STEAM in Grades K-2

STEAM is a great program to implement in ANY classroom. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.

STEAM takes STEM to the next level. STEAM removes limitations and replaces them with inquiry, wonder, critique, and innovation.

STEAM teaches students how each of these subjects are connected. It is an educational approach to learning in the classroom that engages students in inquiry, discourse, and critical thinking. STEAM allows students to be hands-on in their learning and move at their own pace. STEAM takes learning beyond the textbook and incorporates Bloom’s Taxonomy.

To begin, teachers need a focus. First, find a topic or standard. Then figure out how you want to implement it in your class. Do you want to incorporate science, technology, engineering, art, or math? Maybe you can use multiple of them. Next, how do you want to use it? Do you want to implement the STEAM lesson whole group or small group? During all of this, teachers can get support from teachers in their school that have already implemented STEAM in their classroom and get ideas and tips from them. Teachers can also research tools and strategies on the internet to help them. One key thing to remember with STEAM is that it can be messy.

STEAM in a K-2 grade class incorporates a lot of the senses within the science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. STEAM can look like finding a solution to slippery shoes, working with robots, learning how to make colors, working with fabrics that are from other parts of the world, creating a volcano, and so many more ways to teach about these topics.  

Using STEAM in a K-2^nd grade class is VERY beneficial. STEAM is an educational approach that gives deeper meaning and understand of the real-world. STEAM helps ELL students to get more involved in the class. It challenges the ELL students to learn more about the language and work with other students. It teaches students to persist through and problem solve. It is also a great way to teach students that it is okay to fail and that it is a way to get to the answer. STEAM teaches students to focus on details and make observations. Students are able to link things they see in the real-world to what is being taught in the classroom.