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

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 project, students will create a professional blueprint of their real-life home. Students will then do research to find at least ten places in the home that impact the environment (positive or

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 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.

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

Students will be able to look at proportion and percentages of the Earth's layers. Students will research, get the percentages, and create a model of the layers of the Earth.

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 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

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

This lesson is about the rock cycle. Students will start by cutting and folding paper crystals. Then students review what they already know about rocks and the rock cycle. They use their understanding

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