It’s 4:15 pm and quiet in the hall of the STEM-Learning Center (SLC) at Bethel New Life as every room is packed with students of different ages engaging in activities across the world of science.
Beyond dissections, coding activities, drawing and building, these students are also gaining another crucial education: how to support each other and be a part of a community.
“I don’t think STEAM really incorporates any of the emotional social skills curriculum. That’s something that we’re always trying to do,” said Maria Fernando Avila, a program specialist for kindergarten through second grade programs at the SLC. “That’s something that we always put on ice-breakers and in writing in their journal. They get used to writing and talking about their day.”
Avila’s kindergarten through second grade class posed for a group photo on the classroom carpet. Photo by Ben Cummings.
Avila teaches the K-2 student class with 17 students who are at different levels in reading and writing. Avila said the class, with half Spanish and half English speakers, is taught in a bilingual fashion with ways for students to buy into their own learning.
“That’s why I have little jobs, so they feel like they have control,” said Avila. “One of them is always keeping me on track. One of them is helping with the door.”
The classroom flourishes with familiarity—students regularly translate and advocate for each other—some of the students have known each other since the summer. And Avila has known them since 2021. “It’s fun to see them growing,” she said.
Some of them don’t have a mom, they’re up with a grandma. Some of them are in foster care.
Her “K-2” class learned parts of the body as part of the life sciences curriculum; in the same course third through fifth graders learned about body systems, and sixth through eighth studied animal anatomy.
Left to right, Aniyah and Amiyah, cousins and students in the Little Sisters4Science third through fifth grade program for girls, discuss their diagram. Photo by Ben Cummings.
“I could see all the things in my body,” said Amiyah, a student in Little Sisters for Science. “Look, I can see how my lungs look. I can see how my liver looks. I can see how my heart looks.”
In the third through fifth grade program for girls, students drew each other and mapped their organs. This curriculum emerged out of an initiative to connect students to medical education from an early age.
By October in the third week of the program, sixth through eighth grade students were dissecting turtles in pairs after learning about the anatomy of the reptile.
Yahsier, left, and Gadiel dissect a turtle after learning about its anatomy and physiology for two weeks. Ben Cummings.
In total, the curriculum spans ten weeks covering life sciences, chemistry, computer science and engineering. But, it all starts with the first week, which is about building relationships.
“The first week was for us to get to know the students. Get to know their needs. Get to know their strengths,” said Avila. “Some of them don’t have a mom, they’re up with a grandma. Some of them are in foster care.”
School Based Programs
Versions of this same programming also take place in school-based after-school programs across the West and South Sides, especially in Leland Elementary which hosts many family events.
“Us as [Leland’s] partner they make sure to include us in everything they do including family nights,” said Angelica Juarez, a program specialist at Project Exploration. “We’ve built a really strong relationship with them. Making sure we’re communicating with parents. Letting them know what we’re doing in the program.”
On Thursday, November 14th, Leland hosted Family STEM Night, inviting students and parents to engage in activities and meet teachers and facilitators; Project Exploration tabled with activities and gave away STEM kits to the students.
During after-school pickup, via phone or with the text-em-all, PE staff can get in touch with parents. In the future Juarez hopes to be able to send direct emails with the content from each week to parents.
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On November 14th, students and parents flooded the halls of Leland Elementary for Parent STEM Night, where Project Exploration tabled with anatomy, engineering and dissection activities. Photo by Ben Cummings.
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Angelica Juarez helps a student in second grade at Leland Elementary present her keyboard exercise as part of the early computer science curriculum. Photo by Ben Cummings.
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Leland Elementary School second grade students present the computers they made as part of their computer science curriculum. Photo by Ben Cummings.
Students are rapidly approaching the last day of the program on December 13th.
On the final day students will conduct a review of knowledge, a presentation about what they learned during the semester and highlighting their progress which is a key aspect of learning according to Juarez.
Left to right, Jeremiah and Darrell in the third through fifth grade class studying computer science are learning to code together in the Little Brothers4Science Program in the SLC. Photo by Ben Cummings.
“I enjoy being able to introduce something new to the students and watch them understand the different types of topics. I like watching their learning process,” said Juarez. “But also watching the kids that understand the activity more help others that are in trouble.”