The Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) has engineered a weekly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) curriculum aligned with Florida’s new Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (BEST) standards for students of all grade levels to support the Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) Department of Applied Learning. The MODS Challenge began on April 13, allowing students, teachers and parents in grades PreK–12 to solve real-world problems through STEAM and project-based learning.

During a time when distance learning is at the forefront, this partnership-developed curriculum bolsters 21st century skills, including creativity, critical thinking, design, teamwork, leadership, risk-taking and perseverance. Additionally, each week’s challenge offers selected readings for every grade level and access to some of the IMAX^® films in MODS’ library of documentaries. The challenges strive to empower students to become STEAM learners and passionate problem-solvers for life.

“It is the Museum’s mission to connect students to inspiring science from PreK through career,” said Joseph P. Cox, president and CEO at MODS. “We are proud to partner with Broward County Public Schools to provide an enriching STEAM curriculum to students. MODS and the District have built an enduring partnership across many years, and through unprecedented times like these, our collaboration will strengthen this community.”

The initiative also provides added real-world experiences for BCPS high school juniors and seniors who are part of MODS’ APP-titude internship program. They are working with MODS educators to create video content for the weekly challenges. APP-titude is a highly coveted internship program at MODS. Through the APP-titude program, student interns have the opportunity to earn college credit, a mini-scholarship and, with the MODS Challenge, volunteer service hours for peer-to-peer learning.

“Our District values the strategic relationship we have with the Museum of Discovery and Science. Through this partnership, we are collaborating to create new, unique learning opportunities for our students and families,” Superintendent Robert W. Runcie said. “The MODS Challenge is just one example of how we are working to transform virtual education with real-world activities that engage students while supporting their ongoing learning.”

Students can access the MODS Challenge curriculum by visiting browardschools.com/learningnevercloses or mods.org/modschallenge (available on April 15).