Creation and Implementation of a Fourth Grade STEM Unit

In America, students often are not taught science curricula until sixth grade or later, giving them roughly six years to become scientifi cally literate. Science has historically been taught separately from other interconnected disciplines, including technology, engineering, and math. As a result, the number of students entering science careers remains low. In response, educators have recently implemented STEM integration—a pedagogy geared toward combining major tenets of these disciplines. Theoretically, connecting STEM integration with scientifi c literacy should encourage student interest and improve preparedness to enter into STEM careers. As part of an EDCI605 Teaching Science class, the instructor and Purdue students created and implemented a STEM unit for fourth grade students combining STEM integration with the nature of science instruction. The students were motivated and engaged throughout the lesson, and the instructor was interested in furthering this initiative in the future