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 »
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
Winter 3D Solids STEM Challenge: Winter Waiter Read More »
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
8 Post-Build Discussion Questions for STEM Challenges Read More »
![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.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
Speak, Listen, Draw: An Activity to Improve Communication & Use Academic Vocabulary Read More »
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
Create-ure STEM Challenge Read More »
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
Halloween Speak, Listen, Draw Activity Read More »
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
STOP Making 3 Common STEM Challenge Mistakes Read More »
In groups, students will design and build a wearable device to balance an apple on their heads, which they will use to participate in an Apples A-head relay race.
– Students will design their headwear in groups, but each will make his/her own (to minimize any lice concerns). They can decide as a team, and based on available materials, if each member will create unique designs or replicate the team design.
This challenge is also great for any time of year, but especially in the fall when learning about apples, Johnny Appleseed, or Sir Isaac Newton!
Fall STEM Challenge: Apples A-head 1:1 Paperless Read More »
