Activity: Using a CD, a flashlight and a piece of white paper create your own rainbow reflec-tion. Start in a dark room and place the CD on the floor blank side of the CD up. Place the white paper on the wall and secure with a bit of tape. Aim the flashlight at the CD […]
Tag: Washington University
What Can We Plant? What Makes It Grow?
Activity: Save a few seeds from some fresh fruits and veggies or use a packet of flower, fruit, or vegetable seeds. Place a few seeds inside a lightly damp paper towel until roots appear. Then move the sprouted seed to a sunny place and bury it just beneath the surface of the soil. Keep watering […]
Audio: ISP efforts spotlighted on 'St. Louis on the Air'
Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton spotlighted the work of the Institute for School Partnership during a recent appearance on “St. Louis on the Air” on St. Louis Public Radio. When asked by St. Louis Public Radio editor Maria Altman what WashU is doing to engage the wider St. Louis community, Chancellor Wrighton highlighted the work […]
mySci Do program brings science to life for St. Louis students
A collaboration of Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership, The Little Bit Foundation and other community partners is seeking to provide more equitable access to 21st century STEM in underserved schools. The mySci Do program engages students in learning through making, computing and designing, using tangible materials such as legos, robotics and electric circuits. Modeled after mySci – a […]
ISP addresses region's shortage of computer science teachers
You don’t need to be a great coder to teach computer science. You only need to be a great teacher. That is the experience of Jaime Gilligan of Washington University in St. Louis’ Institute for School Partnership (ISP). Through the Code.org professional learning program, Gilligan and other ISP instructional specialists are teaching local middle and […]
Q&A: Recipient of top biology teaching honor has WashU connection
Chuck McWilliams, co-director of Washington University’s Master’s in Biology for Science Teachers Program, has been named the 2018 Missouri Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year by the National Association of Biology Teachers. The master’s program is offered through the university’s Institute for School Partnership and University College. For the past 24 years, McWilliams has been a teacher-leader in the […]
Acorns, Food or Seeds?
Activity: Look for an oak tree with acorns. Sometimes as you are walking along the sidewalk you see many acorns lying on the ground, under a tree. Sometimes they are still attached to the tree. Notice the leaves and bark of the tree where you find the acorns. Look carefully at one of the acorns, […]
STEM TQ participants start popular STEM Facebook page
It’s often the case that teachers go to seminars and workshops and get really excited, but then life takes over and that energy fizzles out. That’s exactly what Lisa Graham, a K-4 special education teacher at Coverdell Elementary School in the City of St. Charles School District, and Jessica Lawrence, who teaches fourth-grade at Harris […]
ISP has plan to boost math instruction, hires two math specialists
How many times have you heard people say, “I’m not good at math!” It’s become such a common refrain that the statement usually draws laughs or nods of agreement. But why is it socially acceptable to say you’re bad at math but not to say that you’re bad at English or reading? Most people would […]
St. Louis area educators attend leadership retreat at Washington University
It’s mid-June and while students are out on summer break, teachers never stop learning. Victorious arms shoot up in the air as towers of playing cards sway precariously on tables. This simple card activity is an example of how teachers can help students develop identities as STEM-capable learners. About 50 educators from school districts throughout […]