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 […]
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A Few of My Favorite Things
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 […]
Winter STEM Challenge: Winter Waiter
Has cabin fever struck your classroom? The Winter Waiter STEM Challenge might just be the antidote! In groups, students will design waiter’s trays to hold “snowy” 3D solids that they’ll test in a winter-themed, indoor relay race! Materials You don’t need everything you see here. Feel free to substitute or eliminate what you don’t […]
8 Post-Build Discussion Questions for STEM Challenges
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 […]
Speak, Listen, Draw: An Activity to Improve Communication & Use Academic Vocabulary
![This activity is a great to tool to practice oral and written communication skills as well as reinforce math vocabulary, estimation, and measurement skills. Students will describe relative size and position of various shapes, lines, and angles [triangle (right, acute, obtuse, scalene, equilateral, isosceles), square, rectangle, parallelogram, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, circle, oval, parallel lines, intersecting lines, perpendicular lines, etc.] Though students don't strictly need to use this vocabulary to succeed, it certainly helps!](https://www.feelgoodteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/SLD_HORZ-400x225.jpg)
This activity is a great to tool to practice oral and written communication skills as well as reinforce math vocabulary, estimation, and measurement skills. Originally, I created this resource as a way to help students be more thorough and clear in their process writing. I was specifically interested in helping them recount their process for […]
Create-ure STEM Challenge
If you’re looking to apply learning in adaptations, habitats, food chains and food webs, life cycles, genetics & heredity, evolution, and/or human body systems, this STEM / STEAM challenge is a student-favorite way to get the job done joyfully! The Basics In this STEM/STEAM Challenge students will design a “create-ure” that has never […]
Halloween Speak, Listen, Draw Activity
I love, love, love this communication activity! It’s simple, but powerful, and adjustable to any age. In fact, when I was using this with my niece (age 4) and nephew (age 12), my brother (age 36) couldn’t help himself and asked to join in. I’m dying for everyone to try this out, so I’ve created […]
STOP Making 3 Common STEM Challenge Mistakes
STEM Challenges can be absolute MAGIC in our classrooms when done well, but we sometimes inadvertently undermine some of the best benefits! Teaching is tough. We’re responsible for so many things! Just one of those is helping students develop grit to help them be successful in their adult lives. STEM Challenges can help […]
5 Amazing Apple STEM Activities for Back to School STEM, Fall STEM, Apple Week STEM or Anytime STEM!
5 Back to School Apple STEM activities perfect for fall, apple week, and more!
Back-to-School/Fall STEM Challenge: Apples A-head
The fifth challenge in the Back-to-School/Fall STEM Challenge series is Apples A-head (see Challenge 1, 2, 3, 4). If you’ve found your way here outside of the back-to-school season, not to worry! These challenges work great for fall apple activities and studies of forces and motion all year long! Premise Working against a Criteria & Constraints List individually […]
