MESA ELEMENTARY TEACHER AWARDED $1,000 STEM GRANT BY INTEL AND GOLDEN APPLE
Silvia Miranda, a fourth-grade teacher at Mesa Elementary, has been awarded a $1,000 grant to conduct a STEM project with her class.
In its award letter, Brian O’Connell, Golden Apple Executive Director stated the grant process this year was competitive and not all proposals were funded.
The project, titled, “STEMpowering Our Future Problem-Solvers”, involves using STEM and the engineering process to solve real world problems.
Silvia stated in her proposal, “This multi-day lesson will build student background knowledge in STEM by utilizing non-fiction texts and hands-on experiences to introduce students to scientists that have used STEM to solve real-world problems.
Through the use of powerful children’s literature, the lesson will also expose students to current real-world problems and how kids just like them are using STEM to find solutions. The students will be immersed in diverse cultures, various world problems, and different ways of thinking-prompting and encouraging students to experiment with assorted methods to tackle issues.
Community members (doctor/nurse, waste management director, plumber, electrician, computer technician, veterinarian) will come in to our class to share how they utilize STEM in their jobs. Students will then read about different global challenges we are faced with today, and choose one challenge to focus on.”