The school year is coming to a close and many districts are reflecting on what innovative STEM projects have found success with their students in their classrooms. See what classrooms around the country are doing to get kids involved in STEM and how you can adapt the projects for your classroom and grade level. 

1. 'Full STEAM Ahead in the Classroom'

One educator is giving advice for fellow teachers about integrating STEAM into the classroom. STEAM- which adds 'Art' studies to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math instruction- is believed by many to be the way to go when embracing STEM.

Nicole Messier's biggest suggestion for promoting STEAM is supporting building projects in the classroom.

"Many DIY open hardware and maker companies such as Sparkfun and Adafruit have sparked a movement in creating new modes of learning creatively, especially in STEM fields, through hands on projects. Why? You can learn new skills by building," she said.

Read her full post and list of suggestions here.

2. STEM Science Fairs Get Young Learners Involved

Turning the traditional science fair into a focus on STEM has proven to be a good way to generate interest in STEM. It's a great way to get students across all classrooms and grade levels focusing on the common goal of working together on STEM projects.

The Colorado Early Learning and Development says that "STEM-related learning is a key part to early cognitive development," according to Sky-Hi News, and therefore encourages parents and educators to get kids involved in STEM as early as possible. STEM science fairs present a great possibility for this.

Read the Center's suggestions to get kids into STEM early here. 

3. 'High Hopes' STEM Project Teaches Physics Outside the Classroom

In one high school, students are participating in a science project called 'High Hopes' where they take "messages sent in from all over the world with a goal to spread their hopes and dreams across the globe through physics," according to KTVN.com.

The students will write down their individual messages and use a balloon to carry the parcels.

"Balloons will rise to more than 100,000 feet in the air above Lake Tahoe, and then burst—dispersing the messages."

The experiment is meant to give students a hands-on experience with physics outside of the textbook, and can be adapted for kids of younger ages.

Read the full article here. 

4. District's STEM Success with Makerspaces

One California school district is having success getting its students into STEM because of its efforts to give students places to collaborate through makerspaces. Many students have become so invested in their projects, they even opt out of recess to work on them.

The makerspace "encourages students of all levels — 25-30 at a time with mentors present — to learn about robotics through Dash and Dot coding robots, and computer science and coding through Code.org," according to an article on BizJournals.com.

Read more about the Ravenswood City School District's success with makerspaces here. 

5. Health, Wellness, and STEM

One middle school teacher gave her students hands-on science experience by letting her students help her reach a healthier weight.

"The STEM project is multifaceted and made up of teams of students focusing on a different aspect of health and wellness in relation to STEM. There’s a medical team, nutrition team, research team, fitness team and publicity team," according to ThePost-Searchlight.com.

Students felt empowered throughout the experiment and as a result were extremely eager to learn and participate.

"Students researched local gyms, met with dieticians and even attended a diabetic education class at the hospital," the article said.

Read more here to find out how to start a similar project in your classroom. 

Compiled by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

Editor's note: Let us know what you think of our STEM Roundup below. Send your STEM-related news to editor[at]educationworld.com.

05/20/2015