Battle Ground teacher uses art to make sense of STEM

Battle Ground — To help her fifth- and sixth-graders learn about science, technology, engineering and math, Laurin Middle School teacher Diana Sterle is turning to art. Recently, students had to study a paper filled with 1,500 zeros and ones. Eventually, the students learned they were looking at bits of code that correlate to specific colors. They filled in the appropriate colors to unveil a picture. “By starting out with coordinate grids or a bunch of zeros and ones and ending up with a physical representation, students really connect the dots and understand that precision matters in science and technology,” she said in a release from the district. The students have also learned about scaling and design using coordinate planes to create two-dimensional characters from popular movies and games, and then converting the characters into three-dimensional creations using beads.