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Classroom 2.0 Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator Portal Educação - Cursos online com Certificado The Ultimate Guide to STEM Boxes - The Stem Laboratory Whether you’re creating Makerspaces, STEM centers or early finisher activities, these tips and tricks make it so easy to pull together effective and engaging STEM boxes in your primary classroom or homeschool. P.S. Grab our popular Endless STEM Challenge Bundle HERE! Find out tons of sanity saving teacher hacks. And, to help you get started fast, grab a set of free editable printables including: –> Editable box labels to help you stay organized, –> Editable student checklists to easily keep track of student work, –> and Community Helper Pattern Blocks as well as LEGO challenge cards to set up your first STEM center. Supplies on Amazon Here are the direct links to STEM box supplies on Amazon: –> Snap top bins –> Labeling pockets –> Bright colored paper –> Binder rings Grab Your Printables Ready to jump in and get started?!

Just Do It ... Start Makerspaces | Library Patch MAKERSPACES ... I tried to ignore them! I tried to deny their growing momentum. I skipped over articles and blogposts where makerspaces were the headline. I averted my eyes when newsletters about them crossed my mailbox. Not that I didn't find value in them! AND THEN IT HAPPENED ... And that is exactly what I did ... just a dip, just a baby step! So, I did it. First, I grabbed a couple of those Sterilite plastic drawers and threw some Legos in one, and K'Nex in another and named it our Construction Zone. Next, I pieced together a Creation Station. If you recall, I actually had THREE tables! See ... My favorite thing about the Maker movement is that it feels like kids truly get to be kids in an increasingly technology-driven, fast-forward educational environment. So, my friends, BE BRAVE!! As I run a flexibly scheduled library that revolves around curriculum work and information literacy skills, I don’t actually have time during MY scheduled times for students to use the Makerspaces.

The Monthly STEAM Challenge - Knowledge Quest One of the things I’ve struggled with as a high school librarian is makerspaces. At my large suburban high school, students have ample opportunities to take STEM/STEAM-related classes that allow them to create the types of projects they might make in a library makerspace, and those classes are taught by teachers who are much more knowledgeable about science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math than I am. Although my co-librarian, Elaine, has done a fantastic job of introducing and managing a 3D printer program in our library, we wanted to do more. But what? Makerfail Kelly started the workshop by sharing her “makerfail” story, one many librarians can relate to. But she never saw any. Kelly says,“Only weeks after unveiling our makerspace, I realized the students were gluing the Legos together in the shape of hearts, using glitter paint to decorate the walls, and poking holes in the CDs to string them together with yarn. A New Plan Success Examples of Monthly STEAM Challenges

Need makerspace supplies? Host a Community Supply Drive! Need supplies for your makerspace? Get your community involved! What to collect? Think: craft suppliesrecyclablesold toys and game piecesold/non-working electronics (for reverse engineering) Not only do they love to help, you will undoubtedly collect some interesting things! We didn’t have a lot of resources, and what little I brought with me from my first grade classroom, would not have been enough to equip 415 students with craft supplies, recyclables, and other resources. To get the word out about our supply drive, I created this flyer using Canva. Feel free to access the “community version” that I made available, so you could make a copy and modify to meet your needs! We hosted a summer and October drive. Our K, 1st, 4th, and 5th grade teachers utilize Bloomz for their parent communication app. To help keep track of what we might need, I started a list. What tips do you have for building your STEAM/STEM makerspace resources?

Penguin Random House Showcase - Teen Librarian Toolbox If you’ve read my frequent posts detailing new books, you know the deal: I get lots of book mail. LOTS. Now, at the moment I’m in a bit of a reading slump (let’s be real: I’m in a bit of a life slump), so opening all of these packages daily is starting to intimidate me. I WANT to read them all. I will TRY to read them all. At the very, very least, I will share them with you here in the hopes that YOU will go read them! All of the books I get end up going back out the door in some fashion—to young readers I know, to classroom libraries of friends, to my own school, my kid’s high school, or in giveaways. Pull out your TBR lists or get ready to add to the orders for books that stock your library or classroom shelves. Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman (ISBN-13: 9780593112472 Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group Publication date: 09/07/2021, Ages 10-14) Kabir has been in jail since the day he was born, because his mom is serving time for a crime she didn’t commit. “The energy.

The Art of Creating Book Displays (Part 2) - Knowledge Quest This is the second post in a series about creating book displays in the school library. There is a true art to creating a successful book display, one in which students will stop and scan the titles, maybe browse a few, and check out at least one. It is important to be intentional about the topic you choose and the types of books you include. The goal of the display is to be appealing to as many students as possible so the books get checked out! Why create book displays? I create book displays for all kinds of reasons, but primarily it is to give books that are usually overlooked some limelight. As much as the saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” students still judge books by their covers and the more front-facing books you can showcase in your library, the better. What locations are best? Most of my displays are in the general vicinity of the library entrance, which helps students to feel welcomed and invited into the library space. How do I decide what to feature?