How Do You Say ‘Sink or Float’ in Mandarin?

Learning the fundamentals of STEM is basically the same in any language. On Monday, Mrs. Riggin’s Fifth Grade Science Class shared a lesson on the fundamentals of matter with a Chinese delegation from Shanghai. The delegation is working in partnership with Discovery Education (DE) to learn more about how STEM education is implemented in the United States.

 

After the lesson, which incorporated material from the DE digital Techbook running on Google Chromebooks, the students engaged in a hands-on exercise to deepen their understanding of the characteristics of matter.

 

St. Louis School Eighth Grade STEM Ambassadors then shared their current work in Virtual Reality (VR) using an Oculus Rift device and the software development tool Unity.

 

The delegation also participated in two Second Grade STEM challenges led by Mrs. Anacker and Mrs. Johnson. The students were tasked with designing and building a parachute for Santa Claus and a shelf for the Elf.

 

At the conclusion of the visit the delegation expressed their appreciation and Lauren Conn, Director of Global Initiatives, stated, “Your teachers are fabulous and it is obvious that students are joyfully learning at school and after school.”

 

We would like to thank Discovery Education and the Chinese delegation for visiting St. Louis School, asking good questions and providing an attentive audience for our students. We would also like to thank Mrs. Riggin, Mrs. Anacker and Mrs. Johnson for welcoming our guests and providing engaging STEM lesson opportunities.

 

We look forward to continuing our communication and collaboration with our new Chinese friends.