Ebook: From STEM to STEAM: brain-compatible strategies and lessons that integrate the arts

1. Why STEM should become STEAM -- 2. What science says about the arts and creativity -- 3. Bringing STEAM into schools -- 4. Guidelines for creating a STEAM school -- 5. Frequently asked questions about integrating the arts and STEM -- 6. Implementing arts integration in the primary grades (K-4) -- 7. Implementing arts integration in the intermediate grades (5-8) -- 8. Implementing arts integration in the high school grades (9-12) -- 9. Discoveries from the field -- 10. Putting it all together -- Appendix A: STEAM lesson plan appetizers in science, technology, and engineering -- Appendix B: STEAM lesson plan appetizers in mathematics.;"STEAM -- the integration of music, visual arts, and drama into daily STEM instruction -- is proven to enhance student achievement in STEM subjects. After all, creative, real-world problem-solving is what working scientists and mathematicians actually do. But how do busy STEM educators weave arts activities into a sometimes inflexible STEM curriculum? In this new edition the authors provide lessons from the field to detail the way. Authors David A. Sousa, expert in educational neuroscience, and Tom Pilecki, veteran arts educator, pool their combined eighty years of experience to deliver: research studies in cognitive and social neuroscience, including new findings on how technology is rewiring students' brains, that demonstrate how arts activities enhance creativity, problem solving, memory systems, motor coordination, and analytical skills -- all critical elements to achieving STEM objectives; classroom-tested strategies and techniques for integrating the arts into STEM instruction, including sample K-12 lessons plans and planning templates; tools for building a professional development program designed to help arts and STEM teachers collaborate to create STEAM lessons; sample planning frameworks that provide a smooth transition from STEM to STEAM, including advice on adapting the curriculum to meet the individual needs and limitations of a school or district; [and] a list of resources available to teachers in the STEM subjects, in the arts, in arts integration, and for STEAM. The main objective of both art and science is discovery. Lead your students to make that connection and steam ahead to academic success!"--Publisher's promotional description.