STEM for Our Youngest Learners Series

(limited series)

Beth Dykstra Van Meeteren, editor

“The STEM for Our Youngest Learners series is a must-have in any preschool classroom… The books have a very reader-friendly format, and every chapter gives clear, concise direction not only about the activity but how that activity aligns with Next Generation Science Standards.”
—Science and Children

The STEM for Our Youngest Learners Series is seven practical guidebooks rooted securely in the theory, science, and practice of how best to introduce various STEM topics to very young children. One strength of the series is the constructivist framework integrated with the Inquiry Teaching Model (ITM), a model designed to help teachers implement child-centered teaching to support children’s understanding and application of STEM. The ITM builds on constructivism and adds support for teachers to implement inquiry-based learning (IBL). This approach to inquiry-based teaching (constructivism combined with ITM) provides a strong foundation for the critical thinking skills needed in the future workforce. 

Each volume investigates a particular subject and includes:

  • Examples of educators and children engaging in inquiry learning
  • Guidance for selecting materials and arranging the learning environment
  • Integrating literacy learning and investigations
  • Modifications and accommodations for diverse learners
  • Support for establishing adult learning communities
  • Building partnerships with administrators
  • and more

Further the series is aligned with both the Head Start Early Learning Objectives Framework (ELOF) and the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. Examples within the books help teachers develop their students’ engineering habits of mind (systems thinking, optimism, creativity, communication, collaboration, attention to ethical considerations) and encourage the development of children’s executive function skills (EFs).

Beth Dykstra Van Meeteren is director of the Iowa Regents’ Center for Early Developmental Education and associate professor of literacy education at the University of Northern Iowa.

A selection of co-editors and contributors to the series includes:
Allison Barness • Mary Donegan-Ritter • Linda May Fitzgerald • Rosemary Geiken • Wendy Miller • Sherri Peterson • Stephanie Schmitz • Brandy Smith • Jill Uhlenberg • Sonia Yoshizawa