“Reading, Math, and Science, Oh My!” Sherri Land, Fourth Grade Science Teacher at Coggin Elementary, received a grant from the Brownwood Education Foundation for the 2022-23 school year.

This grant will fund hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) projects in the core subject classes at Coggin Elementary. “I wanted to bring a cross-curricular approach to learning, as well as give students another outlet to show their thinking,” Land said. “As I have studied STEM curriculum, I have seen how valuable STEM is for all subjects. If students can build what they are thinking, it takes some of the stress of getting their thinking out of their heads and onto paper. By writing this grant, I was able to give my fellow fourth-grade teachers some tools so that they could bring STEM into their classrooms as well.”

The Brownwood Education Foundation supplied multiple grants to teachers across the school district, to use for innovation in their classrooms. Land’s “Reading, Math, and Science, Oh My” grant will allow students to try new problem-solving activities with hands-on application. “All fourth-grade students in all core subjects, especially students who struggle with writing and spelling, will benefit from this grant,” Land said. BEF provided over $900 to aid STEM learning for Land’s students. This affords more options for learning and appends the choices students receive in learning opportunities. “I am a member of several STEM organizations and am currently getting my master’s degree in STEM,” Land said. “Through these organizations, I have learned how to use STEM materials in all subject areas to bring engagement and comprehension in the classrooms. STEM is not something else for students to do, it is a way of learning.”