STEM Lesson Plans

Students are challenged with making a simple hoop glider and then altering it to achieve the greatest possible distance before being given the opportunity to change hoop materials and achieve the

The students design and test a catapult using simple materials like popsicle sticks and rubber bands. They learn about the history of catapults and also about the physical science concepts related to

Rad Roller Coasters Part 2 comes at the end of our paper roller coaster project. Students will collect data on their coaster and use that to calculate velocity, potential energy and kinetic energy

This lesson is for a multi-day project where student groups will plan, design, and build roller coasters out of paper and tape. It tests their knowledge of Physics and Engineering Design.

Students will learn about the history of the Ferris wheel while engineering their own out of Popsicle sticks. Students may work individually to create their own spinning ferris wheel An emphasis on

This lesson will implement chain reactions and simple machines into a Rube Goldberg invention. Students will learn about the Rube Goldberg and his crazy inventions. They will then create their own

This Lesson demonstrates and helps students understand the concept of non-contact forces with a hands-on-activity. In the experiment, the students will be making a magnetic car in groups of 2-4. After

In this engaging lesson, students determine the period of rotation for the flying pig toy using formulas derived throughout the circular motion unit.

By 2028, NASA plans to send a mission to Mars to retrieve samples collected by rovers and return to Earth. Student teams are challenged to build a rover and design a way to retrieve as much cargo as

Students will design paper gliders to develop an understanding of the principles of flight. This is a low-tech lesson that does not require extensive/expensive supplies. It can be scaled up or down

This lesson is a STEM performance task after the students learn how solar power and solar panels work. Students draw attention to solar energy, as it is not only helpful with our power systems but can

In this engaging lesson, students use their knowledge from the 2 previous lessons to design, draw blueprints, and build a load bearing bridge. Link to view all lessons is included!

In this engaging lesson, students explore different types of bridges and then practice building them with K'Nex sets. This is the 1st lesson in a series of 3. Link to view all lessons and helpful

In this hands-on lesson, students explore designing bridge prototypes with spaghetti to find weak points and redesign a new prototype. This is the 2nd lesson in a series of 3.

Classes will build three different types of rockets, guess which style will have the highest altitude, launch and calculate results based on right triangle math!

Students will design a balloon rocket. They will then create a fish line track for the rocket to follow. The track will be able to me modified to test different angles of ascent. This will allow

Understanding and studying energy transfer produced by molecules collisions can be difficult and abstract for them. To make it easier for them to visualize, creating a Newton's Cradle will help them

This multi-day activity is designed for introductory 5th grade STEM after school club. On Day 1, each student will build and test a simple roller coaster following the teacher’s instructions. Students

This multi-day activity is designed for introductory 5th grade STEM after school club. On Day 1, each student will build and test a simple straw rocket following the teacher’s instructions. Students

This multi-day activity is designed for introductory 5th grade STEM after school club. On Day 1, each student will build and test a simple straw rocket following the teacher’s instructions. Students

This multi-day activity is designed for an introductory 5th grade STEM after school club. On Day 1, each student will build and test a simple mousetrap car following the teacher’s instructions

In part 1 of this investigation, groups were challenged to design for speed and collect data to find the fastest car in the class. Using those designs, part 2 will test the mass of a car vs the power

This is the 3rd part of the lesson series where students will determine the thrust and stability of their water bottle rockets to answer their essential question: Using the Design Process how can we