I wish these free, edible gardens around campus were available to me when I went to school here! The NIU ss are so lucky to have access to fresh, free food right outside, in some cases, their dorm room. Our #sd113a ss are lucky to have the raised beds at OQ @NIUSTEAM #WeAreOQ

Last day of in-person learning @NIUSTEAM didn’t disappoint. This a.m. focused on amazing hydroponic methods with Vic from happyleafled.com our #sd113a ss will benefit from learning from the hydroponic material being given to me via the grant for this cohort! #STEM #STEAM

Awesome tour at Pasture-Grazed Regenerative Farm this morning at @NIUSTEAM camp day today. #sd113a #STEM

Fortunate to be learning this week @NIUSTEAM - so many great ideas to incorporate into my #STEM curriculum for my #sd113a ss @CITGOiaOQMS #WeAreOQ

Day 4 of #PLTW was a lot about plumbing, blue-green roofs, & construction site management. We brainstormed as a group and made one of the projects so much better than the original. So excited to bring these activities to #sd113a ss. @CITGO #STEM #STEAM #WeAreOQ

Day 3 of #PLTW included interior design with architectural scale, planning based on environmental & cost factors, & building a small HVAC system. So excited to bring these activities to #sd113a ss. @CITGO #STEM #STEAM #WeAreOQ

Day 2 at #PLTW - architecture scale, making a toolbox, types of joints & framing walls, & started a group mini house project (I’m nervous my wall will fall apart or not fit 😆). Such a great unit about the trades as careers -#sd113a ss will ❤️ this unit @CITGO #STEM #WeAreOQ

Amazing first day of learning. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to be trained on a brand new #PLTW unit. Thank you @CITGO for helping us create amazing learning experiences for our #sd113a students #STEM #STEMEducation #STEAM #WeAreOQ

You know you are doing something right when a ss in your #STEM class in his own times designs & 3-D prints what he calls a “💩 bucket” for our classroom 3-D printer #sd113a

I always have mixed feelings when one ENCORE rotation ends & another begins, however I’m always impressed with ss skill development & persistence in problem solving. 7th gr @Sphero coding challenge #sd113a #WeAreOQ #oqms

I always love watching the collaboration & creativity that my 7th gr ss put into their @Sphero mini-golf courses. A great reprieve off their devices & from State testing #sd113a #STEM #STEAM

What nice thoughtfulness by our admin and Board of Education during this awful arctic blast 🥶#sd113a #kindnessmatters #beststaffever

6th gr students are putting the “A” in #STEM in their final #Tinkercad final projects, their dream rooms. They learned how to take a screen recording & upload to a Padlet so they can all see each others. Here are 2 examples #sd113a

Awesome 3-D neurons created by 8th graders that put the “A” in #STEM this week. They followed with group videos explaining the parts, the functions, & how messages transmit from one neuron to the next #sd113a #artinscience

Last days of #STEM rotation 2. Some of my favorite moments are watching & listening to 7th graders building mini golf courses and successfully coding their @Sphero through #teamwork #sd113a #STEAM #coding

Engagement & teamwork to the max! 7th gr #STEM students designing mini-golf courses to code @Sphero through. I ❤️ that one group is using local inspiration #Lemont #LemonTree check this out! #sd113a #STEAM

Flexible lesson plans in #STEM lab today as we caught @EVNautilus & ROV Hercules exploring an unnamed seamount. My ss were fascinated watching the dive & Hercules coming back up to the ship. They had many good questions & we discussed a lot of engineering principles #sd113a

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So exited to catch @EVNautilus diving this morning while teaching my #sd113a STEM students! Students were able to ask questions and hear them answered aloud!