Page 2 - Edconnect dec 2016

An Insider’s Look: Indialantic Teacher Takes STEM to Higher Level
Each issue of
edConnect
strives to bring you an inside look at the departments, programs
and people
of Brevard Public Schools. edConnect
reached out to Brittani Bluhm, STEM educator at Indialantic Elementary, to learn more about her unique activity wheel class.
1. What grade levels do you see on a
daily basis and how does the class
function?
I see students in grades K-6, every day. As a teacher, I implement the science, math, as well as computer science standards for the appropriate grade level. Given that there is no set STEM curriculum, I have the unique opportunity to build one that best meets the needs of our Indialantic students.
2. How does the STEM class di er
from other school activity wheel
classes? STEM is an academic camp that supports what the classroom teachers are doing and it also blends well with other activity teachers’curriculum. For example, in September my fourth graders were exploring Chladni plates and sound waves. To expand, we utilized Chrome Music Lab to create di erent melodies and explore varying frequencies. This was a fantastic carry over from what the students were learning in the music room. Even though it is academic, STEM is still a place where the students are free to explore, experiment, and make mistakes without worrying about a grade.
3. What types of activities or lessons
do your students engage in?
The students do everything from engineering design challenges, like sixth grade’s Mars garden using simulated Martian soil, to technology projects, to taking virtual geological eld trips, and engaging in scienti c labs to measure
and test local soil samples. Anything that encompasses a hands-on approach to science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics - that’s us.
4. What has been your favorite student
project to review after teaching a
STEM lesson?
Our fth graders designed a hurricane preparedness pamphlet around the time of Hurricane Matthew. They did an amazing job researching and using what they learned to help assist their families at the time of the storm.
I enjoyed watching them put to practical use what they had learned in the STEM lab.
5. What are some of the bene ts of honing STEM skills at the
elementary level? STEM skills are life skills. Speaking the universal language of
mathematics, being an engineer capable of dissecting and solving a problem, thinking critically and scienti cally, using technology to make your community a better place . . . these are life skills that students need to be successful, thriving global citizens.
Brittani Bluhm
Experience:
Nine years with Brevard Public Schools
Has taught kindergarten, rst – fourth grades
ESOL Certi ed, Gifted Certi ed
M.S. degree in Science Education, Florida State University
B.A. degree in Elementary Education, Georgia College & State University
Brevard County’s Caring Covers BPS Students, Families with Love continued
activities throughout the season. Money, gift cards, gifts, and wrapping materials are distributed based on wish lists the families provide.
Two years ago, Fonyea Blackmon in the district’s o ce of testing and accountability, was one of the recipients in the Giving from the Heart program. “It was a perfect storm of troubling events during this time
in my life,” Blackmon said. “I just started working again, our house was on the ipside of the market, we had recently gotten into a car accident, and my oldest child was heading to college. I remember being worried about gifts that year for our kids. However, unbeknownst to me, my name was put into the recipient list of Giving from the Heart. Not only was I able to get proper gifts for my kids, but to not worry about food for
the holidays was also an extreme blessing to my family.”
In this season of giving, BPS bene ts from the caring community within it and the one that surrounds it. “BPS cares about you, whether you know it or not. They help without question or expectation,” Blackmon said. “BPS is truly a family.”
edConnect is a publication of Brevard Public Schools.
Superintendent
Desmond K. Blackburn, Ph.D.
2
School Board Members
Chairman: Misty Belford, District 1 Vice Chairman: John Craig, District 2 Tina Descovich, District 3
Matthew Susin, District 4
Andy Ziegler, District 5
Published by the Division of Government and Community Relations
Assistant Superintendent:
Michelle Irwin
Content Coordinator: Abby Rex Graphic Designer: Daniel Jankowski
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Debra Foley, editor
at 321-633-1000 x529 or
Foley.Debra@brevardschools.org
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Volume V, Issue 3