Patriots STEM Elementary

Monthly Engineering Themes 

  

• Design Squad: An engineering challenge based on the monthly theme is presented to students across the school. Anyone who choses to participate becomes a member of the Design Squad. Projects are put on display, announced on the news, and awarded with certificates.  

• STEM Lab/Maker Space: Teachers sign up to work in our STEM lab with their classes. The lab is set up with materials that guide student thinking toward the monthly theme. Students are then given opportunities to explore, build, and create with facilitation from teachers and STEM coaches. 

• Career Focus: Careers that are related to our monthly theme are highlighted for students on our live, student produced news broadcast. Students are also introduced to career opportunities with each PBL presented in the classroom.  

  

Events 

  

• National Youth Science Day: Patriots participates in National Youth Science Day, sponsored by 4H. This has become an event students look forward to each year with some type of culminating school-wide science activity that everyone participates in together. 

• Polar Express Day: Before the holiday break all classes celebrate Polar Express Day. Each grade level has developed PBL lessons that are grade specific, movie/book related, and keep kids learning all the way to the last minutes of the school day. Students look forward to engineering hot chocolate cups that insulate heat transfer, build trains with edible materials, and even identify ways to muffle the sound waves of a sleigh bell. 

• Paper Airplane Competition: On the anniversary of the first Wright brothers flight, Patriots 5th grade students participate in our annual paper airplane contest. This leads to a pipeline event sponsored by one of our business partners, Embassy Suites.

• Math/Science Night: This event brings together teachers, students, families, and business partners in order to showcase STEM learning activities and share with the community what our kids are able to do when they are STEM focused. 

• Monthly Clubs: In order to include all students, we have monthly club time held during the school day.  Various clubs in which students may participate include SciGirls, Robotics, Outdoor STEM, and Legos. Club time tethers students to school and broadens their exposure and interest in STEM.  

• Field Trips: All grade levels at Patriots participate in field trip opportunities that are STEM related. Many focus on STEM careers and introduce students to professionals that share how their current learning objectives are relevant in different work environments.

• Digital Learning Day: All classrooms participate in digital learning day. While we use technology every day at Patriots, Digital Learning Day affords students additional exposure to technology platforms to which they otherwise might not be exposed. It often involves older students mentoring younger students with new digital applications.

• Hour of Code: Patriots students participate in the hour of code each year. We also have a technology special that teaches coding and robotics to all students throughout the year. 

• Engineering Week: While engineering is consistently embedded throughout our curriculum, Engineering Week affords us the opportunity to highlight engineering concepts and careers. During Engineering Week students complete engineering challenges, host engineering professionals in their classroom, and apply engineering skills in unique ways in all subject areas. 

• NASA Camp: We host NASA Camp each year for our students. This is a free opportunity for our kids to participate in science activities for two weeks during the summer. We provide transportation and lunch to encourage participation from our underrepresented populations. 

  

Competitions 

  

• Science Fair: All third, fourth, and fifth grade students participate in the annual science fair. Winners advance to the regional science fair at UNC Charlotte. 

• Math 24: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students compete in our annual math 24 competitions. Math 24 is a math card game that increases math fluency and problem solving skills. 

• Science Olympiad: We participate each year in regional Science Olympiad competitions. We have taken two teams each year in order to include all students who want to be involved. In an effort to get as many kids involved and excited about science as possible, there is no application or restrictions on whom can join our team. 

• The World Education Games: Many classrooms at Patriots participate in The World Education Games, especially World Math Day and World Science Day. Our kids love competing with other kids from around the globe to show off their STEM skills.