Sphero Team
Student creating literature based STEM art activity.

In your ELA classroom, would you like to build interest in reading and give your learners new ways to learn vocabulary, expand comprehension, and improve their writing and speaking skills? Do all this and more with the new littleBits ELA Unit developed by Ellie Werner at littleBits! Increasingly, teachers are adding hands-on STEAM activities to their ELA classroom. Students, including reluctant readers, may be more eager to participate in learning ELA concepts through captivating, STEM-based learning experiences that increase critical thinking skills and comprehension. 

This unit invites educators to guide their students in hands-on activities that will bring stories and characters to life through 4 distinct lessons. These lessons were inspired by creative, teacher-submitted activities tried in the classroom and aimed to engage all students!

  • Turning points encourages students to identify and engineer their own creation of key moments in a text. 
  • In Aesop’s fables, they will then learn how to locate problems and develop solutions for characters. 
  • Build writing skills with Let's Make a Techno Jungle, as students design a unique creature and then write a creative story.
  • The vocaBitlary lesson, quite possibly our favorite, offers an exciting way to practice new terms and build objects that represent their meaning.

While each lesson is designed to be taught with the STEAM Student Set, those who wish to bring coding to their ELA class should not be deterred. Each lesson contains an extension at the end with a sample circuit and line of code for flexible implementation. 

The Curriculum Guide provides more detail on how to easily implement and assess these CCSS, NGSS, and CSTA aligned lessons.

Share pictures and videos of learners in action on social media and tag @littleBits or #littleBits!

Photo Credit: Lisa George for Ultra-lab