This blog post was previously published over at Minds in Bloom as a guest feature about five years ago.  It is no longer active on the site, so I thought I would re-share it here!  It highlights one of my favorite lessons that integrates S.T.E.A.M. and literacy learning!  Enjoy! CASTLES UNDER CONSTRUCTION:   FULL  S.T.E.A.M.  AHEAD! ...

Hello Friends and Royal Fairy Tale Fans! Greetings from the "Kingdom of Room 2," a place where we are currently immersed in a cross-curricular unit about castles!  My second grade construction crew has been hard at work building towers, turrets, drawbridges, and moats with all sorts of 3-D solids as part of our geometry unit.  Their fascination with castles all started after I shared Doreen Cronin's newest story, Bloom.  CASTLE CONSTRUCTION:  FAIRY-STYLE This modern-day fairy tale with a twist features a wise yet messy mud pixie, a king and queen whose castle is made of glass, and a young servant girl who proves to be extraordinary, empowered, and intelligent in her efforts to save the kingdom! Next week, I plan to introduce my little learners to our own classroom fairy, and use her as a springboard for more critical thinking, reading, and creative writing activities.  She'll have her own garden and house (thanks to a delightful ......