Resources
​Here you will find lesson plans, family activities, and media guides for use by teachers, parents and children. Researchers, teachers and teacher educators may also be interested in the presentations and reading guides. Return to this page periodically as the resources will be updated regularly.
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As part of our work, the (ES)2 STEM Learning Lab produces socially transformative STEM education materials for K-12 students and teachers. Below are lesson plans that we have created. Feedback on your implementation of these lessons is always welcome!
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Fire Craft for African Men
This lesson introduces students to fire craft. The lesson provides students an opportunity to learn the basic materials needed in fire craft and the basic process of fire craft. It is designed to be implemented in a setting that allows students to build fire.
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Good Health for African People: Vital Signs
In this lesson, students learn the importance of health to human existence. They also learn to (a) take measurement of 5 vital signs (height and weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration), and (b) record these measures in a health log. Students will be introduced to the concept of “normalcy” as it relates to measures of vital signs.
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What Can I Learn from Seeds?
The Importance (and Potential Harm) of Scientific Classification
In this lesson, students explore the practice of classification in scientific work. They learn that this practice is central, subjective, and potentially harmful for African people. They also practice the skill of classification by developing their own classification system for seeds.
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Many times, parents avoid engaging in STEM activities with their children for fear that they lack the requisite STEM knowledge. However, there are many everyday activities in which parents can engage with children that will help children to better understand the STEM content presented in school. Below are activities that we have created for parents. As you engage in these activities with your children, raise a lot of questions, even if you do not have answers. And have fun!
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Black Family Movie Night: Surrogates
This activity provides opportunities for children to become critical consumers of media and to think critically about the following: the use and misuse of technology in society, the idea that technology is synonymous with advancement, and the use of media to mislead people.
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Sunday Morning Jam Session: Making and Canning Strawberry Jam
This activity provides opportunities for children to learn several principles and skills, including: practice measuring, the importance of accurate measurement, the importance and meaning of cleanliness, strategies for cleanliness, and reasons and ways that humans process food.
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Media Guides are useful for K-12 and university-level instructors. The guides provide direction for students as they consume media (e.g. read a text or view a film). Instructors might also draw from the guides to craft questions for discussions, papers, quizzes, or exams.
The guides provided here consist of 4 types of questions. The first are recall questions, which require students to recall specific facts from the text or film. Recall questions support students in their efforts to be more focused and attentive when consuming media. The second are recall questions, which require students to demonstrate an understanding of key terms used in the text or film. Vocabulary questions support students in their efforts to understand the media with greater precision. The third are reflection questions, which require students to make intratextual connections within the text. The fourth are extension questions, which require students to make intertextual connections between the subject texts and outside texts. Both reflection questions and extension questions support students in their efforts to draw conclusions about the meaning and veracity of the text.
The Devil We Know: The Chemistry of a Cover-Up
The Devil We Know, is a documentary that profiles the DuPont Company's use of PFAS chemicals in the production of Teflon products and the affect of these toxic compounds on the employees of DuPont, the residents of Parkersburg, WV and the world population.
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