Creating Storybook Journeys to Enhance Your STEAM Curriculum Presented by: Melissa Russell, Kori Bardige, and Sally Bayless Concept created by Sue McCord, The Storybook Journey: Pathways to Learning through Story and Play Components of Storybook Journeys: Creating home-school connections Responding to children’s interests Repeated readings/interactive readings Telling and retelling the story in many ways Using props to explore elements of the story and extend children’s thinking Is driven by purposeful pretend play where children act out, extend, and explore new ideas Uses the story as a springboard for other learning opportunities and future investigations Encourages children’s interest in literature and critical reading/comprehension skills Promotes intentionally planned activities that incorporate sophisticated vocabulary, expressive language and narrative skills Definitions of STEAM Science is a way of thinking. – Observing and experimenting, making predictions, sharing discoveries, asking questions, and wondering how things work. Technology is a way of doing. – Using tools, being inventive, identifying problems, and making things work. Engineering is a way of doing. – Solving problems, using a variety of materials, designing and creating, and building things that work. Arts are a way of creating. – Demonstrating self-expression, imagination, emotion, collaboration, and exploration through media, movement, music, and play. Math is a way of measuring. – Sequencing, patterning, and exploring shapes, volume, and size. Definitions adapted from: www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/sites/default/files/pd fs/STEMGuide.pdf The poetry and prose of the best children’s books enter our minds when we are young and sing back to us all our lives. -- Vivian Gussin Paley, The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter, p. 44   This outline has been modified to focus on STEAM, but still contains the essential elements for creating a Storybook Journey. As you use this as a tool for creating your own Storybook Journeys adapt it to meet your own needs and make it work for you! (c) Learning Circle Consulting

Outline for Creating a STEAM Storybook Journey Step 1: Selecting a book Book Title: ________________________________________________________________ Author: __________________________________________________________________ Illustrator: ________________________________________________________________ Step 2: Mapping the journey What questions and STEAM concepts could we explore? Connections to State standards Science: Technology: Engineering: Arts: Math: (c) Learning Circle Consulting

K W H L N KWHLN Chart What do I Know about this topic? What do I Want to learn? What do I Wonder about? H How will I figure out the answers to my questions? L What did I Learn from this Storybook Journey? N What are my Next steps? How will I connect this Storybook Journey with the Next one? What do my students and families Know about this topic? What do they Want to learn? What do they Wonder about? How can we work together to figure out the answers to our questions? What did we Learn from our Storybook Journey? Where do we want to go Next? What else are we interested in learning about? (c) Learning Circle Consulting

Brainstorm potential directions What specific STEAM concepts might we focus on? How could we extend book? What additional references and materials might we add to enhance our journey? “It is the talk that surrounds the story book reading that gives it power.” - NAEYC & International Reading Association (c) Learning Circle Consulting

Step 3: Planning and Playing What STEAM concepts might we explore in different ways based on the topic(s) of our storybook? Area: Potential materials/activities Area: Potential materials/activities Concepts Area: Potential materials/activities Area: Potential materials/activities STEAM focused Centers Hypothesis (circle/meeting) Research (library) Engineering (blocks) Ecology (science) Technology (computers) Mathematics (manipulatives) Dissection (puzzles/games) Demonstration (dramatic play) Documentation (writing) Reflection (cozy area) Arts Laboratory (art) Chemistry (sensory table) Locomotion (gross motor) Exploration (outdoors) Physics (balls and ramps) Observation (plants/animals) (c) Learning Circle Consulting

Step 4: Exploring and Extending Ways we could document our journey How can we document our individual and collective growth and development and extend our journey so we can continue to learn? Additional resources and concept extensions What additional resources (books, community, etc.) might extend our storybook journey and knowledge of STEAM concepts? Resources we suggest: Recommendations of STEAM books: http://www.fbmarketplace.org http://coloursofus.com/50-multicultural-steam-books-for-children STEAM resources for educators and families: www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/stem-sprouts www.sesamestreet.org/toolkits/stem www.readingrockets.org/extras/stem_series Curriculum Resources and Emergent Curriculum Ideas: http://showmelibrarian.blogspot.com/p/all-things-steam.htm http://projectapproach.org (c) Learning Circle Consulting

Step 5: Sharing our adventures! How can we celebrate what we’ve learned? Reflections What were some of our favorite adventures? What did we learn from them? What were the most successful components of this storybook journey? What would we do again? What would we change? Future Directions What other books and STEAM concepts intrigue us? How can we transition to our next Storybook Journey? (c) Learning Circle Consulting