STEM Literacy

Melissa does a lot of school visits and finds that kids are curious about so many things. She says, “… the more that we can fuel their interests, the more that we can engage them and keep them excited about science, the more it will help us all. And we’ll have a future where kids are going into STEM careers and making a difference in the world.”

Melissa talks about the importance of assimilating all of your research, in order to make your own personal meaning. In her writing workshops, Melissa has students ask these questions about their topic: What is it that resonates with you? What about this person is specifically exciting to you? What are you dying to share with other people? When you focus in on that, your writing will become more engaging.

Melissa says that if you want kids to connect to ideas, a great thing to do is to pair a fiction and nonfiction book. That way kids can have exposure to both kinds of writing. She also suggests immersing them kids in different kinds of nonfiction, allowing them to see what the wide world of nonfiction has to offer.