Hunter Esquibel, 11, works on designing a website in his digital arts class at North Ridge Elementary School, one of two in Moreno Valley Unified School District with STEM academies offering special courses in science, math and technology.
KURT MILLER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The third-graders in North Ridge Elementary School teacher Heidi Krueger's class lined up to grab plastic cups of water with a distinctly brownish tint.
The water, which contained dirt, pieces of bark and a 'bunch of gunk,' according to parent volunteer Susan Park-Robinson, was part of a science experiment. Students had used a variety of materials to determine what might be the best way to filter the water.
The exercise was an example of the hands-on science teaching the school is emphasizing.
North Ridge is one of two Moreno Valley Unified School District campuses that have shifted their focus to science, technology, engineering and math, often known as STEM. North Ridge and the other campus, Palm Middle School, are completing their second years with STEM academies.
For the filtering experiment, students worked in an outside garden called the Mesa Model Environmental Science Area. It included a number of other projects that classes have undertaken.
The small garden area, which was full of weeds two years ago, now has individual lots for each classroom, filled with vegetables and flowers grown as part of class projects. One taped-off lot had a butterfly garden in which caterpillars had transformed into cocoons waiting to come out as butterflies.
North Ridge Principal Carol Peardon said those types of exercises allow students to see how things work in a practical manner instead of just reading about it.
'Natural curiosity and discovery is what we want to tap into,' she said.
The trial-and-error process also motivates them to ask questions and see how science relates to their lives, Peardon said. They also get to see the results of their labors, such as making salads from the vegetables they've grown or learning how slingshots work.
Crys Tom, a parent volunteer in Krueger's class, said students such as her son Dustin are more engaged in the lessons.
'The kids come home talking about it,' she said.
Other programs that tap in to science and technology include robotics, astronomy and computer programming clubs.
David Coopersmith teaches third- and fourth-graders to build websites, create their own video games or how to do computer graphic design in the after-school computer class.
Most students are tech-savvy from an early age, but with the club they are no longer simply consumers of electronic media.
'We wanted to take a different approach,' Coopersmith said. 'We want to give kids the ability to create content.'
While not all the students may pursue careers in programming, they learn problem-solving skills that are useful in any discipline, he said.
Contact the writer: 951-368-9558 or ighori@pe.com
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Entities 0 Name: North Ridge Count: 3 1 Name: Moreno Valley Count: 1 2 Name: North Ridge Elementary School Count: 1 3 Name: Columbia Count: 1 4 Name: Hunter Esquibel Count: 1 5 Name: Susan Park-Robinson Count: 1 6 Name: Palm Middle School Count: 1 7 Name: Carol Peardon Count: 1 8 Name: KURT MILLER Count: 1 9 Name: David Coopersmith Count: 1 10 Name: Peardon Count: 1 11 Name: Beaumont Count: 1 12 Name: Krueger Count: 1 13 Name: Mesa Model Environmental Science Area Count: 1 14 Name: Coopersmith Count: 1 15 Name: Heidi Krueger Count: 1 16 Name: Crys Tom Count: 1 17 Name: Racela Count: 1 18 Name: Dustin Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1ofpC8A Title: Four Ways to Move from 'School World' to 'Real World' Description: On a rainy Saturday at Hackbright Academy classroom in San Francisco, a group of 35 adults sat at tables, desks, and on couches learning how to code. Marcy, a former artist and now programmer for Uber, taught the class. During a break, Marcy shared that she'd never taken a programming class prior to starting a job in art media.
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