Martin Luther King Jr. Day Science and STEM Connections and a FREEBIE

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an important day to celebrate diversity and peace in your classroom. Important lessons of racial and social justice can empower teachers and students. We can explore those concepts on this special day or throughout the school year. Science is a great way to provide the concept of black and white, civil rights, and social awareness. This post can help find ways to integrate science to teach Dr. King's message.

Activities that can help students learn through science:
1. Yin and Yang Symbol Activity to show how two opposite sides, different people can work together
2. Balloon Expansion to show how black and white containers can create (positive) energy
3. Radiating Heat by testing how different colors such as white and black can radiate heat and warmth
4. Light and Color Experiment to use a quote and connect with research and writing
5. STEM connections that include building a bridge and a monument in Montgomery, Alabama to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

I love this pack because it allows me to add science and STEM lessons to reading and writing activities!

    MARTIN LUTHER KING JR SCIENCE AND STEM

       Want 28 pages of Science, STEM, Writing, and Research for your classroom? Find It here!

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR CONNECTIONS
One way to connect with the Science and STEM pack or during your writing time is to watch some of his famous quotes. I will be re-watching the video and stopping to read the quotes to the students. I am including the quotes here for you to use!  Find the Free Quote Sheets HERE!

Whether you read a story, show a video, connect a science or STEM activity or continue each and every day to teach tolerance, peace, and the message that someday that all of us can be "brothers and sisters" no matter the color of their skin you are helping to keep his dream alive!

Winter STEM Is Here...Make Connections

Winter is finally officially here and now it is time for some winter science and STEM! This is a great opportunity to add Gingerbread...Penguins...Learning about Seasons and Snow (if you get that white stuff that comes from the sky like we do here in Wisconsin). It has been below zero here and indoor recess is expected all week!

We can't sit in front of a fire, curled up in a blanket...which I would love to do...we have to keep our students engaged after the holiday season! Winter can surely drag on for students and for teachers!

My favorite time of year to add STEM is in Winter! STEM activities keep learners engaged and challenged! This is one way to always bring a smile to my students' faces! Who doesn't love STEM activities. Not to mention we can sneak in a little learning of science along the way!
My littles just love using my digital activities on the Smartboard! We use it as an assessment and a way to keep them focused! This pack is on sale this week: The link is HERE!

This week, kindergartners will be working with the hot and cold theme. They are learning how to read a thermometer, as well as build shelters for animals that need to stay warm in the cold winter.

We will be learning about hibernation, migration, and adaptation. They will learn about weather after that. It is an NGSS kindergarten focus, but first when it is hot the red part of the thermometer goes up and when it is cold it goes down. The numbers show the temperature. What number is it closest to?

This winter pack is filled with digital science, math, and science lessons along with STEM stations! The link for this product can be found HERE.

Second graders are learning about solids and liquids so we will be learning about snowmen and what happens when they come inside out of the cold. I have to say that I have been using some fun sheets that I made and some that I borrowed from Bunting Books that I love...What's The Matter, Mr. Snowman.

Third graders are learning about water on a slanted surface from the FOSS kit, but let's be real here...that is NOT very exciting. How to tie to what excites kids...SNOW DAY! Here in our home town, we actually have a tubing hill that takes you and your tube up the hill. So to tie in the water down a hill lesson we tie it to a STEM tubing hill winter activity! Let's make science fun...add STEM and science in on lesson!

Winter STEM Stations are our theme for the next two weeks in STEM Club, too!

Follow this link to find the many different ideas that you can use this winter!

Fifth graders left for break with a solution of Borax and Hot water. They were hoping to get back to school seeing crystals form on their snowflake patterns. It worked! They are so excited to have a snowflake made of a solution! Again, using my FOSS Mixtures and Solutions kit to tie in an extension that is engaging and exciting. I find that their vocabulary really increases. I made a fun freebie sheet with directions for you and your learners!

All these activities can be found in the many packs that I have for the winter time!  Winter lessons for upper grades come from my Snow Science Activities Pack. This pack is filled with activities that help learners understand early explorers, solstice and equinox, Insta-snow activities, Borax Crystals and more!

Winter is in full swing. It is cold...we have indoor recess...the kids definitely could use some hands on science and STEM stations. Each pack is filled with so many ideas to keep them walking in a winter wonderland!  I would love to hear from you...how do you add winter lessons to your school day?