During a May 10 tour, all three levels of Project Lead The Way (PLTW) schools in the Walnut Valley USD got the opportunity to show off their STEAM-focused programs.
California’s PLTW Director Ellie Vandiver and National Teacher of the Year Kelly Wheeler joined educators from several campuses for a firsthand look at what kids are learning and how they are learning with innovative, hands-on lessons.
In Chiara Morgan’s science class at Walnut High, students researched an interesting medical condition and created a comprehensive case file for their patient. They "dressed up" as biomedical professionals and using props, presented their case to the class.
When the tour reached Kellie Muragishi’s 8th grade classroom at South Pointe, students were busy creating claw robots that completed different tasks - either moving the robot to specific routes around the room or picking up items throughout the course.
At Maple Hill, Shari Criddle’s 4th graders proudly showed off their engineered cars built to safely transport eggs down a ramp. They used Vex robotics kits to create the little ‘bots, with several groups taking extra precaution by wrapping the fragile cargo with cotton balls and bubble-wrap!
Due to the District’s focus on STEAM, five additional elementary schools will be launching the innovative program in the fall!