Storybook Steam Adventures: Exploring Science, Architecture, and Engineering

Students will engage in hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities based on beloved storybooks, learning foundational scientific concepts like the scientific method, basic engineering principles, creative problem-solving, and the value of taking chances and growing from failure.

Each session is designed around a different storybook and STEAM theme:

Ada Twist, Scientist - Science and Inquiry (Scientific Method)
Iggy Peck, Architect - Architecture and Building
Rosie Revere, Engineer - Engineering and Innovation
What Do You Do With a Chance? - Growth Mindset and Risk-Taking
What Do You Do With an Idea? - Creativity and Problem-Solving

The class meets once a week for five weeks, with each session focused on one book and STEAM concept. 

Each session will include:

Storytime – A read-aloud of the featured book.
Discussion – Group conversation around key ideas from the story.
Hands-On Activity – A STEAM-based experiment or project inspired by the book.
Reflection and Wrap-Up – Time for students to share their creations, reflect, and ask questions.

Each class will be interactive and engaging, with a blend of storytelling, discussion, and hands-on experimentation. Visual aids, step-by-step instructions, and guiding questions will be provided to help students connect the story to STEAM concepts. Students will follow along with their own materials to complete each activity at home.

My teaching style is enthusiastic, supportive, and hands-on. I encourage curiosity, open-ended questions, and creativity. I focus on creating a fun, safe space where students feel empowered to explore, make mistakes, and learn through doing.

Students will have many opportunities to interact with me throughout each class. Specific interaction methods include:

Storytime – where they can ask questions or share thoughts.
Guided Experimentation – as they follow step-by-step instructions.
Games and Challenges – incorporated into some sessions, like designing tall structures or creating a flying machine.
Slides – interactive slides help guide the activities.
Discussion – students share results, reflect on what they’ve learned, and connect with each other through guided questions.
Each session will be highly interactive to ensure students feel involved and excited about their learning journey.

What We'll Cover:

Book 1: Ada Twist, Scientist
STEAM Focus: Science and Inquiry
Activity: Explore how to make a hypothesis and conduct a simple experiment using kitchen ingredients.
Skill: Observing, questioning, experimenting

Book 2: Iggy Peck, Architect
STEAM Focus: Architecture and Building
Activity: Build your own tall structure using household materials (blocks, paper, or even marshmallows!)
Skill: Problem-solving, design thinking, spatial reasoning

Book 3: Rosie Revere, Engineer
STEAM Focus: Engineering and Innovation
Activity: Design a flying machine inspired by Rosie's dreams of flight.
Skill: Creative thinking, prototyping, engineering design process

Book 4: What Do You Do With a Chance?
STEAM Focus: Risk-Taking and Growth Mindset
Activity: Build a catapult and see how far you can launch different objects, learning how persistence pays off!
Skill: Resilience, experimentation, physics

Book 5: What Do You Do With an Idea?
STEAM Focus: Creativity and Problem-Solving
Activity: Turn an idea into a creative project, such as designing a tool or invention using recycled materials.
Skill: Innovation, creativity, design thinking

Format and Materials:
Each class will begin with a story reading, followed by a discussion, and conclude with a fun, hands-on project that reinforces STEAM concepts. The activities are designed for easy participation with materials you likely have at home (e.g., paper, scissors, glue, building blocks, recycled materials, etc.).

This class is designed to meet the following educational standards:

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
1-PS4: Waves and their Applications
K-2-ETS1: Engineering Design
3-5-ETS1: Define a problem that can be solved through engineering
Inquiry-based learning and scientific method through experimentation and observation.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:
K.MD.A.1: Describe measurable attributes of objects
2.G.A.1: Reason with shapes and their attributes
Measurement and Data through building and designing structures and experiments.