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Elementary STEM Initiative

Elementary STEM Initiative brings together a diverse group of early childhood and elementary STEM teachers in the NYC area who are interested in sharing resources, networking, and advocating for teacher-led professional learning opportunities. We encourage participation on teachers’ own terms – meeting formally, sending a quick e-mail or text, or chatting over coffee.

Support STEMteachersNYC in Early Childhood and Elementary (N-6) STEM Endeavors

  • Increase early childhood and elementary STEM teacher membership.
  • Propose, develop, and host early childhood and elementary STEM teacher workshops.
  • Assist with outreach to early childhood and elementary teachers in NYC and the surrounding areas.

Early Childhood and Elementary STEM Pedagogy and Curriculum Implementation

  • To develop more relevant, interdisciplinary, student-driven early childhood and elementary level STEM curricula for public, independent, and charter school students in New York City.
  • To build a network of colleagues to share ideas, resources, successes, and challenges of teaching early childhood and elementary STEM.

Increasing Awareness and Recognition of N-6 STEM Education

  • Collecting and sharing evidence of the importance of early childhood/elementary STEM education to share with other educators and the wider community.
Elementary STEM Working Group, Notes from Oct 20, 2019
Themes that arose: “Curricular Connections and Partnerships”Resources
++ Challenges of entering new school cultures and curricula (supports for merging curricula).++ Leveraging ELA texts as starting points to engineering projects (ways to work with ELA colleagues).++ Revisit the spiraling of NGSS material; retaining learning connections from ES to MS to HS.++ Ways technology teachers can partner with classroom teachers on curricular integrating (ex. attending PD as a team, together turn into class lesson).Novel Engineering (Tufts)EcoRiseSTeLLA Online Math for AmericaEF ToursThe Giant Room
Detailed notes from the meeting can be found here!Have ideas about how to use the group, have a challenge to tackle together, or resource to share? Email [email protected]

My name is Juliette Guarino Berg, and I am a science educator in New York City. Currently, I am the Class Four Science Teacher at The Chapin School in Manhattan. I received my BA in Biological Sciences and Comparative Literature from Binghamton University in 2008, and my MS in Childhood Education from Hunter College in 2012. I also hold New York State Professional Certificates in both Childhood Education and Adolescent Biology Education. I am proud to serve on the Board of Directors for STEMteachersNYC as well as the Review Panel for the National Science Teaching Association’s magazine Science and Children.

Beverly Chang hails from Queens, NY and has always enjoyed nature, the sciences, and children. She received her B.Sc. from McGill University and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Queens College. She holds a New York State Professional Certificate in Childhood Education 1-6. Beverly has been teaching science for the past nine years in charter and independent schools. Beverly enjoys creating curricula that is both accurate and technical with content, but which also celebrates the holistic, “messy” process of learning (and teaching!) children. Currently, she is the K-2 science educator at Ethical Culture Fieldston School (Manhattan Campus).

Kate Macaulay vividly remembers the day in middle school when her science teacher father brought home deer lungs to investigate with the family. It’s experiences like these that set her on the path to become a science educator. Kate holds a degree in Inclusive Elementary and Special Education, from Syracuse University, a masters degree in Urban Science Education, and a STEM Leadership Certificate from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. Currently in her 15th year as the science specialist at Hunter College Elementary School in NYC, Kate is continually working to develop a science program that emphasizes students’ natural sense of curiosity and wonder, while building specific knowledge that can be applied to real-world contexts. She believes that during science class, students should be engaged in, hands-on investigation, inquiry, and creative and critical thinking.

Jennifer Lee is a Science Teacher (K-4) at The Hewitt School. Following a career as a landscape architect and zoo exhibit designer, Jenny discovered a passion for teaching. She started her teaching career as a design educator for the Center for Architecture and the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. When she moved into the classroom as an elementary science teacher she brought her design background with her and has applied it to developing cross-curricular and interdisciplinary units, STEAM curriculum, developing design thinking skills and lots and lots of hands-on projects. Although she was born and raised in New York City she managed to develop a love of the wilderness. She holds an MLA from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from the Evergreen State College.

We welcome elementary educators of all levels and backgrounds to join us! To get involved, e-mail [email protected]

  • + Propose an Early Childhood or Elementary STEM Teaching Workshop
  • + Share a resource or idea with the group
  • + Ask the network for help or assistance
  • + Join us for an upcoming workshop

border_width=”3″ accent_color=”#dd3333″]Kid Talk,Teacher Talk (KT3) is a professional development platform designed to engage teachers across the New York Metropolitan area in the pursuit of excellent science teaching and learning. During the KT3 Workshop and meetings time is devoted to designing and implementing lessons that engage and motivate students to explain natural phenomena and to solve engineering problems. Teachers practice specific facilitation strategies that improve a student’s ability to communicate their thinking, cite evidence, and build ideas through discussions.

The goal is to support and empower educators to facilitate students’ sense-making and their ability to use the science and engineering practices. To learn more click here.

Project Organizers: Jason Sullivan, Amy Wish, Craig Buszka, Lindsay Fox, and Diana Loiacono