STEM Lesson Plans

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

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.

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 part one of this two-part lesson series, students will learn about (or review) the force of push and pull and how this applies to energy transfer. Students will gain an understanding of these

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

Students will use engineering, art, technology, and 21st century skills to create Halloween costumes for their Sphero robots. Costumes will be showcased in a Halloween parade where students will code

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

Students are tasked with using the Engineering Design Process Steps to design the bedroom of their dreams in this engaging lesson. Students will use mathematics (perimeter, measurement, area) when

Students are tasked with using the Engineering Design Process to create a system of harvesting rainwater to meet the needs of residents in communities that have a scarce water supply (shortage of

With this lesson, students work in teams and are tasked with creating and designing a greener/cleaner city that has a minimum of 20 green/clean sustainable features. In order to engineer this, the

Students will compare and contrast homes and technology from 50 years ago to the present day. Students will design a SMART home gadget that can be implemented into SMART homes of the future.

In this lesson, students explore geometric concepts such as shapes, angles, and symmetry. They apply engineering and design principles to create structures using Magna-Tiles. This gives students an

In this lesson students will combine their understanding of art and engineering to create their own twist on the famous Jeff Koons balloon sculptures. The students will then write an Artist statement

Students will use the engineering design process to complete 3 challenges. Each challenge gathers data and collects their engineering changes necessary to complete the challenge.

Students will be divided into 6 groups, one for each of the major systems in the human body, and create a presentation to share with the rest of the class.

Students will focus sunlight through a pinhole onto a sheet of paper. Knowing the distance between the projection and the pinhole allows students to calculate the diameter of the Sun using ratios.

Imagine being stranded in the wilderness, far away from civilization, with nothing but your wits and a hatchet. You have to find a way to survive, to protect yourself from the elements, and to create

"Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen is a novel about a young boy named Brian Robeson who is stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. While the book doesn't explicitly teach STEM principles, it

In this lesson students will discover the best angle that will produce the fastest speed for a hot wheel vehicle when traveling 1 meter. Students will also practice calculating speed (speed=distance