This project funded by

Arkadelphia, AR--Deep Dive Workshops

Grade Level:
2-8
Location:
Arkadelphia, AR
About the School:

This project was made possible with funding from the Arconic Foundation. Arconic Foundation’s mission is to support non-profit partners who advance STEM Education and Workforce Development in Arconic communities. This is the second time that Evansville has been a location for an Arconic workshop with CE.  As it is the second round of delivery for this region, a focus on expanding the initial impact was made and the workshop was extended to two days.  CE co-planned with workshop with the district to get a sense of how the initial workshop had impacted their curriculum and hands-on instruction.

This workshop was broken into two separate days by grade range. On Day 1, the workshop was open to K-5 teachers, while on Day 2 it was open to 5th-8th grade teachers.  This method was chosen due to the manner in which standards are broken apart for science teachers in Arkansas.  On each day, the morning was spent exploring supportive hands-on content that aligned with the curriculum that teachers would explore in the afternoon.  The second half of the day was devoted to providing space to look at unique teacher-developed lessons with their peers and determine where they fit into their yearlong plans.  This was also done while taking a look at specific resources in support of NGSS-aligned learning.  On Day 1, teachers focused on building their capacity in simple circuits in alignment to a unit by Beverly Satterwhite looking at Solar Home design.  On Day 2, teachers looked more at grid dynamics in preparation for looking at Melody Childers’ “Chemistry of Emergency Energy Sources” unit.