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Classroom Immersion

LET’S MAKE LEARNING STEAM-TACULAR

Interactive classroom immersions are open to all West Virginia public schools serving 6-8 grade students, free of charge.

A STEAM specialist comes directly to you – into your school – to lead a hands-on STEAM experience with participating students and teachers. During the visit, the specialist will embed themselves into each of the participating teacher’s class periods to facilitate engineering design projects that focus on a variety of career clusters.

VIDEO: Watch STEAM immersions in action

*Please note: A K.12 email address is required to access the registration form.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Classroom immersions are designed to be an experience that fully engages the participating classroom teacher and students in STEAM learning. All immersions are tailored to grade level and personalized for the school’s local community.
Immersions include a three-part experience, including

A pre-visit presentation to get students and the classroom teacher ready for the immersion.
An in-person, hands-on interactive STEAM learning experience.
Post-visit supplemental lesson plans and networking among teachers who've participated in a STEAM TAC immersion from across West Virginia.

As the STEAM specialist models lesson delivery, teachers are expected to be just as engaged and excited as their students.
Using a transdisciplinary approach, classroom immersions incorporate a variety of subject areas, including, science, social studies, mathematics, ELA, CTE and the arts, among others.

“At-a-Glance” Classroom Immersion Breakdown

Part I

The classroom teacher facilitates a pre-visit presentation with students, provided by STEAM TAC, to:

Pique interest with a short introduction
Introduce the real-world challenge and examine high-interest examples
Briefly discuss relevant concepts
Connect to career clusters

Part II

A STEAM specialist joins the teacher and students for an in-person immersion.

The STEAM specialist provides all necessary materials for the hands-on lesson, facilitates the hands-on experience alongside the classroom teacher as well as details safety precautions.
The classroom teacher works alongside the specialist to learn the immersion and is encouraged to take leadership of the lesson as the day progresses.
The students work in groups, using design thinking to build their engineering design project. They then test and adjust the device they built.

Part III

In the days following the immersion experience, the classroom teacher completes a post visit survey and leads group discussion to recap success, difficulties and unexpected events. Teachers may also engage in the online STEAM TAC PLC to share experiences.

Choose Your STEAM Experience

Choose from three interactive STEAM experiences. Each uses design thinking to solve a real-world challenge that focuses on a different set of career clusters. Click on each STEAM experience to learn more.

Projectile Launcher

Hydraulic Claw

Wiggle Bot

Educators must sign up for a classroom immersion to receive the supplemental STEAM lesson plans and instructional materials, which include:

Free standards-focused instruction
Follow-up lessons that focus on cross-curricular topics
Educational materials
Resources to help guide STEAM learning well beyond the initial visit

LEARNED SKILLS

Classroom immersions address the WVBE Standards for College and Career Readiness through fun, engaging classroom experiences that promote problem-solving and team building while preparing students to meet the challenges of a global society through innovation, collaboration and creativity.

Problem-Solving
Design Thinking
Prototyping
Teamwork
Public Speaking
Creativity
Curiosity and Imagination
Growth Mindset
Courage and Risk-Taking
Resourcefulness and Adaptability
Persistence and Grit
Opportunity-Seeking
Optimism
Empathy and Altruism

Learn more about the WVDE’s STEAM-Minded mindsets and skillsets at steammindedwv.

STEAM-Minded WV