Preschool-Kindergarten
STEM and Literacy Experiences
Integrating the benefits of Reading Aloud into the acquisition of STEM through action based experiences.
Are you interested in age appropriate STEM experiences for your preschool-kindergarten students?
Invite me in to join your classroom and I will provide a STEM and Storytelling integrated experience for your class.
We will start with and a story and then combine movement, conversation, and the manipulation of objects into a STEM lesson.
I Provide:
Forty years of preschool-high school teaching experience, materials, STEM knowledge, creativity, energy, and strong engagement skills.
Reach out to begin planning a STEM and Literacy experience with your class.
STEM and Literacy Focal Points
STEM objectives embedded in each lesson.
The students will use scientific Inquiry skills.
The students will strengthen abilities utilized in the engineering design process.
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Collaboration
- Brainstorming
- Iteration
The students will use tools and other technology to perform tasks.
- pencils, scissors, scales, rulers, hammers, magnifying glasses, gears, etc.
Literacy objectives embedded in each lesson.
The students will explore their environment and build the foundations for learning to read.
- Enjoy listening to and discussing storybooks
- Understand that print carries a message
- Model reading behaviors
- Interact in a literacy-rich environment
The students will use language to express thoughts and needs and enhance conversational and other communication skills.
- Comprehend language
- Follow directions
- Expand vocabulary
- Engage in conversation
- Use social rules of language
- Express ideas and needs to others
STEM and Literacy Ideas
Read Aloud:
Once Upon a Line by Elliot Kreloff
“Once upon a time, a line was drawn.” So begins the journey of Line, a small drawing asking some big questions. Who is he? What should he do? Where does he fit in? On a voyage of self-discovery that takes him from the east to the west, from the mountains to the sea, Line tries on many shapes and sizes, often with hilarious consequences. But can Line find his true purpose without losing hope?
STEM Integration:
Read Aloud the Book, Once Upon a LIne and interact with the story.
Discuss and elicit responses on how “lines” are involved and used in STEM disciplines. Use tools to draw lines. Make shapes that have lines. Reflect on the use of the word “line” in the classroom.
Read Aloud:
Magnet Max by Monica Lozano Hughes
Join Magnet Max and his friend, Nick, as they discover the world of magnets.
Magnet Max loves experimenting with magnets! He knows all about how they work and loves using them to attract new types of things. But when he shows them to his friend Nick, the other boy is baffled. Will magnets stick to a paperclip? A refrigerator? A horse? How do they work, anyway? It must be magic!
Join Max and Nick as they explore the science behind the magic. Discover which objects are magnetic and why, and why others are not. In Magnet Max, Monica Hughes uses her experience as an educator to explain scientific concepts in clear, easy-to-follow language. Watch your children’s curiosity come to life as they explore the wonders of magnetism with Magnet Max!
STEM Integration:
Read Aloud the Book, Magnet Max and interact with the story.
Act out vocabulary words attract and repel, elicit responses on “is it magic or science”. Conduct investigations using Magnet sticks testing variables such as
- metals
- non metals,
- size of magnets,
- size of objects
- distance of attraction.
Reflect on the use of the word magnetism.
Read Aloud:
How to Catch a Dinosaur by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton
Do dinosaurs still walk among us? Sure, no one has seen one, but if alligators, whales, and even birds still exist, then dinosaurs must still exist, right? Join the daring How to Catch Kids as they try to wrangle a dinosaur in time for the school science fair and prove they’re still around! Parents, young readers, dinosaur lovers, and educators alike will roar with laughter in this dinosaur picture book that blends STEAM concepts with hilarity and clever chaos. Do YOU have what it takes to pluck a prehistoric pal? Perfect for kids ages 4-10, this fun story makes a great birthday and back to school gift, stocking and basket stuffer, or read aloud for any occasion!
Can you catch a dinosaur and prove they’re still around?
Use your brain and set your traps to get that dino found!
STEM Integration:
Read Aloud the Book, How to Catch a Dinosaur and interact with the story.
The students will be provided with a variety of materials to make a device that will catch a plastic toy dinosaur.
Reflect on the use of the word trap.
Read Aloud:
Pebbles and the Biggest Number by Joey Benum
A daring butterfly travels the world searching for the biggest number in a picture book filled with fun and facts.
Even the youngest children know big numbers: a thousand, a million, even a billion! But what comes next? A curious butterfly named Pebbles wants to know, too.
Follow Pebbles’ globetrotting adventure and meet animal friends in exotic landscapes. From idyllic butterfly fields to scorching deserts, vast oceans, and the splendors of space, Pebbles is always eager to explore. This fact-filled science book for kids is overflowing with vibrant illustrations that pull the story forward.
STEM Integration:
Read Aloud the Book, Pebble and the Biggest Number and interact with the story.
Students will be engaged in an extended activity on one Science Spot, Did You Know, and Fun Fact.
Reflect on the use of the word numbers.
On You Own Follow-up activities:
- The Biggest Number Website
- First Ten Pages
- Have students add their own drawings.
3. To do sheets:
Read Aloud:
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
A box is just a box…unless it’s not a box. From mountain to rocket ship, a small rabbit shows that a box will go as far as the imagination allows.
Inspired by a memory of sitting in a box on her driveway with her sister, Antoinette Portis captures the thrill when pretend feels so real that it actually becomes real—when the imagination takes over inside a cardboard box, and through play, a child is transported to a world where anything is possible.
Read Aloud:
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
STEM Integration:
Read Aloud the Book Not a Box and interact with the story.
Different size cardboard boxes will be brought in. Students will rotate as a group to interact with the boxes. They will be told. “This is not a Box”, and then will be asked to brainstorm what the box could be.
Read Aloud the Book What to Do With a Box and interact with the story.
Each student will each be given a smaller box and a variety of materials will be provided. They will use their imagination to make the box into something new.
Reflect on the use of the word imagination.
Read Aloud:
When I’m an Astronaut by Dr. Samantha Pillay
When I’m an Astronaut is a unique conversation starter, written as a series of powerful affirmations to be shared between an adult and a child. Each page is a launchpad for discovery, nurturing a child’s natural curiosity about science, space, and their own limitless potential.
The stunning illustrations are packed with scientifically accurate, real-life details, from the International Space Station to the Mars Rover, for you and your child to find together, turning storytime into an adventure.
STEM Integration:
Read Aloud the Book, When I’m an Astronaut and interact with the story.
The students will engage in activities that focus on:
- physics, geology, and problem-solving.
courage, curiosity, and exploring the unknown
the importance of teamwork and perseverance.
believing in yourself and aiming for the stars.
Students will use pool noodles to create miniature rockets using fine mooter skills to cut and glue. They will then engage in a short blast off activity giving a building place for future Newton Motion Laws.
Have students color their face in the astronaut and add background details. Write for them what they will do when they are an astronaut.
Reflect on the use of the word dreams.
On You Own Follow-up activities:
- When I’m an Astronaut Coloring Pages
- Music Video
Read Aloud:
What Can You Do With a Paleta? by Carmon Tafola
STEM Integration:
Read Aloud the Book What Can You Do With a Paleta? and interact with the story.
The facilitation of the lesson will spotlight the word melt and activities will explore its conceptual meaning.
Reflect on the use of the word melt.
On You Own Follow-up activities:
As she strolls through her barrio, a young girl introduces readers to the frozen, fruit-flavored treat that thrills Mexican and Mexican-American children. Create a masterpiece, make tough choices (strawberry or coconut?), or cool off on a warm summer’s day–there’s so much to do with a paleta.
Read Aloud:
I Think We’re Upside Down by Marcus Cutler
STEM Integration:
Read Aloud the Book I Think We’re Upside Down and interact with the story.
The facilitation of the lesson will spotlight the word gravity and activities will explore its conceptual meaning.
Complete a green screen activity with the students that make them upside down!
Reflect on the use of the word gravity.
A hilarious interactive picture book from the author of The Crayon Stub about a rabbit and a raccoon who find themselves in a story turned upside down.
Raccoon’s new basketball just arrived. Time to shoot hoops with his friend Rabbit! But when the basketball falls UP instead of DOWN, they have to figure out how to make things right.
To do that, the two friends will need a little creativity and a LOT of help from the reader in this fourth-wall-breaking picture book full of twists, turns, and surprises!