For years, I’ve struggled to figure out how to help my students think like scientists. After all, I gave them plenty of hands-on experiences with STEM Challenges, labs, and more (but who can ever have enough, really?)! I finally sat down one day and journaled about it. What traits was I really looking for students […]
STEM Ideals Character Education Read More »
For ages, I’ve been meaning to create a January and February STEM Challenge bundle to bridge the gap between the Christmas season and Valentine’s Day, but the inspiration took awhile to get to the right set of five challenges. I pride myself on original, high-quality challenges, so I wasn’t going to rush it. At long,
5 Late Winter STEM Challenge Activities for January and February Read More »
Which one sounds more familiar? My students look forward to writing every day, and frequently ask for more time to work on writing pieces. My students don’t write every day. When they are asked to write, many groan audibly in protest. In honesty, I’ve had both situations over the years. Through trial and error, I
Do Your Students Love to Write? It’s Within Reach! Read More »
Looking for a great weather or natural disaster activity? In this STEM Challenge, students will create a custom shelter to defend against three or more weather and/or disaster events. Your students are going to go wild over this one! The testing phase is loads of fun and there are soooooo many ways to modify the
Wild Weather Shelter STEM Challenge Read More »
Teaching about landforms? Fast & slow changes to Earth’s surface? Plate tectonics? Looking for the perfect STEM Challenge activity to apply all that learning? The Basics Students work individually or in partners/groups against a list of criteria and constraints to create the nonliving surface of the fictional planet, Planetopia. Video Walk-through The
Planetopia Parcels STEM Challenge Read More »
If you’re looking for a plant activity so your students can apply learning in plant needs, parts/functions, adaptations, life cycles, cells, photosynthesis, and/or genetics & heredity, this STEM / STEAM challenge is a perfectly engaging way to get the job done joyfully! The Basics Students will design a plant for the fictional planet,
Planetopia Plants STEM Challenge Read More »
If you’re like me, Groundhog Day isn’t much of a holiday! It’s always just seemed silly without substance to me. Now I don’t mean to brag or overstate, but this Groundhog Day STEM challenge changes everything! I’ve found LOTS of ways to make Groundhog Day worth your instructional minutes, for (at least) grades 2 –
Groundhog Graffiti: A Groundhog Day STEM Challenge Read More »
Time is a precious, precious classroom resource. We are forced to make concessions and compromises to all the wonderful lessons, projects, and labs we know will enrich our students! With that in mind, when it comes to STEM Challenges, what should be our focus: breadth or depth? I share my thoughts in the video
STEM Challenges: Breadth vs. Depth Read More »
This challenge was created as a way to celebrate Black History and/or Women’s History Month in science class. The premise is inspired by Sarah E. Goode’s 1885 invention of the folding cabinet bed. She was one of the first African-American women to obtain a patent for her invention. (Note: Several source cite Goode as the
Black History Month STEM Challenge: Innovative Functional Furniture Read More »
