Real talk: Halloween is not battle you want to fight with your students! And why would you when it doesn’t have to be a struggle? I love this activity for both oral and written communication! It’s simple, but powerful, and adjustable to any age. In fact, when I was using this with my niece […]
Halloween Activity for Communication Read More »
Real talk: are your students truly filled with wonder & curiosity? Do you sometimes feel like you’re battling an onslaught of flashing lights and dopamine-drip screens, vying for your students’ attention? It can be frustrating to want students to open their eyes and take in the wonder of the non-screen world around them, and feel
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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
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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 fastest way to
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, that
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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 »
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 »
Christmas is coming, hooray! Since this season is a time of sharing, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite things for the classroom. In fact, I think it would be extra fun to give one away every day for five days starting December 15! If you’ve ever seen one
A Few of My Favorite Things Read More »
Has cabin fever struck your classroom? The Winter Waiter 3D Solids STEM Challenge might just be the antidote! It incorporates science, technology, engineering, and math along with a friendly competitive indoor relay race that your students will love. Premise In Winter Waiter, students work in small groups against a criteria/constraints list to build waiters’ trays
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Last week, I shared with you how vital the post-build activities are to getting all goodness from your STEM Challenges. If you’re going to devote the time, you may as well get every last drop of value, right?! In addition to the gallery walk, present/demo, Q&A, and individual design analysis, I find the group discussion
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