Inspiring STEM Minds (PDF)

The purpose of this book is to
serve as a supplemental reference text for 21st century elementary classrooms.
The primary objective is to help teachers inspire and engage their students in
the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. The push
for incorporating STEM education in elementary school has become increasingly
important, yet most educators and publishers have offered problem-based
activities, without considering one of the most important pedagogical entry
points to lesson planning - the hook or the opening.

>Inspiring STEM Minds aims at
providing teachers an effective, easy to use text that they can use to discuss
specific mathematicians, engineers, inventors, and scientists (although the
individuals chosen for each section of the book are in no way an exhaustive or
selective group that may characterize each discipline). This reference text is
organized into four key sections, depicting the four disciplines that make up
STEM education. Each section briefly gives historical background, as well as
provides a problem or short activity designed to use everyday materials so that
teachers can implement the activity in their classrooms. The classroom
activities are directly related to each biography and have, we believe, great
potential to engage students in the classroom. Each activity is also correlated
to the National Standards, and we also supplement the activities with
suggestions for interdisciplinary connections. We hope this book serves as a
valuable resource for classroom teachers.