STEMinar
One of Emblem's signature STEM practices is the implementation of STEMinars. STEMinars are STEM enrichment classes taught by our own Emblem teachers during the school day. Many of our STEMinars are using the Next Generation Science Standards.
TK
Grocery Store: Students will focus on nutrition and health. They will research different sections of a grocery store and create a grocery store in class where students simulate buying and selling groceries. Students will count, sequence, measure, sort, and learn about the basics of money. The STEMinar will culminate with a trip to the Grocery Store.
Grade K
Nutritious is Delicious!: Students will learn about the basic food groups and be able to identify and sort foods into those groups using the latest technology. They will make informed decisions about creating a healthy plate with a rainbow of colors. The students will try creative, healthy recipes they can bring home for the whole family to enjoy. Each child will become a member of the "Two Bite Club" for tasting new foods from each food group. Food is FUN!
Weather: Come explore many types of weather! As meteorologists, students will investigate types of weather, the water cycle, types of clouds, and the effect of the wind. Students will participate and observe experiments, and view interactive presentations. Each child will come home ready to become the household weather reporter!
Plants and Pollinators: This hands on STEMinar will help children understand plants and pollinators through exploration and exciting experiments. Collecting seeds on our socks during a nature walk, understanding pollen with Cheetohs, discovering how a stem is like a straw and designing our own garden are just a few of the many activities that are designed to help foster an appreciation for the wonderful world of plants.
Geology Rocks!: Students will explore soil, rocks, and landforms. Students will study soil samples and learn about how natural forces shaped the earth, soil, soil layers, and landforms/waterforms. With exciting PREZIs and hands on inquiry, students will enjoy becoming eager geologists! Geology Rocks!
May the Force be with you... Forces of Motion that is!: Students will have a blast learning about pushes and pulls as they investigate the effects of pushes and pulls on various objects in motion. Students will conduct hands-on experiments to determine the effects of strength and/or direction on objects in motion, as well as create a design to change the speed or direction of an object.
Grocery Store: Students will focus on nutrition and health. They will research different sections of a grocery store and create a grocery store in class where students simulate buying and selling groceries. Students will count, sequence, measure, sort, and learn about the basics of money. The STEMinar will culminate with a trip to the Grocery Store.
Grade K
Nutritious is Delicious!: Students will learn about the basic food groups and be able to identify and sort foods into those groups using the latest technology. They will make informed decisions about creating a healthy plate with a rainbow of colors. The students will try creative, healthy recipes they can bring home for the whole family to enjoy. Each child will become a member of the "Two Bite Club" for tasting new foods from each food group. Food is FUN!
Weather: Come explore many types of weather! As meteorologists, students will investigate types of weather, the water cycle, types of clouds, and the effect of the wind. Students will participate and observe experiments, and view interactive presentations. Each child will come home ready to become the household weather reporter!
Plants and Pollinators: This hands on STEMinar will help children understand plants and pollinators through exploration and exciting experiments. Collecting seeds on our socks during a nature walk, understanding pollen with Cheetohs, discovering how a stem is like a straw and designing our own garden are just a few of the many activities that are designed to help foster an appreciation for the wonderful world of plants.
Geology Rocks!: Students will explore soil, rocks, and landforms. Students will study soil samples and learn about how natural forces shaped the earth, soil, soil layers, and landforms/waterforms. With exciting PREZIs and hands on inquiry, students will enjoy becoming eager geologists! Geology Rocks!
May the Force be with you... Forces of Motion that is!: Students will have a blast learning about pushes and pulls as they investigate the effects of pushes and pulls on various objects in motion. Students will conduct hands-on experiments to determine the effects of strength and/or direction on objects in motion, as well as create a design to change the speed or direction of an object.
Grade 1
Survive and Thrive
Sound of Music: Students will learn the science behind music. This STEMinar will provide students with an opportunity to learn about sound through hands-on activities. They will conduct science experiments, make instruments, and learn to play music.
Coding Kids: Learn how to code using the robots Dash and Dot! Each session we will complete a challenge. At the end, we will be able to write our own code!
Tricks of the Light: Explore the magic of light and all its amazing properties. Students will learn about the electromagnetic spectrum and discover the colors hiding in white light. We will compare and contrast the color wheel of light to the color wheel of paint. As our grand finale, we’ll STEAM up our STEMinar with shadow puppets and light effects to tell a story.
Life in the Rainforest: Come along on an adventure through the rainforest! Become a rainforest guide and learn all about how the rainforest is alive! Students will explore the layers of the rainforest including the animals and plant life that thrive throughout the rainforest. They will also learn where rainforests are, who lives in them, what is happening to rainforests and how we can help save rainforests.
Survive and Thrive
Sound of Music: Students will learn the science behind music. This STEMinar will provide students with an opportunity to learn about sound through hands-on activities. They will conduct science experiments, make instruments, and learn to play music.
Coding Kids: Learn how to code using the robots Dash and Dot! Each session we will complete a challenge. At the end, we will be able to write our own code!
Tricks of the Light: Explore the magic of light and all its amazing properties. Students will learn about the electromagnetic spectrum and discover the colors hiding in white light. We will compare and contrast the color wheel of light to the color wheel of paint. As our grand finale, we’ll STEAM up our STEMinar with shadow puppets and light effects to tell a story.
Life in the Rainforest: Come along on an adventure through the rainforest! Become a rainforest guide and learn all about how the rainforest is alive! Students will explore the layers of the rainforest including the animals and plant life that thrive throughout the rainforest. They will also learn where rainforests are, who lives in them, what is happening to rainforests and how we can help save rainforests.
Grade 2
The Best of Bugs: Are you interested in learning more about bugs? Do you want to be an entomologist one day? Insects are often considered to be pests by harming crops and inflicting irritating bites. However, insects are an essential part of the natural system. We will explore different types of insects and how some can be an essential part of the natural system of pollination. Last, we will engineer our own hand pollinator and super bug!
Marine Biology: Do you love the ocean? Become a marine biologist! Learn about different types of animals that live in the ocean and the amazing ways these sea creatures survive and thrive.
Kitchen Chemistry: Unleash some controlled chaos in the kitchen! This STEMinar will introduce students to basic kitchen science concepts. Through various investigations students will learn key vocabulary such as reversible change, mixture, heat, cool, reaction, melt, dissolve, solid, liquid, and gas.
Engineering a New Play Dough Design Process: This STEMinar guides students through a fun and interesting exploration of solids, liquids, and some possible outcomes of mixing the two. Students will use chemical engineering skills as they realize that not only are the materials in a mixture important, but the steps of the process used to combine the materials are often very important as well.
Engineering Design Process: Improving a Playdough Process and Science in Art
The Best of Bugs: Are you interested in learning more about bugs? Do you want to be an entomologist one day? Insects are often considered to be pests by harming crops and inflicting irritating bites. However, insects are an essential part of the natural system. We will explore different types of insects and how some can be an essential part of the natural system of pollination. Last, we will engineer our own hand pollinator and super bug!
Marine Biology: Do you love the ocean? Become a marine biologist! Learn about different types of animals that live in the ocean and the amazing ways these sea creatures survive and thrive.
Kitchen Chemistry: Unleash some controlled chaos in the kitchen! This STEMinar will introduce students to basic kitchen science concepts. Through various investigations students will learn key vocabulary such as reversible change, mixture, heat, cool, reaction, melt, dissolve, solid, liquid, and gas.
Engineering a New Play Dough Design Process: This STEMinar guides students through a fun and interesting exploration of solids, liquids, and some possible outcomes of mixing the two. Students will use chemical engineering skills as they realize that not only are the materials in a mixture important, but the steps of the process used to combine the materials are often very important as well.
Engineering Design Process: Improving a Playdough Process and Science in Art
Grades 3/4
Logic - SCRATCH Programming: This STEMinar is for 3rd and 4th grade students and will teach them how to code using Scratch programming. The students will learn to create animations, interactive stories, and games with this easy-to-use programming language. They will be able to use and further develop their creativity and reasoning skills, while having fun at the same time. Students will be able to see the projects that other students have created and examine the coding work that made those projects possible.
Water, Water, Everywhere: Designing Water Filters will help students identify everyday objects made by people as technology. With a little imagination, identifying the problems that objects solve can be quite fun and educational. Focus will be on learning about particular objects and how they solve problems. Students will serve as engineers as they design and create solutions. The mixture of engineering and technology allows students to develop knowledge, design processes, and provide solutions.
Exploring Engineering Through Fairy Tales: Do you love fairy tales? Have you ever thought about how many of your favorite fairy tales might have engineering challenges within them? By combining “growth mindset” activities and STEM activities integrated through your favorite fairy tales, you’ll become engineering experts and collaborative problem solvers. You’ll also come to understand that a growth mindset means you approach learning in a positive and perseverance way. In other words, you’ll learn to not give up and instead understand that mistakes are all a part of the learning process and collaboration celebrates everyone’s unique skills.
An Alarming Idea: Designing Alarm Circuits: Don’t be alarmed, but this experience will be truly electrifying! In this STEMinar you will use science, math, technology, and engineering as you think like an electrical engineer. Learn about electricity and create schematic diagrams in an engineering design challenge to imagine, plan, create, test, and improve an alarm circuit.
Magnify Your Curiosity: Explore the Microorganisms World: In this STEMinar we will explore microbiology. Microbiology? What’s that? It’s the study of microbes like bacteria and viruses that can’t be seen without a microscope. Microbes are the largest number of living organisms on the planet, but they are just too small to see. Learn how to use a Foldscope Microscope to explore this fascinating world of tiny life. You never know, you might discover something new.
Engineering and Design with Notable Figures in History: Students will experience the engineering and design process while learning about notable historical figures. We will build houses, engineer cars, and design planes as we learn about the history behind each innovation and it’s creator. Problem solving skills and teamwork will be employed throughout the STEMinar as the students become fluent in the design process.
Coding with Sphero: Students will learn block coding while playing games, solving mazes and having fun with their Sphero Robot.
Google CS First: Computer Science through Music and Sound: This is a fun and creative way to learn computer science! In Google CS First, you will learn how to create awesome computer programs that you can share with your family and friends. You will learn how to use drag and drop coding while learning about sound frequencies, musical flow, and even explore sound effect design.
Replicating an Artifact: students are introduced to the significance of artifacts in understanding cultures and civilizations of the past. They learn the role of an archaeologist versus a material engineer. Then they are asked to use the Engineering Process and "think like material engineers" and find appropriate materials to create a replica of a petroglyph for a museum. They must follow certain criteria to replicate the artifact including finding the proper material to construct it from and make sure it meets the weight and durability guidelines of the museum.
Logic - SCRATCH Programming: This STEMinar is for 3rd and 4th grade students and will teach them how to code using Scratch programming. The students will learn to create animations, interactive stories, and games with this easy-to-use programming language. They will be able to use and further develop their creativity and reasoning skills, while having fun at the same time. Students will be able to see the projects that other students have created and examine the coding work that made those projects possible.
Water, Water, Everywhere: Designing Water Filters will help students identify everyday objects made by people as technology. With a little imagination, identifying the problems that objects solve can be quite fun and educational. Focus will be on learning about particular objects and how they solve problems. Students will serve as engineers as they design and create solutions. The mixture of engineering and technology allows students to develop knowledge, design processes, and provide solutions.
Exploring Engineering Through Fairy Tales: Do you love fairy tales? Have you ever thought about how many of your favorite fairy tales might have engineering challenges within them? By combining “growth mindset” activities and STEM activities integrated through your favorite fairy tales, you’ll become engineering experts and collaborative problem solvers. You’ll also come to understand that a growth mindset means you approach learning in a positive and perseverance way. In other words, you’ll learn to not give up and instead understand that mistakes are all a part of the learning process and collaboration celebrates everyone’s unique skills.
An Alarming Idea: Designing Alarm Circuits: Don’t be alarmed, but this experience will be truly electrifying! In this STEMinar you will use science, math, technology, and engineering as you think like an electrical engineer. Learn about electricity and create schematic diagrams in an engineering design challenge to imagine, plan, create, test, and improve an alarm circuit.
Magnify Your Curiosity: Explore the Microorganisms World: In this STEMinar we will explore microbiology. Microbiology? What’s that? It’s the study of microbes like bacteria and viruses that can’t be seen without a microscope. Microbes are the largest number of living organisms on the planet, but they are just too small to see. Learn how to use a Foldscope Microscope to explore this fascinating world of tiny life. You never know, you might discover something new.
Engineering and Design with Notable Figures in History: Students will experience the engineering and design process while learning about notable historical figures. We will build houses, engineer cars, and design planes as we learn about the history behind each innovation and it’s creator. Problem solving skills and teamwork will be employed throughout the STEMinar as the students become fluent in the design process.
Coding with Sphero: Students will learn block coding while playing games, solving mazes and having fun with their Sphero Robot.
Google CS First: Computer Science through Music and Sound: This is a fun and creative way to learn computer science! In Google CS First, you will learn how to create awesome computer programs that you can share with your family and friends. You will learn how to use drag and drop coding while learning about sound frequencies, musical flow, and even explore sound effect design.
Replicating an Artifact: students are introduced to the significance of artifacts in understanding cultures and civilizations of the past. They learn the role of an archaeologist versus a material engineer. Then they are asked to use the Engineering Process and "think like material engineers" and find appropriate materials to create a replica of a petroglyph for a museum. They must follow certain criteria to replicate the artifact including finding the proper material to construct it from and make sure it meets the weight and durability guidelines of the museum.
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Grade 5/6
Did You Say 3D Printing?: Students will put their engineering hats on and use web-based Tinkercad and 3D printers to utilize the engineering design process. Students will work in teams to interview teachers to determine a problem in their classrooms that can be solved by designing and engineering a solution. Teams will brainstorm, plan, design, build, and test their solutions. Teams will then present their solution to the teachers.
Biomedical Engineering: Students explore the variations in human feet and use the information to make recommendations about sneaker design. They also measure the range of motion in knees as they investigate how a knee joint works. After evaluating the properties of different building materials, they design a knee brace that will restore the range of motion to a model of an injured knee.
Drones
Robotics: This STEMinar is an introduction to the LEGO Mindstorms EV3® Robotic System. Students will have fun working in small groups building their EV3® robot and utilizing the Mindstorms software. They will build and program their robot using the intelligent brick and a computer. Sensors, motors, and LEGO technics parts are first used to build their robot. Students will then use the Mindstorms software to program their robot to accomplish complex tasks.
Environmental Stewardship: How are humans impacting our planet? In this STEMinar, students will learn about why they should take care of our environment. They will study global warming and its on ecosystems (humans and animals).
The STEM of Music:Explore the science of sound, the technology and engineering of musical instruments, and the math behind music. Do experiments, design, build, and play instruments, and learn to read musical notes and rhythms.
Game Lab with Code.org: You’ll build on your coding experience as you program animations, interactive art, and games in Game Lab. The unit starts off with simple shapes and builds up to more sophisticated sprite-based games, using the same programming concepts and the design process computer scientists use daily. In the final project, you’ll develop a personalized, interactive program.
Math Congress: If you love math, this STEMinar might add up to be the perfect solution for you! In Math Congress, students team up to solve math story problems, present their strategies in front of the class, and provide feedback for their peers. Participants will be encouraged to persevere, notice patterns, develop efficient strategies, and generalize ideas. Math Congress members will be young mathematicians at work!
Can You Dig It? : Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an archaeologist and unearth secrets of the past? Become an archaeologist in this STEMinar and piece together historic puzzles that give us a glimpse into the history of our planet, and the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago!
Broadcast with Video: Students will have an opportunity to produce the Emblem Academy school broadcast. They will also learn how to prepare and deliver interview questions, then take and edit video to create short video segments documenting the various STEMinars that are happening around campus.
Taking the Plunge: Designing Submersibles: To study the ocean, scientists and engineers use submersibles—small, remote-controlled underwater vessels. This STEMinar introduces students to the field of ocean engineering. Students learn about sounding poles and sonar as they map a section of ocean floor. Then they apply their knowledge of density, floating, and sinking to design their own submersible, equip it with research instruments, and retrieve packages from a model ocean floor!
Biomedical Engineering: Students explore the variations in human feet and use the information to make recommendations about sneaker design. They also measure the range of motion in knees as they investigate how a knee joint works. After evaluating the properties of different building materials, they design a knee brace that will restore the range of motion to a model of an injured knee.
Introduction to Game Design: You like playing games, but have you ever thought of designing one? In this STEMinar, you will learn how to design and program games using math, science, and the engineering design process. Game on!
Grade 5/6
Did You Say 3D Printing?: Students will put their engineering hats on and use web-based Tinkercad and 3D printers to utilize the engineering design process. Students will work in teams to interview teachers to determine a problem in their classrooms that can be solved by designing and engineering a solution. Teams will brainstorm, plan, design, build, and test their solutions. Teams will then present their solution to the teachers.
Biomedical Engineering: Students explore the variations in human feet and use the information to make recommendations about sneaker design. They also measure the range of motion in knees as they investigate how a knee joint works. After evaluating the properties of different building materials, they design a knee brace that will restore the range of motion to a model of an injured knee.
Drones
Robotics: This STEMinar is an introduction to the LEGO Mindstorms EV3® Robotic System. Students will have fun working in small groups building their EV3® robot and utilizing the Mindstorms software. They will build and program their robot using the intelligent brick and a computer. Sensors, motors, and LEGO technics parts are first used to build their robot. Students will then use the Mindstorms software to program their robot to accomplish complex tasks.
Environmental Stewardship: How are humans impacting our planet? In this STEMinar, students will learn about why they should take care of our environment. They will study global warming and its on ecosystems (humans and animals).
The STEM of Music:Explore the science of sound, the technology and engineering of musical instruments, and the math behind music. Do experiments, design, build, and play instruments, and learn to read musical notes and rhythms.
Game Lab with Code.org: You’ll build on your coding experience as you program animations, interactive art, and games in Game Lab. The unit starts off with simple shapes and builds up to more sophisticated sprite-based games, using the same programming concepts and the design process computer scientists use daily. In the final project, you’ll develop a personalized, interactive program.
Math Congress: If you love math, this STEMinar might add up to be the perfect solution for you! In Math Congress, students team up to solve math story problems, present their strategies in front of the class, and provide feedback for their peers. Participants will be encouraged to persevere, notice patterns, develop efficient strategies, and generalize ideas. Math Congress members will be young mathematicians at work!
Can You Dig It? : Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an archaeologist and unearth secrets of the past? Become an archaeologist in this STEMinar and piece together historic puzzles that give us a glimpse into the history of our planet, and the lives of people who lived thousands of years ago!
Broadcast with Video: Students will have an opportunity to produce the Emblem Academy school broadcast. They will also learn how to prepare and deliver interview questions, then take and edit video to create short video segments documenting the various STEMinars that are happening around campus.
Taking the Plunge: Designing Submersibles: To study the ocean, scientists and engineers use submersibles—small, remote-controlled underwater vessels. This STEMinar introduces students to the field of ocean engineering. Students learn about sounding poles and sonar as they map a section of ocean floor. Then they apply their knowledge of density, floating, and sinking to design their own submersible, equip it with research instruments, and retrieve packages from a model ocean floor!
Biomedical Engineering: Students explore the variations in human feet and use the information to make recommendations about sneaker design. They also measure the range of motion in knees as they investigate how a knee joint works. After evaluating the properties of different building materials, they design a knee brace that will restore the range of motion to a model of an injured knee.
Introduction to Game Design: You like playing games, but have you ever thought of designing one? In this STEMinar, you will learn how to design and program games using math, science, and the engineering design process. Game on!
