STEM and Language Arts

STEM education should be a dynamic, cross-curricular effort. One of the goals of the STEM initiative is to produce literate adults who can actively participate in discussions about the world around them. STEM students need strong research, reading, and writing skills. Here are some ways to bring in language arts standards into your STEM curriculum.

STEM and Research Skills
STEM education naturally uses research to problem solve. Research can involve printed sources, multimedia, interviews, or hands-on research. To help your students research, use the following methods:

Draw pictures of STEM concepts
As your students begin researching a topic, have them draw pictures of the concepts. When your students complete their research, have them draw the concept again. This visualization will help your students see the differences in their understanding of the topic.

Complete KWLA with STEM topics
Have your students think about the STEM concept. Tell them to break down their understanding by what they know, what they want to know, what they learn about a topic, and finally how they would apply that learning to their problem. Steer them to focus their research on what they want to know.

Analyze perceptions
Examine the concept drawings and review their KWL sheets. Use this analysis to help your students focus their research. This is also a great time to clear up any misconceptions or stereotypes. You can also use this time to direct students toward any standard concepts they may have missed.

Evaluate STEM sources
Not all sources of information are equal. Teach your students how to evaluate a good source using the CARRDS method:
Credibility: Who is the author and how are they an expert?
Accuracy: Can the facts and other evidence be verified?
Reliability: Is the source biased or does it exclude evidence or a point of view?
Relevance: Does the information answer your questions or support your hypothesis?
Date: When was the information created? If it is a science or technology source, it should be no older than five years unless you are conducting historical research.
Source: Where did the author get their sources? Who is the intended audience of the source?
Scope: Does the source talk about many topics or focus on one topic? Is it a scholarly source or a popular source?


Choose best resources for needs
Many students make the mistake of gathering as much as they can on a topic or gathering the first few sources they can find. Emphasize that good problem solvers gather and evaluate the best information in order to propose a good solution. Encourage your students to use these methods and choose the best 3-5 resources they can find on a subject.

STEM and Reading
Some students might struggle with reading STEM texts due to the technical language. Use these strategies to assist students with reading comprehension.

Pre-teach vocabulary
STEM education often involves a lot of technical vocabulary. Define major concepts and terms before students start their studies. If everyone is assigned the same reading task, preview the text and identify troublesome words. If everyone is reading unique texts, have them first scan the article to identify unfamiliar words. Have them make a list of these words and define them before they read.

Survey prior to reading
Surveying the text includes scanning the entire text before reading. Students should look at section titles and subheads, graphics, and tables in order to get an idea what the entire selection is about. If there are lesson objectives or comprehension questions, have them read these as well. This helps the students set a purpose for reading and understand the concept as a whole.

Paraphrasing
As students read, make sure they take notes and paraphrase the text as they go along. This forces students to become active readers who periodically stop and process their understanding of the source as they go.

Learning logs
Encourage students to keep learning logs. A learning log is a journal with a line drawn vertically down the page. The student takes notes from a source on one side and writes questions and comments about what they read on the other.

Graphic organizers
Encourage students to create graphs and charts of what they read. The KWLA chart is one type of graphic organizer, but there are many others as well. Students can use Venn diagrams, concept maps, problem-solutions maps, and much more.

STEM and Writing Skills
Writing about STEM topics is a great way to assess their higher order thinking skills. Students can demonstrate how much they comprehend about a topic, express how they would apply their understanding, break down the ideas and form new concepts, and form and defend an opinion about a topic. When assigning written work for STEM topics, create assignments that use the verbs below:

Application	Analysis	Synthesis	Evaluation
Alphabetize	Analyze	Arrange	Appraise
Apply	Break down	Assemble	Assess
Calculate	Characterize	Budget	Compare
Change	Classify	Categorize	Conclude
Classify	Compare	Code	Contrast
Compute	Confirm	Combine	Criticize
Construct	Contrast	Compile	Critique
Demonstrate	Correlate	Compose	Defend
Determine	Detect	Construct	Determine
Draw	Diagnose	Correspond	Estimate
Examine	Diagram	Create	Evaluate
Explore	Differentiate	Debug	Explain
Expose	Discriminate	Depict	Interpret
Express	Dissect	Design	Judge
Factor	Distinguish	Develop	Justify
Figure	Document	Devise	Measure
Graph	Ensure	Dictate	Predict
Illustrate	Examine	Enhance	Prescribe
Investigate	Explain	Explain	Rank
Manipulate	Explore	Formulate	Rate
Modify	Figure out	Generalize	Recommend
Predict	File	Generate	Select
Produce	Group	Improve	Summarize
Relate	Identify	Incorporate	Support
Sequence	Illustrate	Integrate	Test
Show	Infer	Join	Validate
Simulate	Interrupt	Model	Verify
Sketch	Inventory	Modify
Solve	Investigate	Organize
Tabulate	Layout	Outline
Use	Manage	Overhaul
	Order	Plan
	Outline	Prepare
	Point out	Prescribe
	Prioritize	Produce
	Query	Program
	Relate	Rearrange
	Select	Reconstruct
	Separate	Relate
	Subdivide	Reorganize
	Train	Revise
	Transform	Rewrite
		Specify
		Summarize
		Write

Rachel E Kovacs, 11/2013

References
Basham, J., & Marino, M. (2013). Understanding STEM Education and Supporting Students Through Universal Design for Learning. Teaching Exceptional Children, 45(4), 8-15.
Hagedorn, L., & Purnamasari, A. (2012). A Realistic Look at STEM and the Role of Community Colleges. Community College Review, 40(2), 145-164.
Herman, K. J., & McClellan, M. D. (2013). INCREASING MINORITY INVOLVEMENT IN STEM COURSES. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 88(6), 48-51.
Israel, M., Maynard, K., & Williamson, P. (2013). Promoting Literacy- Embedded, Authentic STEM Instruction for Students With Disabilities and Other Struggling earners. Teaching Exceptional Children, 45(4), 18-25.
Packard, B., Tuladhar, C., & Lee, J. (2013). Advising in the Classroom: How Community College STEM Faculty Support Transfer-Bound Students. Journal Of College Science Teaching, 42(4), 14-20.
Roberts, A. (2013). STEM is here. Now What?. Technology & Engineering Teacher, 73(1), 22-27.
Vann IV, C. B. (2013). Pioneering a new path for STEM education. Industrial Engineer: IE, 45(5), 30-33.
White, D. W. (2013). Urban STEM Education: a unique summer program Technology & Engineering Teacher, 72(5), 8-13.