The following blog post was written by Katie Hurwitz, an intern at FableVision Learning.

When it comes to teaching STEM literacy as educators, where do we start? Perhaps, it can be as simple as starting with a story. FableVision Learning’s “Start with a Story” program introduces students to the books of New York Times best-selling author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, posing a set of activities that correspond to each story.

 Zooming into the Mifflin County Public School District in central Pennsylvania, fourth grade students embarked on a “Start with a Story” journey with Bailey Kibe at the helm. 

 Kibe is a fourth grade teacher who teaches Reading, Science, and Social Studies. She works as a team with another teacher—who teaches Math and Writing—as they both teach their respective homeroom classes of 25 and 21 students.

“For the past few years I have collaborated with the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11, specifically their Educational Technology department. Dr. Eric Yoder, Coordinator of Educational Technology, proposed the project of FabMaker Studio to me to pilot with my students,” Kibe said. “Since then, I have worked closely with Andrea Calvin from FableVision Learning to implement their ‘Start with a Story’ STEM Literacy unit.”

The specific book that Kibe used was Going Places by Peter H. and Paul A. Reynolds. In this story, the main character, Maya, inspires her friends to think outside the box even when a kit of instructions is provided. Encouraging her friend Rafael to realize all the possibilities that can be achieved through innovative thinking, Maya helps readers alike develop self-efficacy to transform ideas from their imagination into reality. 

The “Start with a Story” activities for Going Places relate to the book’s themes of challenging the status-quo through connectivity and encouragement.

We recently connected with Kibe to discuss her experience of “starting with a story” to teach STEM literacy to her Mifflin County Public School District fourth graders. The following is our Q&A with Kibe. Read on to see how the story and its activities led her students to really “go places!”

You've been using the “Start with a Story: Going Places” activities. What has been the overall response from the students? 

Kibe: Students have loved the activities! It has been a great experience overall. With each activity there is a problem-solving component that allows students to really collaborate and share perspectives to achieve their goal. Students also were able to work with peers that they may not typically work with, which allowed for team-building. The students especially enjoyed testing their “tables” to see if they held a book or even several books. Also, they loved turning the go-cart building activity into a friendly competition to see which cart went the fastest and the farthest.

What has been one aha moment?

Kibe: There have been several aha moments throughout the activities. The go-cart activity stands out the most. When we were building the carts, we first started with bottle cap wheels. The students experimented with the idea of friction and decided that the bottle caps created too much that it affected the performance of their carts. They then created wheels using the circle paper in the FabMaker document that was cut out using the Silhouette. After testing, the students had an aha moment that the paper wheels produced less friction and therefore increased the effectiveness of their creation.

Do you have any tips for teachers getting started?

Kibe: The key to success with STEM is collaboration. We want the students to collaborate effectively, and the same should be said for educators. This was a learning experience for all involved, and it was helpful to have extra teachers and staff supporting the project. So, don’t be afraid to invite others to join in on the activity!

What's next?

Kibe: My students will now start their projects using Animation-ish. I will also continue the “Start with a Story” unit next year with my next group of 4th graders. We will continue working through STEM-based and project-based activities in our classroom so the students can discover and explore all of the different components of the discipline.

Want to learn more about Start with a Story? Email the team at info@fablevisionlearning.com