Explore in the Classroom

WITF’s Explore in the Classroom program is designed for students in grades kindergarten through third in school districts that experience persistent, and often significant opportunity gaps. Explore in the Classroom concentrates on integrating and enhancing the existing instructional programs within districts, delivering high-quality STEM and literacy content. WITF’s Explore in the Classroom program provides teachers collaborative opportunities with the dynamic and experienced WITF Education Team. Lessons are aligned with PA-Core standards and/or Pennsylvania STEELS standards. Exploration topics may include (a) robotics, (b) coding, (c) engineering design, (d) literacy, (e) environmental science, and (f) career exploration. Classroom teachers receive the lessons in advance and are invited to be a collaborative partner during the lesson to enhance current classroom objectives and outcomes. Visits include a read-aloud, sparking curiosity and igniting interest in the topic to be explored. All students receive a copy of the read-aloud book to take home, reinforcing classroom skills and fostering a home- school partnership. And adding to the fun and excitement, students and teachers also get to meet a costume character for hugs, high fives, and photo memories!

WITF has been supporting students and amazing educators through our Explore in the Classroom program since 2016. The WITF Education Team has engaged with over 8,300 students across Central Pennsylvania through our Explore in the Classroom program! We are thrilled to share the Explore in the Classroom program has distributed over 29,000 books, providing students and teachers with new books to build their home and classroom libraries. Because WITF has provided consistent programming for several districts over the years, meaningful partnerships with educators and local school districts have flourished.

WITF is always striving to expand educational impact. Recently, WITF expanded its approved Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Programs to include educational opportunities for students in grades K-12! Newly approved programs include: The Media Literacy Project (Grades 3-12), STEM and Career Exploration, Slide into Summer Camps, and The Youth Voice Imperative.

WITF’s approved Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Programs

Explore in the Classroom

Tailored for students in grades K-3, this program delivers high-quality STEM and literacy content. Exploration topics include but are not limited to: (a) robotics, (b) coding, (c) engineering design, (d) literacy, (e) environmental science, and (f) career exploration. Visits include a read-aloud, sparking curiosity and igniting interest in the topic to be explored.

The Media Literacy Project

Tailored for students in grades 3-12, this program aims to bolster student understanding of what it means to be a critical consumer of information, while empowering students to be creators of information. Students engage critically with all forms of news and information- magazines, newspapers, television reporting and digital media via social platforms. Topics include but are not limited to (a) the psychology and emotion of information, (b) evaluating sources through inquiry, (c) lateral reading for information gathering, (d) arguing from evidence, (e) career exploration in media related fields and (f) content creation.

STEM and Career Exploration

Designed for students in grades 3-12, this program delivers STEM content in a meaningful way. STEM and career exploration are embedded within the program to spark interest in STEM and STEM related careers! Exploration topics include robotics, coding, engineering design, environmental science and careers. Design thinking elements, technology components, and career exploration are naturally woven into lessons to provide a high impact and relevant learning experience.

WITF’s Slide into Summer Camp

These summer camps are week-long, half day programs hosted at WITF’s Innovation Studio. The half-day camps are offered as a morning and afternoon option during the same week, providing access to a full-day camp. Camp offerings are developed for students in grades 2-12. All Slide into Summer Camps foster curiosity and passion for STEM among camp participants through inquiry-based activities and hands-on experiments. In addition, camps promote critical thinking and collaboration while developing a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and principles. Interactions with experts in the field are embedded into several camp offerings as an authentic approach to spark interest in STEM and STEM related careers!

The Youth Voice Imperative

This program extends The Media Literacy Project program, seamlessly integrating Media Literacy, Language Arts and Social Studies content to offer an enriching experience beyond regular school hours for students in grades 3-12. This program will be offered to students as part of after school opportunities, summer camp offerings, and/or during school breaks. This program aims to cultivate a sense of community, encourage critical thinking, and provide a platform for students to express their viewpoints on student selected topics. Students will use digital creation tools to explore podcasting/videos/blogging/journalism. This learning process and exploration will be led by the WITF education team, production team and journalists. The scope and depth of the lessons will be tailored to address the student population’s needs, with careful consideration of age appropriateness.

Expanding WITF Education programming creates opportunities to increase support for the communities we serve. With your support, WITF can continue to deliver these high-quality STEM and literacy programs and strengthen our outreach to engage with more students across our region, sparking curiosity and fostering a love of learning!

What are teachers saying about WITF’s
Explore in the Classroom program?

I so appreciate the dedication of WITF/PBS to bring these classes and resources for our students. These resources and opportunities will reach our community (maybe more than you or I will ever know). Thank you!!

– Ben Franklin Kindergarten Teacher
(HBSD)

We are ever so grateful to you and the WITF family for these visits! The students benefited so much from the program–from the wonderful books to the very engaging activities. We really look forward to having you next year! Please keep us in mind when you begin scheduling…Thank you again and we look forward to hearing from you for the ’24-’25 school year!

– McKinley Kindergarten Teacher
(School District of the City of York)

Thank you so much for the compelling and specific data! We LOVED seeing what you all brought to Hannah Penn and how engaged our students were! We look forward to connecting with you to plan for the Fall!

– Director of Curriculum and Instruction
(School District of the City of York)

We can’t thank you enough for the books and activities you provided for our students. The bilingual books were amazing. So many students came back and said they’ve been reading with their families at home. This wouldn’t be possible without you!

– Ferguson Kindergarten teacher
(YCSD)

I already have recommended this to other teachers and truly enjoyed these lessons very much! It was very well presented, and the students loved it. It definitely provided a lasting effect on my students and myself that was very positive.

– Steelton-Highspire 1^st Grade Teacher
(Steelton-Highspire School District)

Thank you so much for all of the really fun activities… the students truly enjoyed each one!
It was so awesome that they each got a book to take home as well! It was a fantastic experience… I feel lucky that 2nd grade got the opportunity to do it!

– North Side Elementary 2^nd Grade Teacher
(CDSD)

WITF Education is pleased to partner with the following school districts in our region:

York City School District (since 2016)
Harrisburg School District (since 2017)
School District of Lancaster (since 2021)
Steelton-Highspire School District (since 2023)
Central Dauphin School District (since 2023)

Interested in learning more about the program and if your school/district qualifies?

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Funding for this valuable program is made possible through the Pennsylvania Education Income Tax Credit Program (EITC) and our generous corporate sponsors.

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Explore in the Classroom