Attribute 8.1
Learning connected to industry
Model: In-school learning opportunities (projects, activities, etc.) for all students frequently focus on content directly connected to current work in STEM-related industries.
Hendersonville Elementary uses STEM to provide learning opportunities for all students to connect curriculum across the different content areas to current work in STEM-related industries. Every grade level uses STEM themes to introduce students to different engineering careers and topics throughout each month. Students visit the STEM lab bimonthly to work on activities that will prepare them for future careers. Our Makerspace is designed to promote collaborative learning groups with space, materials and group roles to provide the expectations for working together. We are uniquely a year round school that gives us four breaks for students each year. We provide students with STEM challenges over the breaks that will promote problem solving, use of easily accessible materials and encourage group work with families and friends. Our counselor also teaches guidance lessons to classes monthly incorporating career focused lessons for students to explore STEM careers. We have several community partners that are active in our school allowing students the ability to make real world connections to these careers. One of the goals of PBLs taught at Hendersonville Elementary is to expose students to a variety of STEM professions and industry skills.
The table below is a summary of STEM industry and career connections made at Hendersonville Elementary School in grades K-5.
Hour of Code - Students made connections to jobs such as music producer, graphic designer, computer engineer, and others while learning the basics of how to code as well as how adults use coding in their work.
BIZWORLD: Fifth grade students work in small groups to develop a product, create a business plan and sell products to 3rd and 4th graders.
Mittens: Upper grade students partnered with lower grade students to decide which materials were better insulators from the cold. They used thermometers to measure temperature change inside the mitten and outside the mitten.
Meteorology: Chris Justus (WYFF Channel 4) came to talk to our fifth graders about how he uses what we learn in fifth grade to help him predict the weather.
To conclude our Fairy Tale STEAM unit, we held a STEAM night where we invited parents to come observe all of the incredible work and challenges our students had completed. We also had many STEM professionals in different careers come to talk with our students and their parents about possible occupations in a STEM field.
Below is an example of one of our STEM challenges
