Black Mountain Primary
STEAM Lab
By Lila Downs, Media Specialist & 2016 Owen District TOY
O
ver the past two years, the Kiwanis Club’s generous
donations of over $50,000 have helped create the
keystone of Black Mountain Primary School’s 21st century
learning initiative, the STEAM lab. STEAM is an acronym
for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math.
These new resources exemplify Black Mountain Primary’s
belief that education must extend beyond textbooks
and standardized testing. Walk into our lab, and you
will see our students involved in a variety of activities
ranging from robotics, experiential learning, science
experiments, green screen, stop motion, Augmented
Reality technology, and research.
Our STEAM projects are ongoing at Black Mountain
Primary, enabling students to build on critical thinking
skills as they move through grade levels. Last year, our
second grade students were able to tie in literacy skills
by creating a stop motion animation movie about a fairy
tale. This year, those same students, now third graders,
have completed a stop motion movie showing how the
Earth rotates and revolves around the Sun. Projects
such as these often take more than one class session
to complete; therefore, extended time is built into the
structure of the lab. This allows for open-ended problem
based learning. It also enables students to work at their
own pace, which is extremely effective for differentiation of learners and fostering dynamic
problem-solving using 21st century skills.
Without support from the community, these important learning experiences would not be possible.
We are so grateful to the Kiwanis Club and all of our community stakeholders who generously
donate money and time so our students can succeed!
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