Back to grants list     Part I. Applicant and Project Information   Title of project: LEGOS Robotics: STEM and Art Project manager: Lisa McManus School: Ambrose Curriculum: Science   Part II: Grant proposal   Summary: Nationally due to a strong emphasis on core subject areas at the elementary school level, most schools often do not provide adequate time for learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas. Unlike other core subjects, science is taught only a few hours each week. Twenty-nine percent of K-5 teachers report teaching science two or fewer days per week. Unfortunately, we see that at the college level students do not major in STEM-related fields unless they want to be a scientist when they grow up and only 8% of college students elect STEM-related majors. In order to help address this deficit, Principal Steve Goodwin of Lynch Elementary School worked with Tufts University’s Center for Educational Engineering Outreach to train staff members to become primary LEGO robotics teachers to elementary students. Lego Robotics began three years ago at Lynch and has been enthusiastically received by the students and faculty since that time. Ambrose elementary would like the opportunity to expand this initiative by establishing an afterschool STEM program for the Ambrose student body as well. The program would serve twenty-four interested students in grades 2nd-5th in the fall 2010, winter 2011 and spring 2011 sessions. Depending upon enrollment, the program could have at least two sessions per season. LEGO robotics touches upon the four facets of STEM programming --science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In addition, Ambrose staff would like to expand this project to an additional subject area: art. This would be accomplished by incorporating facets of Lego robotics into the art curriculum. This provides the integrated curriculum basic exposure to STEM fields as a theme around all core subjects.   Part III: Grant Amount Tuition: $1,800.00 Travel: $0.00 Personnel: $0.00 Other costs: $3,450.00   Total costs: $5,250.00 Back to grants list