It’s always a joy to bring hands-on STEM experiences into classrooms! Recently, I had the opportunity to lead a STEM + literacy integrated activity with a class of bright, creative third graders.

After reading "21 Elephants and Still Standing" by April Jones Prince, students explored what makes a bridge strong, then applied the engineering design process to create their own bridges using simple materials. The challenge: build a bridge that could hold 21 pennies.

Their designs showed so much imagination, problem-solving, and perseverance. See them hard at work! 💪

👀Stay tuned to see these Storybook STEM lessons published to our website. Want me to come and visit your class? Send me an email at cfelderman@cgesd.k12.or.us and let's schedule something!

October 27 – November 1

Media Literacy Week is here — and it’s the perfect time to help students strengthen one of the most important skills they’ll ever learn: how to think critically about the information they see, hear, and share every day.

Whether you have five minutes or fifty, there are easy ways to get involved!

🔹 Start Small: Use a “Daily Do Now” Slide

If you’re looking for a quick, no-prep way to participate, check out the News Literacy Project’s “Daily Do Now” slides — short, discussion-ready prompts you can drop into ELA, advisory, SOAR, or any class.

Each slide poses a question or example that sparks reflection and conversation around how we know what’s real, who created a message, and why it was made. 👉 Explore the Do Now Slides

Fall is a great time to connect students with place-based and phenomena-based learning. BirdCast’s Live Migration Maps use radar data and machine learning to track bird movements across North America in real time. 🐦‍⬛

This tool gives students the chance to:

• Observe migration patterns as they happen

• Analyze how weather and geography influence movement

• Practice reading and interpreting data visualizations

  
  

It’s an accessible entry point for introducing data literacy and systems thinking in the context of a seasonal phenomenon. Even younger students can make simple observations, such as noticing when and where migration is most active. Older students can dig deeper into trends and relationships.

There's a chill in the air, leaves on my windshield, and pumpkins on every porch. It must be fall! 🍂🎃

Here are five Fun Fall Facts you can share with your students:

• Leaves change color because less sunlight triggers a chemical change in the pigments.

• Pumpkins are technically a fruit since they grow from a flower and contain seeds.

• Autumn lasts longer in the Northern Hemisphere because of the Earth's tilt.

• The Northern Lights often shine their brightest on crisp, clear fall nights.

A recent survey from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the College Board found that most hiring managers feel high school graduates are not fully prepared for the workforce. Employers consistently point to the need for communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and real-world experience. Read the full article here: “4 in 5 hiring managers say high schoolers not prepared for workforce”.

That might sound like a challenge—but it’s also a powerful opportunity. The same skills employers want most are the ones that make student learning more relevant, engaging, and future-ready. With a few intentional shifts, we can help students graduate not just with knowledge, but with capability.

Practical Shifts Educators Can Make

1. Teach content through real-world problems. Frame lessons as authentic professional challenges. For example, instead of “solve for x,” ask: “How would a local engineer calculate material costs for a bridge?” In English class, have students draft a product…

🤖 Code.org Refresher

Quick Links for Asynchronous Work

🖇️Lesson 4 : Level 4 - 7 🖇️Lesson 5 : Level 4 - 8

🖇️Lesson 6 : Level 3 - 5

🖇️Lesson 7 : Level 5 - 10

🖇️Lesson 8 : Level 4 (Challenge)

The Center for Democracy & Technology’s new Hand in Hand report (Oct 2025) paints a complicated picture of how students are using AI - not just for homework help, but increasingly for companionship.

According to CDT’s national survey, 42% of students say they’ve used AI as a “friend” or emotional outlet, and nearly 1 in 5 report having had a romantic relationship with a chatbot. Those numbers are eye-opening. We’re talking about middle and high school students forming emotional attachments to technology that can mimic empathy but can’t actually feel it.

At the same time, AI use in schools has exploded. Over 85 % of students and teachers now use AI in some form - often without clear guidance or training. As NPR’s recent coverage highlights, the more classrooms lean on AI tools, the less connected many students feel to their teachers. Technology designed to make learning easier may be quietly eroding human connection.