Overview

View the CREATES Literacy Project Report

The CREATES Literacy Project mobilized existing community-university partnerships between the Women in Science and Engineering Program, AZ Project WET, and local K-12 schools in order to increase access to culturally-responsive and place-based STEAM educational programming that helps students build competencies in critical thinking, science communication, and creative communication technologies. In order to enable the integration of literacy and creative-communication into science curriculum, 3rd through 8th grade educators developed modules designed to build upon already tested science units. These modules were implemented in Spring 2022 and Fall 2022 with the support of University of Arizona student workers trained on culturally-responsive pedagogical strategies and creative communication technologies through The Bio/Diversity Project.

The CREATES Literacy Project was generously funded by the Stocker Foundation from 2021-2022. 

Black paper with dissected parts of a flower labeled and taped down to the paper.
Image shows two students standing on a walkway. The student closest to the camera is wearing a tie-dye hoodie and is holding a thermometer. The student farthest from the camera is wearing a grey sweatshirt and is writing on a piece of paper that is on a clipboard.
Picture shows two students recording temperature data from the ground outdoors. One male student on the left is wearing blue and one male student on the right is wearing read and holding a thermometer.
Two fourth grade students are seated at a table with laptops in front of them. One student is standing in on the side of them looking at the laptop screens.
Fourth grade student sitting in front of an open laptop. Student is typing on the laptop.
Two students are seated at a table. They have black construction paper in front of them and are placing flower petals on this paper.
Classroom full of elementary students. There is a teacher at the front of the classroom by a projector screen. The screen has an image of a flower diagram on it.
One middle school student is standing in the distance. One student sits on a rock holding their phone to film the first student. There is one additional student standing next to the one filming.
Multiple middle school students standing in small groups in a desert landscape. Students are carrying notebooks and some are writing down information.
University of Arizona intern identifying a green plant with purple flowers with four middle school students standing around them.
Third grade student typing on an open laptop in front of them.
University of Arizona student intern and third grade student are seated next to each other at a desk. The intern is typing on an open laptop in front of them while the student is watching.

Learn more about the CREATES Literacy Project and the impacts of our pilot year by watching our recorded webinar.