This session blends presentation, hands-on, team-based creation, and collaborative discussion into an ideal “listen, do, discuss, and expand” framework. Participants will move from inspiration to action by seeing real classroom examples, building their own prototypes, and reflecting on how to adapt this approach to their own classrooms and roles.
Minute 0–5 | Introduction and Inspiration
Content: Share real student examples of literacy-driven, design-based projects, from early learners creating STEM builds from picture books to high schoolers designing models for community innovations.
Engagement: Participants see how one idea (designing a home or habitat) scales across ages, from play-based explorations to project-based investigations to practice-based applications with real impact.
Process: Whole-group discussion and visual examples to anchor the session.
Minute 5–25 | Team Design Sprint
Content: Participants break into teams by role (coach, teacher, leader), age band, or interest area. Each team receives a design challenge inspired by a book or research source.
Engagement: Teams collaborate to brainstorm, sketch, and rapidly prototype a solution.
Process: Active, hands-on collaboration using provided materials. Some teams focus on playful story- or character-based designs, while others tackle authentic real-world challenges.
Minute 25–40 | Prototypes and Tech Integration
Content: Teams share their prototypes with the group.
Engagement: Facilitated discussion around how students could present their work using different tech tools that build communication skills, from simple recording apps to professional-level digital platforms.
Process: Peer-to-peer sharing, device-friendly exploration of communication and presentation tools, and reflection on how these mirror industry practices.
Minute 40–50 | Adapting to Unique Contexts
Content: Explore how this framework can flex to meet the needs of diverse learning environments, from special education to general classrooms, from resource-limited schools to high-tech labs.
Engagement: Guided reflection prompts and small-group sharing of strategies for adaptation.
Process: Participants connect to their own settings and roles, considering how to support implementation at the classroom, coaching, and leadership levels.
Minute 50–60 | Closing and Call to Action
Content: Wrap-up with an inspirational message about the power of harnessing stories to connect literacy and STEM. Links to resources will be provided.
Engagement: Collective reflection on key takeaways and next steps.
Process: Participants leave with an action plan, resources, and renewed confidence to implement or adapt this work immediately in their schools.
Adaptability: This format works as a 60-minute lab but can easily be extended to a 90-minute workshop by providing teams with additional time to prototype, refine, and present, followed by deeper discussion and feedback.
Recap: By weaving together presentation, hands-on prototyping, and collaborative discussion, the session models the listen, do, discuss, and expand cycle, ensuring participants leave with both inspiration and practical strategies they can carry directly into practice.
Attendees leave with far more than a simple prototype or digital outline. They gain the inspiration, confidence, and open-ended framework needed to design literacy-inspired engineering challenges that blend stories with STEM in ways that are adaptable to their own students and classrooms. The resources provided will guide educators on their journey, helping them translate the framework into meaningful projects whether they teach with paper, scissors, and tape or in a fully equipped innovation lab with advanced tech tools.
During the session, participants will engage in hands-on building while also developing an action plan that connects fiction, nonfiction, or even student-driven research to multimodal, cross-curricular projects. They will explore a variety of tools for design, storytelling, and presentation, along with strategies for ensuring inclusivity and access. Every educator—teacher, coach, or leader—will leave prepared to adapt the framework to their own learning environment, creating engaging and rigorous projects that honor student voice and foster authentic, community-centered learning.
Sun, W., & Zhong, B. (2024). Integrating reading and writing with STEAM/STEM: A systematic review on STREAM education. Journal of Engineering Education. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jee.20569
Feng, S. (2020). Integrating Literacy into STEM Education: Changing Teachers’ Dispositions and Classroom Practice. Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 55(1). https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/jste/vol55/iss1/3/
Tsoukala, C. K. (2021). STEM integrated education and multimodal educational material. Advances in Mobile Learning Educational Research, 1(2), 96-113. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354786859_STEM_integrated_education_and_multimodal_educational_material
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