Introduction

Elementary School Student’s STEM Project Exhibits at Santa Fe College

Elementary School Student’s STEM Project Exhibits at Santa Fe College

egg dropCharlotte Bradley, a third grade teacher at Rymfire Elementary School in Palm Coach Florida, headed up a scientific project that introduced the students to a range of scientific concepts and technical methodology, as well as the field of engineering as a potential career.

With Bradley’s guidance, the class visited websites to seek out information they would need. They also got to ask questions of a University of Florida engineering student via Google Hangouts, an online videoconferencing tool.

“I was very impressed,” said Bradley, “They had some awesome, amazing questions.”

One of her students, Rya’sir Jefferson, summed up the satisfaction he felt at the project’s completion. “We’re the best roller-coaster-making class in the whole world,” he said.

On Friday, May 6, 2016, 35 Rymfire students, including several from Bradley’s class, presented their projects during the North East Florida Educational Consortium STEM Expo at Santa Fe College. Students from Old Kings Elementary also participated.

Student participation is an extension of their teachers’ commitment to a yearlong STEM project offered through the consortium. Teachers take classes in STEM activities and attend a three-day event during the summer. At the exposition, students will spent the morning presenting their work and the afternoon attending lectures and taking part in activities of their choice.

The forums include forensic investigations, gaming and coding, egg-drop engineering, Gross Anatomy 101, Rube Goldberg engineering, chemical reactions and dry ice investigations.

Joining Bradley’s students was teacher William Bianco’s third-graders and fifth-grade students in classes taught by Anna Lisowski and Tracy Jones.

Some of this information was obtained from an article that appeared in the Daytona Beach News Journal, May 4, 2016 written by  Staff Write Shaun Ryan.