Outstanding STEAM Project
Wow! What an amazing project for not only the students but also an entire community? I found this article to be a very valuable resource for teachers, librarians, and communities to engage i... See More
Wow! What an amazing project for not only the students but also an entire community? I found this article to be a very valuable resource for teachers, librarians, and communities to engage in a One Book, One Community project. This particular project went above and beyond by incorporating STEAM into the plans for this project as well. By starting with a book, students were able to really connect to the scientific concepts of animal rights and animal habitats. I think one of the most important features of introducing this project with the story of Ivan is that students were invested emotionally as well. The research component that lead to students building a possible habitat for their adopted gorilla was a wonderful way to hold student accountable for their own learning while also keeping them highly engaged through a higher-order thinking task. The connections between Ivan’s finger paintings and Jackson Pollock’s paintings were such a natural fit to compare as well. One thing I wish I had more information about was the demographics and socioeconomic status of the initial four schools that participated. The article did explain that the four initial schools to participate in this project shared resources with “underdeserved” schools in the area, but I wish I had a little more information about that relationship. Overall, I thought this One Book, One Community STEAM project was very well designed and implemented. In fact, I could go on and on about all of the wonderful components of this community project, but I think one of the most valuable things this article offers is the example it creates for teachers to emulate with their own grade level science standards. As I read this article, I felt inspired to create something similar for my own students. Thank you for explaining your project and showing others an engaging and meaningful way for students to learn and experience the science curriculum.