Do you STEAM? The importance of STEAM for 21st Century Education

April 7, 2021 by Evan-Moor | 0 comments

STEAM education helps children grow in the areas of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. These four primary skill areas are a critical component of modernizing students’ curriculum to meet the demands of an ever- evolving technological world.

The acronym STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and differs from STEM with the incorporation of art. By adding artistic components to STEM, children practice a holistic approach to learning by involving both sides of the brain. This inclusive approach to educational allows children to practice collaboration and creativity within different disciplines across subject matter.

How to Teach STEAM

The key to STEAM teaching is project-based learning, which stimulates both sides of the brain simultaneously as well as including different types of problem-solving and thinking skills. STEAM education teaches children the processes involved in becoming a critical and creative thinker. Through this discipline children learn:

How to ask questions
How to be innovative
How to create

There are lots of resources available to help guide your STEAM teaching, including Evan-Moor’s Skill Sharpeners: STEAM Activity Book and STEAM Project-Based Learning teacher’s edition.

Skill Sharpeners: STEAM is a full-color activity book that teaches STEAM with project-based activities for grades PreK-6. Each unit presents a real-world problem, followed by research, activities, and hands-on challenges for students to complete. There are not right or wrong answers within STEAM, just opportunities to enhance and revise projects.

Skill Sharpeners STEAM is organized around 9 real-world topics related to the environment, the Earth, people and cultures, and social and emotional learning. Topics ask children to use science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics and engage them in empathizing, thinking critically, collaborating, and coming up with solutions to solve real-world problems.

STEAM Project-Based Learning teacher’s edition for grades 1-6 encourages students to develop collaborative problem-solving skills. The engaging STEAM tasks provide meaningful learning opportunities for students as they work together to study current real-world problems and strategize solutions to help create a better world. Each robust unit includes a hands-on STEAM task that provides students with a problem to solve using the design process of Problem and Task, Research, Brainstorm and Design, Make It and Explain It.

**Download a free sampler for STEAM Project-Based Learning here!**

Free Skill Sharpeners STEAM Projects for grades PreK-6

Check out this free sampler for Skill Sharpeners STEAM grades PreK-6. Highlighted below are some of the STEAM units included in this free PDF. Download this free printable from Skill Sharpeners STEAM for grades PreK-6!

Skill Sharpeners STEAM PreK
Tissue Box: PreK Engineering Connection
This activity is from the Germ unit in the PreK level, and challenges students to redesign a tissue box using art materials from around the house. Using both creative and critical thinking skills, students will complete this hands-on activity while also learning about germs and how to stay healthy. This activity is part of the engineering connection to the unit theme.

Skill Sharpeners STEAM 1st grade
Litter Machine Project: First Grade
This activity challenges students to design their own clean-up litter machine as part of the Trash unit. Students will be guided through the brainstorming process as they use critical thinking skills to describe their machine idea, and then can build a cardboard model or draw a picture of their imagined design.

Skill Sharpeners STEAM 4th grade
Cultural Board Game: Fourth Grade
In a unit focused on cultural differences, students will research different countries across the world and then design and create a board game that teaches players about these countries. This activity walks students through each part of the creation process, from research to brainstorming to designing. Students will learn more about countries across the world and then get to teach others what they have learned!

Skill Sharpeners STEAM 6th grade
Presentation Project: Music Education: Sixth Grade
Part of this unit, based on music education, tells the story of making a case for music education at a school. Following this story, students will conduct research, draft a speech, and create part of a presentation that aims to convince the school board to include music education in their middle school curriculum. Students will use both critical and creative skills to achieve their goal.

STEAM education is where creativity meets academics and directly prepares children for the challenges they will face in the future. Incorporate some STEAM into your curriculum and see your students become motivated, interested and inspired.

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Christine Wooler has experience working with children as a youth soccer coach and summer camp counselor. She is currently studying English Literature and journalism in college. She enjoys exploring educational topics that help students have fun while learning.