Troy Students Use New STEMscopes Science Tool This Year

From Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C:

JOLIET, IL — Students in Kristine Linneweh’s fourth grade class at Troy Heritage Trail Elementary School recently spent time using a new curriculum to learn about layers that compose the earth, especially the crust. Linneweh taught them about the things that affect the crust, such as erosion, heat, ice and even volcanoes. She gave her students clear cups of layers of frozen materials that she poured herself to demonstrate, and the students came up with ideas of what might have affected or produced each layer over the years.

They will also learn about the subject on their Chromebooks, combining hands-on work, technology and teacher instruction.

Student Tremayne Sapp correctly guessed that the layer with the silver sparkles might be from a volcano.

This is the first year Troy Community School District 30-C’s elementary schools have incorporated the hands-on/online science curriculum, STEMscopes, into their classrooms. Teachers feel the tool will nurture students’ curiosity as they learn important concepts of science. Grades 5-8 used the software last year and had great success with it.

“Since it’s inquiry-based, the students are discovering the findings on their own,” said Linneweh, who is also on the district’s science committee.

“In the past,” according to Troy Curriculum and Assessment Director Daniela Fountain, “students were given the science topic, then they read about it. With this program, they are presented with real-world questions and problems, and they explore the topic by engaging with interactive tools before reading about the content. Then they can compare their thinking with research to make better informed decisions.”

“This is not just content-driven,” Troy Educational Technology Coordinator Jenna Woodland said. “Students aren’t just memorizing facts anymore. They are applying real-world strategies and real-world applications.”

Another thing teachers like about the program is that its content can be rapidly updated based on new scientific findings

Troy Heritage Trail Elementary School 4th graders Mason Simpson and Jaiden Morales learn about the layers of the earth’s crust as they examine a facsimile | image via Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C