We are looking forward to another exciting year
of STEAM in the Paterson Public Schools.
William Paterson University is now “STEAM-ing forward” in five schools
in the district:
School 2, School 7, the
School of Government & Public Administration (GOPA,) the School of
Information Technology (SOIT,) and, newly added this year, the School of
Culinary Arts, Hospitality, Travel and Tourism (CAHTS.)
Below are some highlights from last year.
School of Government and the School of
Information Technology:
Making Art with
Computers
Last year a major goal of
the grant was to stress the “T” in STEAM.
The two schools partnered with the WPU College of Art and Communications
Center for New Art, which focuses on using technology to create art through the
use of contemporary digital tools, to 3D modeling and printing. A three-part unit saw WPU Professor Rees and
his graduate students first addressing GOPA and SOIT students on this theme,
and subsequently demonstrating how a hand-held scanner can generate computer
files from which 3D images can be “printed.”
Above Photo:
On the WPU website main page, Professor Michael
Rees and Graduate Student Tyler Zeleny observe the creation of the 3D printed
head of a Paterson student.
School 2:
Learning about Dinosaurs in Grades 1 and 2
The unit began with a
series of lessons in which students created dinosaur fossils out of clay and
plaster, recreated a dinosaur “dig” in their classrooms, and built 3D models of
dinosaurs out of clay, cardboard, and paint.
English Language Arts skills (e.g., word walls of relevant vocabulary
such as dinosaur names, extinction, carnivore, herbivore) and math skills
(estimation of size, creation of bar graphs of length of dinosaurs) were
stressed. The unit continued with approximately 140 students and staff
participating in a field trip to Field Station Dinosaurs in Secaucus, NJ, where
they applied their learning. By the
conclusion of the unit, students could identify
and describe the characteristics of common dinosaurs, including size, behavior,
and food sources. They also explain how
information on dinosaurs has been discovered and give possible reasons for
their extinction.
Above Photo:
Students enter the Field Station Dinosaur Park.
Above Photo:
Students pass by a life-size, animatronic Apatousaurus
Above Photo:
Students participate in a learning activity about Tyrannosaurus rex.
School 7:
Creativity Night!
At the end of the 2012-2013
school year School 7 chose as its theme, “Designing for Creativity,” and as one
of its goals for 2013-2014 to include all students in STEAM activities. Near
the end of the school year (May 15, 2014) a Creativity Fair was held. This evening event showcased the creative and
innovative work of the year for all stakeholders (students, staff and parents.)
Above Photo:
Students at School 7 admire a 6th grade project entitled
“Kingdoms,” in which the students researched and created a phylogenetic tree.
8th grade students researched the
structure and function of plant and animal cells, and depicted those cells
through the medium of watercolor painting.
