The Center for Teaching and Learning is dedicated to supporting educators throughout the year.
Especially during this time of e-learning, our staff wants to provide as much support as possible. On this page you will find a variety of resources and offerings. We are all learning together and our team is here to help!
STEM a la Carte
STEM a la Carte is a series of STEM units for kindergarten through fifth grade students, which
provide educators and students with meaningful, standards based, hands-on, and inquiry based
units. The lessons are developed so they may be implemented in a variety of settings, including
formal and informal education as well as STEM clubs. In addition, units are developed for in
person, virtual, and/or hybrid learning scenarios. Each series of lessons is designed around a
theme and for a specific grade band (K-1, 2-3, and 4-5). Materials needed for implementation
are easy to obtain and frequently found at home. STEM a la Carte offerings are engaging and
uncomplicated to implement.
STEM a la Carte Units:
Kindergarten-1st
Preventing Illness – Students explore the concept of a germ and actions that students can take to help prevent the spread of illness.
Nature & Me – Students explore the relationships between different aspect of nature, from weather to animal adaptations to human impact (coming soon!)
My Friends Push and Pull – Students explore the physics of force and motion through interactive push and pull investigations (coming soon!)
2nd-3rd Grade
Matter Matters – Properties of Matter engages students in chemistry through investigating various types of matter and their characteristics.
Forces and Motion – Students explore the idea of forces and movement. They will explore air pressure, magnetism, and static electricity (coming soon!).
Properties of Water – Students investigate the unique properties of water and how it interacts with temperature, pressure and other chemicals (coming soon!)
4th-5th grade
Climate Challenge – Our Climate challenges students to consider the uses of land, air, and water as they delve into the impact of terrain on groundwater.
Something Old, Something New – Students will focus on some of the ways we gather and use our natural resources and grow new resources through the investigation of oil spills, mining, and growing plants.
19-19-19 “COVIDeos 19” E-Learning Webinars
FREE! We will be offering 19 minute webinars for 19 days at 1900 hours (7:00 PM, CDT). These webinars will focus on remote teaching tools are strategies for educators — i.e. Google Tools, Zoom, FlipGrid, Kahoot!, Biteable, screencasting, e-assessment, the student experience and more.
IMSA Snack Boxes
The Snack Box is designed for teachers and families to provide STEM focused activities for students of all grade levels. Please see the links below for access to all the past grade level snack boxes.
