Standard 2

STANDARD 2
STEM EDUCATOR COLLABORATION: STEM educators collaborate and develop, implement, and improve high-quality learning activities. INITIATIVE NAME: Co-teaching model and units of study for all grade levels guide STEM lab teachers and classroom teachers to collaborate for planning hands-on activities and STEM integration.
Grade levels are guided by common long-range curricular units which are outlined in their Units of Study framework document. These units are collaboratively developed by grade level teams alongside instructional coaches and administration to ensure alignment with district curriculum. These units are then used by related arts teachers and in particular the STEM lab teachers to plan hands-on challenges and investigations which align to current curricular focus areas in each grade level. In order to reinforce particular investigations and topics students have already explored in their classroom each day, a co-teaching model within STEM lab has become an effective way for teachers to collaborate and share the experience of the STEM lab challenge. Classroom teachers become active teachers and participants in the lab during investigations to help make or deepen connections between classroom activities and STEM lab challenges. The challenges can also be brought back to the classroom after STEM lab - as an applicable reference, or as an extension activity - to further connect to future learning.   Click here for a larger view of the 2019-20 Units of Study.
First Grade Sample Units of Study
First Grade Example of Unit of Study