Ever since WIF donated twenty-two (22) books to Danielle Corbin’s classroom to support her Youth Veterinarian Initiative (YVI)-inspired South Bronx Early College Academy (SBECA) elective for sixth-grade students last December, we’ve increasingly focused on combining our STEAM education and Literacy Strategic Focus Areas through YVI.
Watch the brief video that we created to celebrate the first book donation below.
Ms. Corbin said the following about the gift of books to her class:
“The donation of books sparked curiosity, … which has been essential to student engagement in scientific topics and careers in science.
“In September, all of my students wanted to build a volcano. Today, they are interested in climate change and how science connects to the real world. They’re still surprised to see scientists that resemble them and their culture.
“My students’ interest in reading and their stamina for reading has improved.”
Reading during science class
Ms. Corbin recently shared an example of how our biweekly YVI sessions support the reading assignments she gives her class.
One of the chapters in Bill Harley’s Night of the Spadefoot Toads includes a passage about a snake shedding its skin. As the students read this passage, Ms. Corbin invited them to pause so they could watch Episode 3 of the YVI video series, during which Dr. Félix Vega discussed comparative anatomy of snakes and other animals, including humans. She said the students could barely contain their excitement!
Watching Dr. Vega’s YVI session
As the first anniversary for our biweekly podcast sessions (June 5, 2022) approaches, our team will continue to look at ways for these sessions to complement and reinforce reading in the classroom and vice versa.
Stay tuned!
