Day 4
Students spent the last day of the showing off the catapults they had made and playing a quick game of
Blooket using the catapult terms we learned during the
week .
After a month of teaching STEM activities virtually with the use of take-home kits , I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the lessons worked and how much the kids enjoyed them . In an end-of-summer evaluation , many reported that this was their favorite experience and that they planned to take the full class within the next two years .
The full year class for 2020-21 began in early August , and like the summer course it is virtual . The course began with a mosaic project , and the technology kits contained scissors , rulers , colored pencils , a glue stick , and some paper . If we were at school , we would be using real stone cutting hammers and hardie wedges to cut our tesserae . Because we were all at home , our mosaic lessons focused on design , and we used paper tesserae which we cut ourselves . Each student produced a small part of a larger mosaic which we ’ ll put together when we ’ re all back in school . The mosaic is kind of a metaphor for our experience : even though we ' re apart from each other , our work brings us together . Teaching a hands-on classical STEM class in virtual format has been a challenge , but it ’ s worth the extra effort for the engagement it offers to students !
Nathalie Roy teaches Latin , Roman Technology , and Classical Myth Makers at Glasgow Middle School in Baton Rouge , LA . She enjoys researching and writing lessons which explore STEM and maker connections to the ancient classical world . She is a National Board Certified Teacher and currently serves as the 2021 Louisiana State Teacher of the Year . Her website is
www . CreativeClassics . org .
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