Imagine a learning environment where students take concepts shared in the classroom and bring them to life in a STEAM lab. Here are some examples of what that will look like at RISE Academy Charter School:

• Picture a classroom of first graders learning about the Amazon rainforest as an ecosystem. Students then come into the STEAM lab and create their own mini ecosystem using a soda bottle and other materials. The concept of an ecosystem is used to understand how living things interact with each other and with the non-living things in their environment.
  
  
• Imagine fourth graders learning about Galileo and simple machines such as a lever, wedge, pulley and inclined planes in class. During their time in the STEAM lab, they will create these simple machines and understand how they make work easier.
  
  
• Visualize fifth grade students studying photosynthesis in class, then heading to the STEAM lab where they build, use, and collect data from photobioreactors.

Now imagine these students working together enthusiastically in groups to present their findings using their own school-provided laptops, or waiting for their project to be printed on a 3-D printer. These experiences challenge students to be creative, inquisitive, and collaborative as they incorporate the use of graphics, music, and even acting into their presentations to make their classroom lessons come to life. This is a snapshot of what STEAM education will look like at RISE Academy Charter School.