Month: June 2018

 

 

 

What a day! Third day of Institute consisted of a day long scavenger hunt full of citizen science activites. It was fun, but exhausting. My team called ourselves “The Exploring Stemtastic Collaborators!” First we traveled to Judaculla Rock to hear the history behind it and knock out some tasks.

Then it was off to East LaPorte for a delicious picnic lunch and more tasks. The first was Ant Picnic, which I had never done before but found to be something I could definitely implement in my classroom. I also discovered that ants love chocolate cookies, but hate cream cheese. 🙂 After Ant Picnic we were able to complete tasks and watch and learn about a Kick Net Activity. I found it really interesting to learn about the insects that live in Tuckasegee River and how to determine the water quality.

Then it was back to NCAAT to finish off the tasks! We had to take photos of insects, flowers, trees, and even poison ivy. From a safe distance of course. However, I thought one of the coolest things was the ropes course. We had to collaborate and work as a team to not only build one part, but to balance on another. Talk about difficult. My team rocked it though!

All in all the day was great! It proved to be a fun way to not only compete, but to learn about science, social studies, and even use some logical reasoning. I also liked how the tasks involved collaborative thinking and teamwork. My team of course rocked it and came in second place!! 🙂

Through participating in the Kenan Fellowship experience I hope to gain knoweledge and understanding of three things.

First, I hope to gain a basic understanding of STEM and how it applies to Mertek where I will be interning. I only focus on a basic understanding, because that is what my second graders will need, since many have not been introduced to STEM.

Second, I would like to gain the knowledge of how to apply what Mertek does with the second grade curriculum.  In other words, how can I apply it in my classroom that will be both relatable and understandable for my second graders. Perhaps I could incoporate what I learned at Mertek into a science or math based project for my students.

Lastly, I hope to take my understanding of STEM and apply across the curriculum. I know the main focus is on math and science. However, I want to be able to incorporate other subjects, such as writing and social studies.

I found the first day of the Summer Institute very informative. It was great to meet with like-minded educators, who seek to further develop in leadership in the classroom, school, and community. As a fairly new teacher, with only two years under my belt, I loved the collaboration aspects of the Institute. It was great to hear from fellow educators that have different backgrounds and expertise. I look forward to participating in many more collaborative sessions and learning new instructional techniques that can only help me to improve not only as an educator, but as an individual.