NE FIRST/WPI STEM WEEK GRANT
MA STEM WEEK DEMO AND GRANT PROGRAM 2023
BRING ROBOTICS TO YOUR SCHOOL!
NE FIRST and the WPI Robotics Resource Center want to see that all children have the opportunity to learn about and participate in robotics. The problem solving and team work associated with FIRST Robotics has inspired many students to pursue pathways to STEM.
NE FIRST/WPI ROBOTICS GRANT FOR EDUCATORS
Want to bring the excitement of STEM learning with FIRST robotics to your classroom/school? Wouldn’t it be great if you could get a set of robots for your students and get the training & support for FREE?!
As part of STEM Week, NE FIRST and the WPI Robotics Resource Center are providing grants for educators to bring robotics into their classrooms, along with enriching, hands-on learning opportunities to students historically underserved in STEM.
This opportunity will use the curriculum and SPIKE Prime platform from LEGO Education.
To be eligible to apply, educators much be working in a grades 2-12 in Massachusetts in a school-wide Title 1 school. We ask that educators be willing to run a 12-session course with at least 3 unique groups of students (over 3 years or less) to apply. The grant and equipment will belong to the educator, so if the educator moves schools, they will take it with them and may continue the program at their new location to meet the terms of the grant.
Details:
Grant applications are open from through December 21st, 2023 at noon.
We will notify grant recipients no later than December 22nd at noon.
Grants are available in each of the 9 STEM Network regions. Priority will be given to spreading the kits across different regions first.
Educators who have applied and received a grant in the past may reapply to receive additional classroom kits.
Multiple educators from the same school may apply.
Educators who serve multiple grade levels may apply for both a Spike Prime Essentials (grades 2-4) and a Spike Prime (grades 4+) grant in the same cycle.
While in the past this grant has been limited to grades 2-8, we are expanding to allow high school educators to apply as well. For HS classrooms or advanced MS classrooms, LEGO Education has existing curriculum in Foundations of Physical Computing and Python 1 & 2. While there will be no explicit training on the delivery of these courses, we will gladly provide whatever assistance we can to help get these educators started.
Grade 4 educators should review the Spike Prime Essentials and the Spike Prime lessons and decide which is more appropriate for the skill and maturity of the students in their school/classroom and apply accordingly.
In addition to any school/classroom expo you may run, NE FIRST and WPI may invite your school to participate in a celebrate event for grant recipients at the end of the school-year. Participation is not required as part of the grant.
Each grant includes one seat of professional development for the educator, although we are happy to accommodate additional educators/in-class support staff in the professional development if seats are available.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS ALREADY SCHEDULED:
JANUARY 3rd for Spike Prime (grades 4+)
January 4th for Spike Essentials (grades 2-4) in person at WPI.
These trainings are 6 hours long and attendance is expected as part of the grant. If you cannot commit to attending the PD, please let us know in your application and it will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The initial in-person PD is about familiarizing the educator with the product and guided lessons. Additional virtual trainings will be available in March and April on open-ended lessons and lesson prep.
Grant will include all necessary equipment and training except the school must have access to bluetooth-capable tablets or computers to run software (tablets and chromebooks both work).
ROBOTICS ROAD SHOW
To help build excitement in your school, we are more than happy to work with you to schedule an in-person demonstration by a high school robotics team. These demos give kids a chance to learn more about robotics, see a big robot in action, and even potentiall drive and operate the robot. These demos can be done for large groups of students beyond just those being served by the grant. They typically take place in a school gym or cafeteria and we can do a single demo or multiple back-to-back to accommodate more students. Demos are typically 45-60 minutes long.
For more details or to inquire about availability, email first@wpi.edu
Want to see a little what it’s like to be at a FIRST event? Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i54VZZX_Cyw&ab_channel=NewEnglandFIRST