
• Hydroponics Jeopardy Game
• Hydroponics Short Story
• Hydroponics Slideshow
• Hydroponics Student Song and Video
• Hydroponics Who Wants to be a Millionaire Game

Check out these incredible activities here.
 

🎯 Engineer a House to Withstand a Tropical Rainstorm Kit – With a Rain Simulator! – Wahiawā Middle, Jarrett Middle, and Dole Middle Schools

Originally conceived by Wahiawā Middle School science teacher Henry Kitagawa (now retired), the Engineering Design Process challenge, Engineer a House to Withstand a Tropical Rainstorm, is a brilliant opportunity for students to learn and follow the EDP steps: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, and Improve.  This STEM kit includes all you need to run the challenge in your classroom, including a self-contained rain simulator to test your students’ creations in a controlled and easy-to-use environment!  Check out how a similar rain simulator was used in a UH research project.

Resources in the kit include:

• Rain Simulator – Waterproof House – Engineering Log Book
• Engineering Notebook – Student Guidelines
• Engineering Notebook – Teacher Guidelines
• Rain Simulator – STEM Activity and Lesson
• Rain Simulator – Engineer a House for Rain – Presentation Slides.
• Rain Simulator – Research Background – Sample Roof Designs
• Rain Simulator – User’s Manual
• And adaptations from our teachers to tailor the content to their own students!

Interested in trying it out?  Let us know!
 

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Logitech Meetup Classroom Webcams 
Now Available for Borrowing!

The Logitech Meetup Webcam is perfect for involving an entire classroom of students in a virtual exchange with subject matter experts or community speakers.  As part of the STEAMER project, STEM Pre-Academy recently held two talks with Randall Shinn’s science class at ‘Ilima Intermediate School.  The meetup connected Randall’s students with CTAHR Extension and Outreach Associate, Jensen Uyeda, as he shared his considerable sustainable agriculture knowledge to advance their project designs and understanding.  A second session with STEM Pre-Academy student interns Deborah Higa and Alden Fernandez introduced the class to designing their hydroponics station.  Check out the videos on the STEAMER group page.

Interested in borrowing the webcam?  Let us know!
 

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Articulation Meetings

As we do each year, we’ve started scheduling articulation meetings with as many schools as we can.  For those of you with whom we have scheduled meetings, mahalo!  

Interested in meeting with us (in person or virtually) to share ideas?  Let us know!
 

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