GLC Adventures in Jessica Moreno's STEM Classroom!

On the morning of January 26th, I witnessed ETHOS’ GLC (Grade-Level Curriculum) changing students’ lives in Jessica Moreno's 5th grade classroom at Monger Elementary, where the excitement around STEM learning was contagious. Jessica, a master teacher, was guiding her students through a GLC unit called Mysteries of Matter, and let me tell you, it was an exceptional day!

Jessica has been teaching with GLC STEM Units since ETHOS launched the K-5 curriculum! She especially loves Mysteries of Matter! “My students are loving this unit and learning a lot of complex concepts. I appreciate that the lessons are set up in a way that allows the students to explore the concepts before really putting a name to it. Then they learn the official terminology for what they were exploring and then have a second exploration opportunity. This shows lots of thought went into the sequence of lessons by someone who understands how students learn best!”

Jessica, now in her 9th year at Monger Elementary, sees GLC as a bridge between quality STEM lessons and language arts. She confesses that previous science kits were overwhelming and time-consuming, but GLC brought the fun back into science. Jessica is clearly in her element, loving the fact that GLC materials come pre-packaged, making prep time a breeze. She guides her students to share their thoughts in complete sentences in their Data Notebooks, and surprisingly, the kids love it. "They love writing their predictions and observations! I have to ask them to stop so we can move on," Jessica exclaims, highlighting the integration of science, inquiry, writing, vocabulary, math, and reading concepts in every GLC Unit.

Students were actively engaged, answering questions about the difference between "homogeneous" and "heterogeneous”. The GLC interactive Venn diagram projected on the board added another layer of learning. GLC Units are intentionally designed to be STEM-simplified so that ANYONE can teach the lesson and ALL children learn from the lesson. Kids especially appreciate the GIG’s (Graphic Instruction Guides) in their Data Notebooks because they explain the lab through visual instruction so that all students have access to the learning!

GLC units spark kids’ interest in STEM by using ETHOS’ LEARN, PLAY, CONNECT model. Jessica uses this model to work through a unit at her own speed. She can choose the best time for the kids to LEARN background information, PLAY and explore, and CONNECT to the real world because GLC units are designed to allow teachers to adjust the unit to fit into their busy school day. The BEAUTY of GLC is that it allows FLEXIBILITY, so the learning never truly stops. The kids are bummed when they have to wrap it up, but they're equally excited because they know there's more GLC to come! 

Even when the lunch bell rang, students lingered in the room and continued to discuss their lab!  The excitement in Jessica Moreno's classroom is proof that the Mysteries of Matter Unit is making an impact far beyond the lesson itself. Kids want to learn and GLC helps them take their learning to a higher level!

Matter? Molecules? Mixed? All answers are welcomed while exploring GLC and the JOY of STEM! Thanks to GLC STEM lab lessons and the incredible Jessica Moreno, these 5th graders are not just learning about science; they are LIVING and LOVING the adventure of scientific discovery through quality, engaging STEM-simplified GLC Units. Watch out, world–our future problem solvers are on the loose!