EMU STEM Ed Institute Electrifies Holmes STEAM Elementary School

Over the course of three weeks, the EMU STEM Ed Institute engaged the entire student population at Holmes STEAM Elementary School. Holmes STEAM Elementary enrolls more than 150 second, third, fourth and fifth graders. EMU staff and students from the Institute delivered hands-on STEM activities surrounding electricity for the Ypsilanti Community School (YCS) District Grizzlies.

As an introduction to the circuitry unit in Ms. Donna Wizinsky’s (‘Ms. Wiz’s) science classroom, team members from the Institute delivered Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned activities that allow students to understand the basics of how our technology-focused society works. Students learned that in order for electricity to flow, the circuit must be closed. The students got to experience this first hand by making a human circuit during which they got to take turns pretending to be a light switch. 

After being walked through the steps to construct a simple circuit containing a lightswitch by STEM Ed Institute Assistant Director, Zach Krauss, Holmes students then leveraged their newfound knowledge to construct a variety of projects containing electrical circuits. Students created speaker systems containing capacitors and switches, allowing them to toggle between a variety of sound effects. They then constructed solar-activated motion detectors. With the remaining time, students got to select from over 200 projects what they wanted to build. Students built everything from resistor-powered dimmer switches to ionized salt conductors. 

With this introduction to circuitry, students were able to take advantage of the knowledge they learned about electricity, physics, and engineering as they proceed through the circuitry unit in their YCS science curriculum. When ‘Ms. Wiz’ announced to the classes that they would get to continue their circuitry work for the rest of the week, the energy in the room was truly electric!

An example of a completed speaker system project. Image Credit: EMU STEM Ed Institute.

About the EMU STEM Ed Institute
Founded in 2023, the Institute for STEM Education, Outreach and Workforce Development at Eastern Michigan University, is a community-driven hub to promote STEM education and encourage local students to pursue a career in the STEM fields and skilled trades.The mission of the STEM Ed Institute is to serve and sustainably support and strengthen the community's cultural wealth related to STEM educational opportunity, outreach, and workforce development. For more information, please visit the STEM Ed Institute website.