STEM Curriculum Organization

STEM Curriculum Integration

Standard 12

School/program provides high quality STEM courses and curriculum aligned to recognized standards and organized into interdisciplinary frameworks

Stone Mountain Middle STEM students participate in capstone projects featuring driving questions that require testing multiple solutions to reach viable solutions. It is not practical that these practices be performed in isolation but treated as an educational science that integrates content across curriculum. Standards executed through AdvancED have been the engineering practice used as students engaged in scientific investigations, design and building systems, and inquiring about real-world events. This work will continue with the new COGNIA standard. This standard is a major component for students cannot fully appreciate the process of scientific inquiry, cannot fully cognitively grasp scientific practices, without being exposed to interdisciplinary problem- and/or project-based units of study. Some of the inquiry-based approaches such as SeaPerch, eCYBERMISSON, Digital Storytelling, LEGO Leagues, Coding, Prosthetics, Recycling, Aquaponics, Hydroponics, emerce our students into a long range of cognitive, social, and physical practices we aspire for them to last for a lifetime of learning. Our main goal is for our students to be problem solvers, innovators, critical thinkers, solve issues that impact our society and affect our communities as we strive to make them ready for college, or STEM related fields. This is so students like Jefferson M. who at one point many not have ventured into a STEM field, but because he was exposed, he not only has shown interest in learning to read construction plans but also has an interest in the development of building architectural structures. In a phrase and our motto…Hands down. STEM Works one child at a time!!!

Pirate Garden

PIRATE GARDEN

Students learn to build grow beds and harvest vegetation

Lesson Plan

Stone Mountain Middle School has hosted a perfect project to enhance student learning with hands-on activities and provide real-world connections to the classroom and its content. The curriculum-based school garden has multiple applications: a living laboratory and an outdoor classroom that can be utilized by all.

Stone Mountain Middle School contains students from many different ethnic backgrounds, each rich in history and culture. We have celebrated this rich cultural diversity in our school by creating a garden that brings students together to learn about plants and people from all over the world. In cultivating a school garden, students can participate in engaging activities that increase knowledge in all content areas.

“Pirate Garden” Mission

The mission of the Pirate school garden at Stone Mountain Middle School for students is to foster a healthy school environment with team building activities, giving students a sense of agency in their lives/education. The garden build and cultivation provide STEM students with choices that can make a difference in their schooling career/community, and see a direct connection to their actions.

The “Pirate Garden” has also served as a beautifying agent to the school grounds, providing the campus with more color and welcoming agent to the community and to the school. Produce harvested from the garden will fund future “Pirate Garden” projects, allowing time to grow and expand. Initially, The “Pirate Garden” is organic, utilizing its space for beans, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, basil, sunflowers, and marigolds, all of which is marketable to the community. Not does the “Pirate Garden” encompass the core subjects, but has the potential to incorporate business and art for marketing and advertisements. This garden utilizes the wide space as well as showcases all the hard work students have done to create it.

Mars Rover Build

Students using their knowledge about robotics to build different devices (preparation for creating their own Mars rover)

Strengths:

Stone Mountain Middle School STEM program creates opportunities for students to actively participate in finding solutions to real-world problems. ● The Stone Mountain Middle School STEM program has a long-lasting impact on students.

Sustainability:

Recommended:

Develop and implement an interest survey to be conducted in the fall and spring of a student’s first, second, and third year at Stone Mountain Middle School.