Connected Worlds

Connected Worlds is an ELL Enrichment Program co-developed by Beam Center and the NYCPS DIvision of Multilingual Learners as part of NYCPS Summer Rising to provide authentic opportunities for our Newcomer ELLs, irrespective of English language proficiency, to engage in meaningful interactions that develop STEM knowledge and language acquisition.

Connected Worlds offers a series of collaborative projects based on the theme of adapting to a new home. The curriculum is intentionally designed to include meaningful use and development of language for students to communicate (reading, writing, speaking, listening) about their STEM projects. It is divided into two age-appropriate project sequences: Fantastic Ecology (grade 3-5) and Futurescapes (grades 6-8). Projects will combine imaginative storytelling, electronic circuits, painting and drawing, and sculptural techniques using paper, clay, and fabric. Middle school students will experience additional challenges incorporating Augmented Reality (AR) technologies to connect digital and physical versions of their imagined worlds.

Beam Center's approach focuses on making projects. Projects are tangible expressions of our learning that can be shared with others. They can take the form of spectacular installations, interactive technology, personal artwork, functional products, crazy machines, or a mix of all of them. Our approach to making is collaborative; it is an exchange of skills and ideas as beautifully varied as our identities and experiences. In making, we rehearse for the limitless challenges that face us in an unpredictable world, and each moment of every project is a reminder that with communication, community, curiosity, and considerate work, anything is possible.