Memorial Middle School

Seminole STEM

MMS is following the Georgia Department of Education initiative "to prepare students for 21^st 
Century workplace careers by providing high quality educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. STEM education is an integrated curriculum that is driven by exploratory project-based learning and student-centered development of ideas and solutions." ~ GADOE, STEM Department

Today’s society has become increasingly complex and competitive.  Success is not only based on what you know, but also on what you can do with what you know.  It’s more important than ever for our youth to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to solve tough problems, gather and evaluate evidence, and make sense of information. These are the types of skills that students develop by studying science, technology, engineering, and math — STEM.

What STEM Looks Like At MMS?

STEM education is an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to learning that provides hands-on and relevant learning experiences for students.  STEM teaching and learning goes beyond the mere transfer of knowledge; it engages students and equips them with critical thinking, problem solving, creative and collaborative skills, and ultimately establishes connections between the school, workplace, community and the global economy.  STEM also helps students understand and apply math and science content, the foundations for success in high school, college and careers. The integration of STEM into the academic curriculum begins with our highly qualified experts……………. THE TEACHERS. Through collaborative efforts and committee support, our teachers develop STEM activities that connect and expose students to the skills, knowledge, and methodology required for success in a variety of STEM focused careers. MMS students are 1:1 with Dell laptops, which provides them innovative opportunities to be creative producers and researchers of various outcomes. Our students are out of their seats more than ever... and that's a good thing. The STEM units make real life connections to broaden our students' career outlooks. Critical thinking skills are being developed as students explore new ideas and form solutions with hands-on activities. Throughout the STEM units, students reflect upon the engineering design process and subject area connections in their STEM journals. Students work effectively in collaborative groups to articulate their ideas and accomplish tasks. By providing our students with a variety of resources and diverse learning methods, we are fostering student ownership in their education.

Math connections: MGSE8. F.5 Describe qualitatively the functional relationship between two quantities by analyzing a graph (e.g., where the function is increasing or decreasing, linear or nonlinear). Sketch a graph that exhibits the qualitative features of a function that has been described verbally.

MGSE8. SP.1 Construct and interpret scatter plots for bivariate measurement data to investigate patterns of association between two quantities. Describe patterns such as clustering, outliers, positive or negative association, linear association, and nonlinear association

Questions for the Graph above:

1. This graph could be used to compare input-number of slaves output-pounds of cotton to input-cotton-gin hours to output-pounds of cotton. Make 2 scattered plots and compare the correlations: positive, negative or no correlation. See if there are any outliers and what could affect the outcomes of production of both slaves and cotton-gin.

2. Plot input of hours of production and the output of pound of cotton. (Or price per pound) Plot slave data and plot cotton-gin data. This standard can be used to plot both scenarios on the same graph. Students can interpret the slope of slaves and cotton-gin directly. If graphed correctly, students can tell hours by hours the total money made from each

Science connection: S8P2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the law of conservation of energy to develop arguments that energy can transform from one form to another within a system.

1. Track and compare the energy transformations between hand separated cotton and separation by Whitney’s cotton gin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eT4bNxkv-c: Watch the video of how the cotton Gin works and how it differs from pulling seeds by hand.

Groups may build a cotton gin: https://www.scienceproject.com/projects/detail/elementary/EX038.asp

Groups may develop a dramatization about picking and deseeding cotton by hand.

How MMS Incorporates STEM Into the School Culture?

Our STEM journey began with Principal Michell Glover commitment to bolster our students' access to knowledge and skills that would prepare them for their future in the 21^st Century workplace. Principal Glover, Tameka Osabutey, the STEM program manager, and Jill Beach reached out to the local community and businesses to gain an understanding of their forecasted needs. These external influences continue to sponsor our STEM curriculum each year by providing materials and hands-on engagement. As a community, we are challenging our students to use their knowledge to exceed achievement standards, build self-confidence, and pursue positive outcomes.

Once our mission was set, MMS formed a STEM team to begin constructing a three-year plan to integrate STEM into the academic curriculum. Our teachers and leadership team visited various schools in Georgia to observe STEM in action and attended related conferences. For the 2015-2016 school year, MMS integrated STEM into the 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade curriculum and became the first school in the district to receive the Rockdale County School System STEM certification. MMS is striving to achieve STEM recertification through the Georgia Department of Education for the 2023-2024 school year. We are looking forward to the future at MMS as we reflect upon our past STEM experiences and cultivate our next STEM plan.