STEM Lesson Plans

This is a lesson designed for 4th and 5th grade. It would come at the end of the unit on Force and Motion. It describes a wonderful machine called a Rube Goldberg Machine. This lesson includes an ELA

DNA, or Deoxyribonucleic Acid, is the molecule of life. DNA exists in every single organism, from the smallest bacteria to the largest mammal, and is the only known molecule that has the ability to

In this high school science/engineering lesson on exploring cracked steel, students will delve into the concept of cracked steel and its impact on structural integrity. They will define composites and

Imagine how cool it would be to build a video game controller out of bananas! In this engineering design challenge, you will learn how to use everyday items and a Makey Makey kit to design a

In this virtual reality frog dissection, students get to explore the anatomy of a female frog inside and out. The frog’s respective organs are scientifically accurate models to scale, allowing

This is a multi-day lesson on the lifecycle of a pumpkin starting with how long it takes for pumpkin seeds to produce a sprout. There is also an art element using geometric shapes to introduce the

In this project, students will choose an environmental problem to research. They will look up why this problem is occurring and how it is harming the environment. Students will then come up with two

This lesson incorporates Math, Science and Reading standards into a pumpkin themed third grade lesson. Students will use a mentor text to relate to the life cycle of a pumpkin, create, compare and

This lesson combines ELA (reading and discussing the story), engineering (design a balloon with materials given and attach the balloon to an EdBot), and technology (code an EdBot to run the parade

This lesson provides the students an opportunity to learn hands-on. They work as a worm biologist or Annelidologist, observing how the external features of the worm, such as its segmented body and

Students will read the story, "How to Catch an Elf". Then students will use the engineering design process to plan, create, test and improve their elf trap. Students would see if their trap caught

In this hands-on lesson, students will attempt two builds. Students will identify weaknesses and strengths in both of their structures. They will then evaluate the effectiveness of their builds.

I use this egg drop/crash lesson as an introduction to Energy and Energy Transfer in physics. Students understand basic kinematics, but I generally conduct this lesson before projectile motion, but it

This lesson includes fourth grade reading, writing, math, science, and engineering standards. The potential is endless with additional enrichment activities. Students participate in the nurturing and

Just like many things we do in our lives, pumpkin growth and coding follow a pattern. Students will learn the life cycle of a pumpkin and fill in a practice page that talks about the pumpkin's life

In this lesson, students learn about seals. They will listen to a story about orcas and what they eat. Next, they plan and build an island for the seals to get away from the orcas. Finally, students

In this lesson students read about simple machines and learn that simple machines make it easier to lift or move things and that they can change direction and magnitude of force. Students use LEGOs to

In this lesson, students will not only learn about the anatomy of the stomach, but also analyze their eating habits and how their stomach changes throughout their day. They will graph these changes on

In this lesson students work together to create a model to show the relationship between plants and animals and where they live using play doh or clay. Students will explore things around them and

Students will learn about the four forces of flight in this introductory lesson. This is lesson one of a four-part unit and provides students with the knowledge they need about flight to engage in a

In this STEM Challenge, students add materials to help their rock roll better. Then, they examine how to push and pull their rock.

I use this lesson as a fun activity to visualize unit conversions and the immense scale of the universe. I love this lesson because I find it challenging to teach unit conversions with hands-on

Through this project, students will explore the concept of the "robot brain" and its relation to AI. Understand the basics of circuits as a model for the functionality of a robot brain. Create a paper

Students are tasked with using the Engineering Design Process to create a Valentine's Day mailbox to collect Valentine cards in the classroom. Designs will include a theme, geometry examples (angles