10/9/2026 – October brings cooler breezes, fall foilage, and a desire for me to grab a camera and catch the beauty before it fades away. This brief school break has me indoors vs. out and catching up on rest instead of camping as planned. However, I still get to spend time with family and friends making memories and reflecting on my recent educator endeavors to make the STEM Lab experiences on both of my campuses valuable.
This new school year started with a STEM Notebook Portfolio lesson with our 3rd graders to demonstrate the importance of documenting your work as a Scientist and/or Engineer. I loved sharing the work of famous Scientists, Inventors, and Engineers that were held in their personal notebooks. They were able to watch a wonderful recording of an astronaut reading my chosen picture book about Scientific Notebooks from the International Space Station (ISS). Then, we set up their STEM notebooks together as a portfolio of their work in the STEM Lab starting in 3rd grade and ending after 5th grade. This will give them a record of their time at our ESTEM Magnet schools to take with them as they move onto 6th grade. They can use it as evidence of their work if they decide to apply to an Intermediate Magnet Program or even a specialized Engineering or Robotics Club. The rollout will start with 3rd grade this year, continue next year with 3rd grade and continually in 3rd grade each year until all students in 3rd-5th grade has a portfolio staying in the STEM Lab until they leave for intermediate school.
I seriously considered an electronic notebook for the upper grades. However, our students need to practice their handwriting along with written expression. Also, there is research that back how handwriting vs. typing records the information more effectively in our brains which I shared in an earlier blog: Handprints and Handwritten Cards for Mother’s Day.
Leave a Reply