Think Like a Scientist (TLAS): STEM After-School Programming Curriculum for Elementary School Students

Authors: Reema Amin BA and Aimee Pugh Bernard PhD

Campus: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO

Course Name: Think Like a Scientist After-School Curriculum

Project Abstract: Our 8-week after-school program is designed to introduce basic concepts of scientific design and inquiry to elementary aged students through a mix of presentations from volunteers and hands-on experiments. The aim is to increase accessibility to the STEM fields and encourage curiosity in young scientists.

Keywords/Tags: STEM, STEM program, science, technology, engineering, math, education, after-school program, free program, curriculum, science curriculum, students, elementary school, 4th grade, 5th grade

Instructional Delivery: In-person, volunteer-led

Pedagogical Approach: combined presentation and experiment session

Recommended Class Size: 15-20

Think Like a Scientist (TLaS) is a non-profit, after-school program run by a diverse team of volunteer scientists and students at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (CU AMC).
TLaS volunteers help elementary school children within the surrounding community explore the wonders of science under the guidance of faculty sponsor, Aimee Bernard, PhD. Together, they aim to inspire the elementary-aged young scientists about the basics of the scientific method through a mix of mini, interactive presentations and hands-on, fun experiments.

Our 8-week after-school program is designed to introduce basic concepts of scientific design and inquiry to elementary aged students through a mix of presentations from volunteers and hands-on experiments. The course culminates in an end-of-program celebration, where students can make a scientific poster on an experiment of their choice and show their work to their family and friends!

We are making this material widely available for other groups who wish to host a STEM exploration program, in the hopes that it continues to inspire young scientists to pursue futures in STEM.

Lesson Plan Manual

The lesson plan manual outlines each week, and pairs the lesson for the week with an experiment. We recommend doing the lessons in the order listed, as many will build on concepts taught in previous weeks.

The lesson plan manual also contains the purpose of each session, helpful tips on running the session, and worksheets that are associated with the lesson.

Lesson Slides

The lesson slides are labeled by the title of the lesson. The recommended order (which can also be found in the lesson plan manual, or in the file title) is as follows;

1. Meet the Scientists
2. The Scientific Method
3. Experiment Design
4. Spotting Fake News
5. Creativity, Collaboration, and Science Communication
6. Science Posters

You will notice that although the program is intended to be 8 weeks, there are only 6 weeks' worth of slides. This is because week 7's aim is to complete the science posters, and week 8 will be the group celebration session!

Experiment Slides and Worksheets

Experiment slides and worksheets are often associated with the learning topic for the day. The worksheets contain step-by-step instructions for the experiment, as well as materials needed to complete the experiment and reflection questions to discuss with students.

The experiments included in the program are as follows:

1. Jelly Bean Taste Test
2. Exploding Popsicle Sticks
3. Crazy Sandwich
4. Lemon Volcano
5. Science Posters