Step into Steam, Grades K-5 : Your Standards-based Action Plan for Deepening Mathematics and Science Learning

How do you create an innovative and equitable classroom experience that prepares elementary students for jobs that don’t yet exist while placing a critical focus on mathematics and science content and practice standards―all while meeting the demands of high-stakes testing? The answer to this question is Step into STEAM, which provides a practical and accessible approach for educators to create meaningful and transformative learning experiences for each and every student.

This book guides and inspires K–5 educators through a seamless process of designing and implementing STEAM inquiries that align carefully to key mathematics and science content and practices. Taking an opposite approach to existing resources that provide collections of disjointed STEAM activities, this book empowers teachers and schools to build cohesive and sustainable STEAM infrastructures―grounded in grade-level standards and purposeful assessment―to deepen the mathematics and science learning of each and every student. STEAM instruction is for each and every student; STEAM instruction is about mathematics; and STEAM instruction can and should be implemented for student success and to engage students in making their community and our world a better place.

Loaded with resources to help K–5 teachers and instructional leaders develop, implement, and assess meaningful STEAM inquiries, this research-based book:

• Provides practical, on-the-go resources to help busy teachers get started in creating purpose-driven STEAM instruction
• Allows educators to interact deeply with the content and create equitable STEAM experiences that blend community and societal interests
• Includes online companion printable resources to help educators jumpstart or deepen STEAM learning throughout a school or district, supporting STEAM professional development, professional learning communities, and book studies

Checklists, pictures, graphic organizers, reflection questions, "Try it Out!" sections, and example STEAM inquiries help teachers seamlessly connect multiple subject areas, create transformative learning experiences, engage elementary students in developing creativity and empathy, and enable students to solve meaningful and authentic problems for others―all to prepare students for their bright futures. Make the most of your limited instructional time and become part of the Step into STEAM movement!

"Through carefully crafted research-based frameworks; inspirational, authentic, and approachable practical strategies rooted in the reform efforts of student-centered STEAM learning; and opportunities for professional self-reflection, Step into STEAM rightfully re-elevates educators to their proper places as innovation experts and agents of change in their own classrooms, schools, districts, and communities. An inspirational step in a needed direction, this book from Drs. Bush and Cook is what educators have been craving: a guide to transforming ourselves, our learning spaces, and our profession."
Richard Cox, Jr.
Expert STEAM Teacher 
Instructional Coach
Bullitt County Public Schools

"Step into STEAM offers a rare opportunity for anyone concerned with education to consider what learning would be like with equity, empathy, and experience. By providing examples from teachers who have dared to put children first, this book offers more than just new way to teach, it offers hope for youth today. By considering what youth will need to be successful in jobs that are not yet created, Cook and Bush provide a platform for educators to create authentic, real-world problem-solving in classrooms with attention on the often forgotten about component of STEAM―the M! As a proponent of STEAM education, my recommendation is to grab this book and watch your students love learning again!"
Cassie Quigley
Associate Professor of Science Education at University of Pittsburgh
Author of An Educator′s Guide to STEAM: Engaging Students Using Real-World Problems

Dr. Sarah B. Bush is an associate professor of K–12 STEM education and program coordinator of the mathematics education PhD track at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. She received her doctorate in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in mathematics education from the University of Louisville. Dr. Bush’s scholarship and research focuses on deepening student and teacher understanding of mathematics through transdisciplinary STE(A)M problem-based inquiry and mathematics, science, and STE(A)M education professional development effectiveness. She seamlessly integrates her practical experience as a middle school mathematics teacher in public schools with her innovative STE(A)M scholarship to serve as an instructional leader in the field of mathematics education and STE(A)M education. Dr. Bush has received more than $1.6+ million in external grant funding and is the lead or co-author of five peer-reviewed books and more than sixty peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Bush is actively involved in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), serving as a member of the board of directors (2019–2022) and has served as chair or member of nine committees and task forces, including as the 2017 Annual Meeting and Exposition Program Chair. Dr. Bush was the recipient of the 2018 Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators Early Career Award.

Dr. Kristin Cook is an associate professor of science education at Bellarmine University and serves as the associate dean of the School of Education. She received her doctoral degree at Indiana University in curriculum & instruction, specializing in science education and environmental sciences. A former high school biology teacher, Dr. Cook has served as a professional developer and educational consultant for elementary, middle, and high school STE(A)M-focused school reform and project and problem-based learning (PBL) development. Dr. Cook’s research focuses on engaging students and teachers with the community of science through the exploration of socioscientific inquiry and transdisciplinary STEAM instruction. Dr. Cook has received more than $440,000 in funded projects. She has authored six juried book contributions and more than forty-five peer-reviewed publications in science, mathematics, and STEM education journals. Dr. Cook is an active presenter at national and regional conferences and serves on the editorial boards for Innovations in Science Teacher Education and the Journal for Science Teacher Education. She is proud to have received the Innovations in Teaching Science Teachers Award from the Association for Science Teacher Educators.