STUDENTS GO
‘FULL STEAM
AHEAD’ WITH
AFTER SCHOOL
PROGRAM
T
his school year, 53 William Penn
students are staying after school
one day a week to participate in
a program called Full STEAM Ahead.
This program is a partnership with
WQED, which incorporates PBS Kids
characters to reinforce important
primary math concepts such as shapes
and measurements. Students meet
two Mondays a month from November
through March from 3:30 to 5 PM. They
enjoy a quick snack before watching a
brief PBS Kids video featuring characters
such as Peg and Cat, to introduce the
concept for the week.
Then the students break off into three
groups to rotate through three activities.
During their time in the Computer Lab,
the students participate in exercises that
reinforce the previous week’s concept. In
Students learned they don’t necessarily need rulers
to measure the length of objects.
Older students are paired with younger students in the Computer Lab to do some exercises to reinforce the
concepts learned the previous week.
the Library the students participate in a
hands-on activity that coincides with the
current week’s concept. In the Gym, the
students participate in a fun, hands-on
STEAM activity.
During the lesson on measurements,
Computer Lab students used the
computer and OSMO on an iPad to
reinforce the previous week’s lesson on
shapes. In the Library, the students used
different things, such as rulers, blocks
and pen caps to measure objects such
as a piece of paper, the back of a chair or
the length of a friend’s hand. In the Gym,
the students made marshmallow blasters
out of manila folders to see whose
marshmallow could travel the farthest.
The younger students are paired up
with an older student who serves as
their mentor for the program, building
continuity and friendship.
The program is coordinated by Penn
Teacher Laura Huth, with assistance
from Jessica Nachreiner and Pamela
Backstrom.
Sometimes students learn by working through the
difficulties they encounter.
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BETHEL PARK