Collection Spotlight: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM & STEM)

Below are some recommended titles found at UBC Education Library to add to your reading list.

Click on the book cover or title to take you to the UBC Library catalogue record for the item.

Bringing STEM to the elementary classroom
by Froschauer, Linda

LB1585 .B6865 2016, EDUCATION LIBRARY stacks

Many resources help you encourage young children to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). But only this book of quality STEM experiences was curated by the veteran educator who edits Science and Children, NSTA’s award-winning journal for elementary teachers. Sensitive to the needs of both preK-5 students and busy teachers, editor Linda Froschauer developed Bringing STEM to the Elementary Classroom as a comprehensive source of classroom-tested STEM investigations. The 36 lessons are:

conveniently organized into grade-level bands
grounded in science education research
designed to encourage learning across disciplines, promote real-world problem-solving skills, introduce children to STEM careers, and serve all students equally well; and
connected to all elements of the Next Generation Science Standards.

Whether you’re just beginning to delve into STEM experiences or eager for fresh ideas, Bringing STEM to the Elementary Classroom provides you with new, interesting, and productive strategies.

Exploring the science of sounds: 100 musical activities for young children
by Connors, Abigail Flesch

QC225.5 .C65 2017, EDUCATION LIBRARY stacks

Most preschool teachers have musical instruments in their classrooms but may not realize they can use them for science explorations.

Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math–STEAM–these explorations are crucial for laying a solid foundation for later learning. In this book, discover 100 activities that let children ages 3-6 explore the science of music and sound using materials easy to find for a preschool classroom.

Children will use their bodies to create sounds, explore the relationship between size and pitch, investigate how tempo affects the way we listen to sounds, create musical instruments, and much more. From the drops of rainwater to the tinkling of wind chimes, the science of sound is all around.

STEAM kids: 50+ science, technology, engineering, art, math hands-on projects for kids
by Carey, Anne; Dziengel, Ana; Scardino, Amber

Q182.3 .C37 2016, EDUCATION LIBRARY stacks

A year’s worth of captivating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) activities that will wow the boredom right out of kids! Created by an MIT engineer, award-winning educators, designers, and homeschooling experts, STEAM Kids will inspire your children to: question like a scientist design like a technologist build like an engineer create like an artist deduce like a mathematician – and, most importantly – play like a kid! Inside you’ll find entertaining and educational projects like:- Rainbow Reactions- PVC Pipe Slingshot- Grafitti Art & Science- Color Changing Play Dough- Diaper Science- Circuit Bugs- Candy Mazes & so much more!

Perfect for children ages 4-10, all the step-by-step activities are helpfully coded with difficulty indicators and estimated project times. Helpful project extensions promote further exploration and learning for enthusiastic children. Bonus materials will make things easy for parents and educators, and include: a handy weekly planning guide, project shopping lists, STEAM journal and more. So gather up your curious kids and get your STEAM on!

Baby steps to STEM: infant and toddler science, technology, engineering, and math activities
by Barbre, Jean

LB1140.5.S35 B37 2017, EDUCATION LIBRARY stacks

Innately curious, infants and toddlers love to explore, investigate, and discover–making the earliest years a perfect time to begin teaching the foundations of STEM.

This book defines what science, technology, engineering, and math education looks like for this age group, and why it is so vital for children to develop STEM knowledge. Expand your understanding of STEM to lay the foundation for children to develop skills in critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.

This book supplies fifty play-based developmentally appropriate activities for introducing STEM. All activities include extensions, inquiry questions, and tips on how to help parents strengthen children’s learning at home.

An educator’s guide to STEAM: engaging students using real-world problems
by Quigley, Cassie; Herro, Danielle

LB1585 .Q54 2019, EDUCATION LIBRARY stacks

This practical book will help readers understand what STEAM is, how it differs from STEM, and how it can be used to engage students in K–8 classrooms. The authors present a conceptual model with recommendations and classroom examples illustrating various key aspects of STEAM teaching in action, including creating the correct teaching environment, integrating STEAM content, and supporting students as they develop STEAM-related skills. The model includes specific strategies such as problem-based learning, student choice, technology integration, and teacher facilitation.

Each chapter incorporates elements of connected learning—a type of learning that draws on students interests that teachers can capitalize on when using STEAM to address real-world problems. Readers will find easy-to-understand examples of what STEAM education looks like in a variety of classrooms, and will hear from teachers, instructional coaches, principals, and administrators about what it takes to ensure that STEAM is a schoolwide success.

The young artist as scientist: what can Leonardo teach us?
by Pollman, Mary Jo

LB1139.5.S35 P55 2017, EDUCATION LIBRARY stacks

This is the first in-depth look at the important connections between the arts and science specifically for early childhood education (pre-K–3rd grade). Highlighting their many commonalities, such as the processes involved in creative problem solving, the author draws on what we can learn from Leonardo da Vinci as the supreme artist-scientist.

Every chapter begins with a vignette of Leonardo and relates his thinking to the development of children’s ideas in the arts and STEM (STEAM). This fresh look at the interdisciplinary connections of the arts and science offers early childhood teachers and administrators a spectrum of tools for connecting the creative arts (art, movement, drama, and music) to the STEM movement, 21st-century skills, and developmentally appropriate practice.

STEM education: an emerging field of inquiry
by Barkatsas, Tasos; Carr, Nicky; Cooper, Grant

Q181 .S6943 2019, EDUCATION LIBRARY stacks

Full text online

Contents: 1. What Is in an Acronym? Experiencing STEM Education in Australia / Noleine Fitzallen
2. Delivering STEM Education through School-Industry Partnerships: A Focus on Research and Design / Marc J. de Vries
3. Reading STEM as Discourse / Kathy Jordan
4. Implementing Virtual Reality in the Classroom: Envisaging Possibilities in STEM Education / Li Ping Thong
5. Multiplicative Thinking: A Necessary STEM Foundation / Shalveena Prasad
6. Possibilities and Potential with Young Learners: Making a Case for steam Education / Lisa Borgerding
7. Inquiry-Based Learning in Statistics: When Students Engage with Challenging Problems in STEM Disciplines / Zsolt Lavicza
8. Values in STEM Education: Investigating Macau Secondary Students’ Valuing in Mathematics Learning / Io Keong Cheong
9. Perspectives on STEM Education in Preservice Primary Teacher Education / Tricia Forrester
10. Primary Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of STEM Education: Conceptualisations and Psychosocial Factors / Nicky Carr
11. Building STEM Self-Perception and Capacity in Pre-Service Science Teachers through a School-University Mentor Program / Grant Cooper
12. Building Academic Leadership in STEM Education / Belinda Kennedy.

STEM in the primary curriculum
by Caldwell, Helen (Lecturer in Education); Pope, Sue

LB1585 .S747 2019, EDUCATION LIBRARY stacks

Contents: 1. STEM and making links with home / Amanda Smith
2. STEM in the early years / Eleanor Hoskins
3. Primary science and STEM / Rania Maklad
4. Mathematics in STEM education / Sue Pope
5. Design and technology in STEM / Anne Guilford
6. Foreign languages and STEM / Sarah Lister
7. Drama and STEM / Alison Ramsay
8. Engaging girls in STEM / Neil Smith
9. Computing and STEM / Vasemin Allsop
10. arts in STEM: STEAM / Sway Grantham
11. Preparing for transition to secondary STEM / David Barlex.

Making and tinkering with STEM: solving design challenges with young children
by Heroman, Cate

LB1139.35.A37 H47 2017, EDUCATION LIBRARY lab room 155

“Teaching and learning STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is more accessible than ever before!

Children will be inspired, delighted, and challenged as they use everyday materials and STEM concepts to design and build solutions to problems faced by characters in their favourite books”–Page iv of cover.

STEM-rich maker learning: designing for equity with youth of color
by Calabrese Barton, Angela; Tan, Edna

LB1029.M35 C35 2018, EDUCATION LIBRARY lab room 155

In recent years, Maker-centered learning has emerged in schools and other spaces as a promising new phase of STEM education reform. With a sharp focus on equity, the authors investigate community-based STEM Making programs to determine whether, and how, they can address the educational needs of youth of color. They explore what it means for youth to engage in making with the explicit goal of addressing injustices in their lives.

The text features longitudinal ethnographic data and compelling examples that show how youth of color from low-income backgrounds innovate and make usable artifacts to improve their lives and their communities. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the theory and practice of Making, STEM learning with adolescents, and equity in both formal and informal educational settings.

Step into STEAM: your standards-based action plan for deepening mathematics and science learning, grades K-5
by Bush, Sarah B; Cook, Kristin Leigh

QA135.6 .B88 2019, EDUCATION LIBRARY stacks

Contents: pt. 1 STEAM LANDSCAPE
ch. 1 What Is STEAM and Why Does It Matter?
ch. 2 How Do I Prepare for STEAM Teaching?
ch. 3 What Frameworks Can Guide How I Engage Students in STEAM?
pt. 2 STEPPING INTO STEAM
ch. 4 How Do I Design STEAM Inquiries?
ch. 5 How Do I Implement STEAM Inquiries?
ch. 6 How Do I Assess My Students’ Learning in STEAM?
pt. 3 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER IN STEAM
ch. 7 What Are Some Examples of Successful STEAM Inquiries?
ch. 8 How Do I Tie It All Together to Create the STEAM Learning Experience?
ch. 9 How Do I Gather Resources for STEAM?

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Collection Spotlight: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM & STEM)