PreK-5 STEM Explorers

I recently listened to this episode of the Math and Other Things podcast titled Why Math Identity Matters, featuring guest Liesl McConchie, and it was exactly what I needed going into the new year. The episode highlights compelling scientific reasons why our emotional relationship with math is deeply connected to our academic relationship with it.

What impacted me most was the conversation around the 41-minute mark, where Liesl discusses how teacher belief in students has a surprisingly large effect on student success. In other words, a teacher’s own math identity and attitude toward teaching math cannot be ignored. Liesl shares, “You can make up for almost three years of academic growth just by believing that all of our students can learn math. Go find me an intervention program that can do that.”

That idea is easy to agree with and much harder to consistently practice. One simple way I plan to…

Does your New Year’s resolution involve bringing more phenomena-based learning into your classroom? If so, check out the new phenomena videos from the Carolina Knowledge Center! Each clip is under one minute and perfect for sparking curiosity.

Phenomena are simply “observable, naturally occurring events that are everywhere.” These short clips give students something concrete to wonder about and serve as excellent launchpads for NGSS-aligned, three-dimensional learning.

🧑🏽‍🏫 Teacher Tips

• Use them as quick warm-ups or transitions. Play a video when you have an unexpected 5–10 minutes. Students can jump right into noticing and wondering without any prep.

• Align videos with your current unit. Pick a phenomenon connected to the ideas you're teaching—motion, weather, matter, ecosystems, light, etc.

• Let student questions drive the learning. After watching, ask: “What did you notice? What do you wonder?” Chart student ideas, then revisit and build on them throughout the lesson or unit.

We're just a week out from Thanksgiving! 🦃🥧 Check out this fun Pie Preference Pictograph activity from Data Science Learning Progressions. This activity, designed for grades K-5, walks learners through the data collection and analysis process in a fun, hands-on, relevant way.

Try this activity before or after the holiday, or change up the theme based on your students' interests!

Full STE(A)M Ahead! This Saturday, November 8th is National STE(A)M Day!

Thank you to all of the incredible teachers, STEM professionals, and families committed to encouraging children to explore, create, experiment, and be problem-solvers every day. 🧬🔬🚀🔎🐛🛠️

Where might STE(A)M take your students next?