MODS Challenge Week 1 PreK-5 Intro
By: Chris Brunner
The Museum of Discovery and Science has engineered a weekly STEAM curriculum aligned with Florida’s new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (BEST) standards for students of all grade levels to support the Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) Department of Applied Learning.
The MODS Challenge began on April 13, allowing students, teachers, and parents in grades PreK–12 to solve real-world problems through STEAM – which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math, and project-based learning.
“It is the Museum’s mission to connect students to inspiring science from PreK through career,” said Joseph P. Cox, president, and CEO at MODS. “We are proud to partner with Broward County Public Schools to provide an enriching STEAM curriculum to students.
This partnership-developed curriculum bolsters 21st-century skills, including creativity, critical thinking, design, teamwork, leadership, risk-taking, and perseverance.
Additionally, each week’s challenge offers selected readings for every grade level and access to some of the IMAX films in MODS’ library of documentaries.
The challenges strive to empower students to become STEAM learners and passionate problem-solvers for life.
MODS Challenge Week 1 Grades 6-12 Intro
The initiative also provides added real-world experiences for BCPS high school juniors and seniors who are part of MODS’ APP-titude internship program. They are working with MODS educators to create video content for the weekly challenges. APP-titude is a highly coveted internship program at MODS.
Through the APP-titude program, student interns have the opportunity to earn college credit, a mini-scholarship, and, with the MODS Challenge, volunteer service hours for peer-to-peer learning.
Superintendent Robert W. Runcie said the district values the strategic relationship they have with the Museum of Discovery and Science.
“Through this partnership, we are collaborating to create new, unique learning opportunities for our students and families. The MODS Challenge is just one example of how we are working to transform virtual education with real-world activities that engage students while supporting their ongoing learning.”
Students can access the MODS Challenge curriculum by visiting browardschools.com/learningnevercloses or mods.org/modschallenge (available on April 15).
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