Getting Started with STEAM: Practical Strategies for the K-8 Classroom

Billy Krakower and Meredith Martin have written a great book to help schools and teachers implement STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) practices into their buildings and classrooms. They discuss the importance of STEAM, provide a variety of ways to get rolling, and provide many lessons examples for teachers. It's really helpful if you're looking to get started, and provides a plethora of resources for experienced teachers. It's a practical book, easy to understand, and can quickly be adopted for this coming school year. Highly recommended!

Five stars is not a high enough rating for this book. I am a computer programmer turned teacher and this will be my fourth year teaching STEM. I have read other books to help me shape and improve my STEM curriculum. There are two other books that I have been using as my "goto" reference, until now. It is not that I dislike the other books, I think "Getting Started with STEAM: Practical Strategies for the K-8 Classroom" is very concise, easy to read, and full of helpful resources for the novice and experienced STEM teachers. The book references websites and products that the authors use in their classrooms. I found myself frequently going between reading and going online to look up products that we mentioned. I am slightly picky about the materials I use to teach STEM. Just because it has a STEM label on it, does not mean that it can be used in true STEM teaching. In my opinion, all of the suggestions in the book were items that I would definitely purchase (and I did purchase some of products suggested) for my students and my classroom. I now plan on using this book as a reference for planning, teaching, and assessing our STEM curriculum. Worth every penny!

Finally, a STEAM book that strikes a balance! There is just enough research to validate STEAM activities and makerspaces to get your administration on board, with practical advice for the educator to beginning a maker education journey! I especially like the reflection questions at the end of each chapter which have helped me to think about my own work. Also, these questions are just what you need for a group book study discussion. The notes sections provide easily accessible resources to delve more deeply into the topics. And the real stories show how the ideas come to life in school settings. Bravo!

Authors Billy Krakower and Meredith Martin have created a great resource for teachers who are interested in making the plunge into STEAM. Whether you have a dedicated class or are just beginning to introduce concepts this book is for you. From describing the pedagogical differences between STEM and STEAM and how to implement Makerspace the contents of this book will assist. The "how to's" thoughout the text enable the pro or the beginner to immediately enhance their teaching. The sample lessons are excellent guides. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to appropriately integrate STEAM into the classroom.