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The curricular materials below have been developed by ITEST projects and shared for dissemination to broader audiences through STELAR’s resource library. ITEST projects work with PreK-12 youth in a variety of STEM disciplines and settings. Additional information is included within each entry, including information about the project’s focus and audience, as well as PDFs and/or URLs to the original resource. These materials are made available for public use through the National Science Foundation’s public access policy, which encourages funded projects to share all materials generated over the course of the grant. Unless otherwise noted, these curricular materials are free to use with appropriate credit to the organization/authors.
STEM Partnership Toolkit
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The STEM Partnership Toolkit was created to share tools and strategies around the practice of connecting STEM education to community partnerships that enrich learning experiences for youth. This toolkit describes how in-school and out-of-school STEM educators and professionals worked with our research team to establish and integrate community STEM education partnerships into their existing STEM programs. The toolkit provides the STEM Career Connections model, practice briefs focusing on specific issues, and links to other resources, including a resource pack, publications, and newsletters. We
STEM Career Connections Resource Pack
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The STEM Career Connections project developed educational materials to support implementation of the STEMCC model within both formal and informal education settings, included here as the Resource Pack. The technology curricula and career connections activities define what youth were actually doing throughout the STEMCC project, while the community partnerships, detailed in the STEM Partnership Toolkit, provided the backbone to shape youth experiences. The Resource Pack contains STEM career connections activities as well as links to the technology curricula that were implemented during the
Data Jam
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Engaging students with local ecological data in Puerto Rico Data Jam is an initiative of the Luquillo Long -Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. The University of Puerto Rico's Luquillo LTER has compiled decades of data on the El Yunque rainforest ecosystem and made it publicly available. The Data Jam program engages middle and high school students in the process of formulating their own questions about environmental phenomena in El Yunque and then exploring, analyzing, and summarizing long-term data as evidence to support their scientific research questions. Successful Data Jam projects
STEM Dreams in Motion - Episode 4
Curricular Materials This series of videos highlights contemporary stories of refugees who are considered role models for their tenacity and accomplishments. Each story sheds light on journeys to becoming a STEM professional in the United States. Episode 4 features two Congolese brothers who grew up in a refugee camp and are currently STEM college students.
A Youth-Led Citizen Science Network for Community Environmental Assessment
Curricular Materials This curriculum was developed in an informal STEM context through after-school programs, however this versatile content can be implemented in a variety of formal and informal settings, including classroom use at the high school level. In this curriculum, students design, carry out, and communicate findings from technology-rich community-focused environmental citizen science projects. Students learn about various types of pollution, environmental health, and human impacts on the environment, as well as develop research and science communication skills and utilize various technologies and
Survey about Computational Thinking
Curricular Materials Attitude towards CT (first section), Self-efficacy (second section), Learning experiences (third section). Learning experiences were asked only after the intervention
Drones in Alaska Elementary Curriculum
Curricular Materials This collection of three teacher's manuals, five videos, and one career exploration guide were created with and for Alaska Native communities as part of the Drone Research and Opportunities for Native Elementary Students project, funded by NSF I-TEST Grant Nos. 1850561 (Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks) and 1850556 (Univ. of Alaska Anchorage). The Drones in Alaska base curriculum has three versions, one with lexicon in Sugs'tun, one with lexicon in Lower Tanana Athabascan, and one with lexicon in Lower Koyukon Athabascan. The Teacher's manual for the Drones in Alaska base curriculum is applicable to
STEM Career Connections Resources
Curricular Materials During the STEM Career Connections project we developed educational materials to support implementation of the STEMCC model within both formal and informal education settings, included here as the Resource Pack. The technology curricula and career connections activities define what youth were actually doing throughout the STEMCC project, while the community partnerships, detailed in the STEM Partnership Toolkit, provided the backbone to shape youth experiences. The research team also authored several publications and newsletters that provide more insight into the project work. We have included
Textured Tactile 3D Prints of Astronomical Data for the Career Exploration Lab and Other Applications
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Astronomy has been a fascinating subject for the public for centuries and can stimulate deep questions not only on our own origin but subtly the richness of science and mathematics. It also is a science that is associated with engineering and technology to probe the universe.Typically, astronomical data is translated into visual representations for analysis and general public communication. Unfortunately, this practice is problematic for individuals with blindness or visual impairment (B/VI). In response, we transformed astronomical research data and models into textured 3D prints for tactile
Creating 3D Plant Models Using Tinkercad and Fusion 360
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This 3D modeling project addresses the disconnect between science, design and technology, and how high school students can benefit from innovative learning experiences in plant and agriculture sciences that integrate these disciplines while gaining interest in and skills for future STEAM careers. Students use the software Tinkercad or Fusion 360 to create 3D models of species of research importance at the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO. Students work in collaborative teams made of self-identified scientists, technophiles, and artists. A STEAM approach is applied in which