A Defined STEM Learning Experience From:

Matthew Smuksta

9-12th Grade Social Studies Teacher (Modern World History, U.S. Civil War, Asian & African Studies)

Reedsburg Area High School (WI)

Performance Tasks:

Argumentative and informative writing tasks

Here’s What We Did:

For my Modern World History class, I adapted an argumentative writing task about climate change to ask students "How is climate change affecting people around the world?". I used an informative writing task about the making of the transcontinental railroad for my Civil War era class. In my Asian & African Studies class, I adapted an argumentative writing task about China's Three Gorges Dam.

At first, the students were skeptical about these topics being a part of social studies class but once they started researching and discovering the linkages, they got into it. The real-world aspects of the tasks were very interesting to the students.

Why Defined STEM Was the Perfect Fit:

Essays are the hardest assignments to motivate students to do. The interdisciplinary nature of the Defined STEM tasks kept the students more interested and motivate.