Welcome to ECHO’s Virtual STEM Academy
ECHO VSA classes are standards-aligned, 6 lesson learning sequences for elementary-age students K-5th grade. Lessons have been pre-recorded and archived along with exciting at-home activity plans allowing for self-paced learning. ECHO STEM Academy classes are the perfect solution for keeping your student connected to their local community while taking the planning and guesswork out of at-home science instruction.
Interested in how the VSA Classroom works? Learn more.
ECHO is providing our VSA lesson library to educational organizations—including schools, home-schools, and libraries—free of charge. Ready to sign up?
QUESTIONS?
Contact Liz Greenberg at lgreenberg@echovermont.org
VIRTUAL STEM ACADEMY CLASSES
Grades K/1st
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Join Caroline and Nina as we dive into the mysterious science of lake monsters. We will meet Champ’s living reptile and amphibian relatives, investigate what adaptations Champ would need to survive in Lake Champlain, interview those in-the-know, and explore what we can do to protect lake monsters and other aquatic animals.
Program Sequence
Week 1: Animal Types & Characteristics
Week 2: Animal Behavior
Week 3: Animal Habitats: Part 1
Week 4: Animal Habitats: Part 2
Week 5: Animal Life Cycles
Week 6: Protecting Animals and Their Habitats
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In this exciting class, students will explore forces, motion, and sound through hands-on investigations and playful demonstrations. Join Carlie and Caroline as we learn about pushes and pulls and discover the science of sounds.
Program Sequence
Week 1: Introducing Forces – Pushes and Pulls
Week 2: Invisible Forces – Magnets and Gravity
Week 3: Speed and Direction
Week 4: The Science of Roller Coasters
Week 5: Sound and Vibration – Musical Instruments
Week 6: Sound and Vibration – Animal Superpowers
Join Billy & Carlie on an adventure through time as we explore Earth’s seasons. This voyage will take us from the Sun at the center of our galaxy to the peaks of our green mountains. We will investigate stars, weather, and seasonal changes.
Program Sequence
Week 1: The Sun, the Earth and the Moon
Week 2: Light from the Sun
Week 3: Spring and Summer
Week 4: Fall and Winter
Week 5: Severe Weather
Week 6: Weather vs. Climate
Grades 2nd/3rd
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Join Chris and Cailee as we explore plants, animals, and the interconnectedness of life in the Lake Champlain Basin. We will go behind-the-scenes with ECHO’s live animals to learn about their diets and behaviors; conduct fun investigations of pollination, animal adaptations, and biodiversity; and catch-up with local wildlife biologists.
Program Sequence
Week 1: Ecosystems
Week 2: Biodiversity
Week 3: Interdependence in Ecosystems
Week 4: Adaptations
Week 5: Natural Selection
Week 6: Threats and Changes in Ecosystems
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There’s a lot of science happening all around us! Have you ever wondered what happens when two balls collide? Or what exactly happens when baking soda and vinegar mix? Join Cailee and Billy to engineer contraptions, transform materials through chemistry, and discover the answers to your most electrifying science questions.
Program Sequence
Week 1: What is matter?
Week 2: Physical properties and interactions
Week 3: Exploring physical interactions through the Engineering Design Process
Week 4: Chemical properties
Week 5: Chemical reactions
Week 6: Electricity and Magnetism
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From the highest peaks of Mount Mansfield to the darkest depths of Lake Champlain, the landscape around us is constantly changing. Join Cailee and Caroline to adventure around our watershed—and around our world—to learn about the forces and processes that shape the planet we call home.
Program Sequence
Week 1: The Lake Champlain Basin
Week 2: Water Cycle
Week 3: Erosion & Deposition
Week 4: Weather and Climate
Week 5: Climate Change
Week 6: Bonus: Ocean Exploration
Grades 4th/5th
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Carlie and Billy will guide you on an epic adventure from planet Earth to the far reaches of our galaxy. We will explore the forces that shape life on Earth and the possibility of alien life. Students will engineer asteroid-mining machines, witness the vacuum of space, and pose their most burning space questions to special guest experts.
Program Sequence
Week 1: Earth’s Setting; a place among the stars
Week 2: Weathering and Erosion
Week 3: Human Interactions with Earth
Week 4: The Earth’s Systems
Week 5: Observing Gravity
Week 6: Engineering Design Process for Asteroid Mining
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Join Billy and Carlie as we explore the building blocks of the Universe. We will examine the physical properties of objects to determine how particles invisible to the naked eye shape our world. Witness astounding chemical reactions, explore how energy transforms, and even shape water!
Program Sequence
Week 1: What’s (the) Matter?
Week 2: Phases of Matter
Week 3: Solid Conversations (Properties of Solid Matter)
Week 4: Fluid Motions (Properties of Liquids and Gases)
Week 5: Conservation of Energy and Matter
Week 6: Unraveling the Plot!
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Our world runs on energy! Join Cailee and Caroline to find out how energy flows through every living thing in our world and how those creatures get and digest the food they need to keep energy flowing.
Program Sequence
Week 1: Food Webs and Energy
Week 2: Plants and Decomposers
Week 3: Sight Adaptations
Week 4: Hearing Adaptations
Week 5: Catching and Eating Food
Week 6: Eating Food and Getting Energy