You are My Sunshine. My only Sunshine. You make me happy when…..

The next verse of the song You are my Sunshine states "when skies are grey, but on March 1st at the SMUD Solar Schoolhouse workshop for educators, the sun also made us happy because it helped us to charge our smart phones.

There were 30 educators who attended the SMUD Solar Schoolhouse workshop for educators on March 1, 2014. The hands-on training was designated for 6th thru 12th grade educators, community college educators, and Out-of School-Time educators. It was at this five-hour training that Tor Allen of the Solar Schoolhouse, a leader in energy education, informed those in attendance that increasing the solar literacy in schools is an important step toward a clean-energy future.

"As we learn more about the effects of our current fossil-fuel-based energy habits, getting reacquainted with the sun, the primary energy source on Earth, is rich with hope and possibilities," Allen said. "Raising students' solar IQ will not only prepare them to be active participants in creating and adopting clean-energy solutions going forward, but it will also open them up to numerous college and career pathways. If we are going to prepare our kids for the future, we need to show them what jobs the future holds. They need to be proactive members of society and trying to keep them on the cutting edge would mean providing them a better advantage when it comes time to make a college (area of study) or career choice later on."

Teachers were provided with the materials to not only make a solar pizza box oven, but also solar-charging lunchbox kit that included a charging port for cellphones and other small electronic devices. Participants had to assemble the components.

These types of activities that we we as educators took part in and will take back to our respective school sites to facilitate will challenge our students to do a higher-level of thinking, one that is also centered on project-based learning. The solar pizza box oven and the solar mp3 charger activities incorporate the following five learning principles 1) Learning that is Active 2) Learning that is Collaborative 3) Learning that is Meaningful 4) Learning that supports Mastery and 5) Learning that expands Horizons. These five LIAS principles are also heavily rooted in Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and Habits of the Mind.

The SMUD educator workshops have concluded for the current academic year, but they will start up again in the Fall of 2014. Sign up to receive the SMUD newsletter and you will be alerted for the 2014-2015 educator workshops.

Solar charger for MP3 player that we created at the SMUD workshop.

Here is what has been taking place in Region 3s Out-of-School-Time Programs. The following reports were submitted by either site coordinators who facilitated the activities or by the students who took part in the activities.

Name of Out-of-School-Time Provider: Roberts Family Development Center

Name of District: Twin Rivers Unified School District

Grade Level of Activity: 3rd thru 12th grade

Number of students who took part in the activity: 20

Type of Activity: Javelin Rockets from CA Teacher Pathway

Learning Outcomes- Students were able to: 

• construct and fly paper rockets
• investigate launch angels versus distance with their rockets
• students will apply their understanding of Newton's laws of motion to design a game or activity for a microgravity environment
• collect data points that they will be able to plot on an X and Y axis graph
• locate the launch angle of their rocket
• discuss what made their rockets fly either shorter or longer distances
• discuss what made their rockets fly the way that they did

Contact: Imani Lucas with any further questions that you may have about this activity. His email address is: imani_lucas@yahoo.com

Ms. Ada is facilitating the Javelin Rockets lesson.

The young men from the Roberts Family Development Center are displaying their  rockets they created.

Anthony is proudly displaying his rocket that he created.

STEM Articles:

1) We need a moon shot to propel women into computer science careers

2) Professionals talk to women about STEM careers

3) Coding for a cause

4) Latinos wanted: Push for Hispanics in STEM Careers

5) Can early computer science education boosts the number of women in tech?

6) Women of Congress promote STEM Education, Careers

7) Too Much Technology and not Enough Learning

8) How to build Student's Creative Confidence

9) Cosmic Chemistry: A Proactive Approach to Summer Science for High School Students

10) Effective Practices for Evaluating STEM Out-of-School-Time Programs

STEM Activities/Videos/Websites/Podcast:

1) Solar Schoolhouse (Solar Projects) (Solar Projects)

2) California Regional Environmental Education Community (Resources) (Resources)

3) Code.org (Educator Resources) (Resources)

4) Code.org Videos to inspire students to try Computer Science (Video)

5) PI Day Lesson Plans (Lesson Plan)

6) How Design Thinking Can Empower Young People (Video)

7) Creative Role-Play Encourages Deeper Science Learning  (Video)

8) Bohart Museum of Entomology (Traveling Museum)

9) Make-Zine (Maker Projects)

10) Make Your Own Flappy Bird Game in 15 Minutes

STEM Profesional Development Opportunities:

1) Gopher Sports Webinar Meet Your ASES Physical Activity Requirements 
     (March 19 1:00 PM PST)

2) Techbridge Girls Summer Institute for Educators (July 30 - August 1, 2014 in Oakland)

3) Building a Wildlife Habitat on Your School Grounds (July 28 - August 1, 2014)

4) Summer Tomato Time K-12 Teacher and Bring Agriculture into Your Classroom 

    (July 18, 19, and 26, 2014)

5) Garden Enhanced Nutrition Education Workshop (May 3, 2014) 

    (K-7 but materials can be adapted for 8-12)

6) Forestry Institute For Teachers (June and July 2014 dates)

STEM/Misc./Events/ Grants/ Contest:

1) California Regional Environmental Educational Community Grant Page

2) Teichert Foundation Grants (August 2014 Deadline)

3) American Honda Foundation STEM Grants (May 1 Deadline)

4) Batters Up USA (Baseball and Softball Gear) (Open until all materials handed out)

Thanks again for all that you do in the field. Please keep us posted about STEM events/activities in your area. Please feel free to contact us at any time.

Monica Gonzalez-William (SCOE: Region 3: After School Regional Lead)
@ mgonzalez@scoe.net

Phil Romig: (SCOE: Science Curriculum Specialist) @ promig@scoe.net

Mark Drewes: (SCOE: Project Specialist II: After School) @ mdrewes@scoe.net

P.S. Here is an alternate recording of You Are My Sunshine by Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan