STEM Taking Us Places
Teacher Paxton Cesaroni is working hard to build a thriving STEM program at Madison Middle School through his 8th Grade STEM course offered this year for the first time. Currently he is encouraging travel in his classroom...virtually of course! Students recently learned how to plan a fictional Spring Break vacation on a budget, while gaining some insight into what it means to be an adult. Next up comes researching STEM career options. Mr. Cesaroni describes their journey!
Our students were asked to put together a Google Slides presentation about a fictional Spring Break vacation they were planning. Students were given a $2000 budget to account for all transportation, lodging, dining, and recreational activity expenses. In these presentations, students included web links to specific airfare websites, vacation home accommodations, and even pricing for specific menu items in the destination of their choice. Planning this week-long vacation in such detail proved challenging for some students, as the many factors and variables involved in such a trip can be overwhelming to account for. Despite these challenges, many students submitted polished presentations of vacations planned out in great detail. These students improved their planning and online researching abilities as well as gained a new appreciation for all their parents do.
Our latest assignment has students creating their first resume based on any life skills and work experience they may have gathered up until this point. With few 8th grade students having actual work experience, we are emphasizing educational accomplishments and skills gained through personal experiences such as helping with chores and babysitting. After students create this resume, they will be taking an interest inventory and will research a STEM career of their choice. Using this information, the project will culminate with students creating a Google Site to act as their digital resume, which they can cater to the needs of their potential future employers in the STEM field they chose.
