iSchool’s multidisciplinary curriculum meets multiple State Standards for science, math, and social studies in various grades. In particular, the curriculum meets Standard 1: Practices for Scientific Investigation, which is often difficult for teachers to integrate into their daily lessons. Examples of integration between iSchool’s STEAM SEL approach and the 10 strands of Standard 1 include:
- Observing (Identity – how their own identity, biases, and understanding impacts observations)
- Classifying and sequencing (Empathy – how their understanding of what others feel and think impacts how groups are classified)
- Communicating (Communication – visually, orally, in writing)
- Measuring (Technology – using different tools to measure)
- Predicting (Confidence – being sure about their own knowledge and using that confidence to make an evidence-based prediction)
- Hypothesizing (Science – making a hypothesis that is appropriate to the subject matter)
- Inferring (Self-regulation – making inferences that are appropriate to the situation and the evidence)
- Using Variables in Experimentation (Appreciation – learning to value the richness that diversity brings)
- Interpreting, Analyzing, and Evaluating Data (Math – using a variety of processes to understand data from a number of angles)
- Designing, Constructing, and Interpreting Models (Engineering, Art – building physical models that allow for imagination and creativity but which are based on realistic principles)