STEM Lesson Plans

In this lesson, students create paper rockets and measure the distance launched. Students are using the engineering design process and get to modify their design in order to increase the distance

Students will learn about kinetic and potential energy and how energy transfers. They will use that knowledge in order to collaborate with peers to create a roller coaster that will demonstrate this

This multi-day activity is designed for an introductory 4th grade STEM after school club. It can be easily modified for whole classes and for lower and upper grade levels. The activity has students

In this lesson, students focus on the engineering design process to help them design, build, and test a functional bow and arrow system like the character Brian Robeson in the book "Hatchet". Students

This is the culminating activity of the 8 part lesson series on simple machines. Students will put together everything they have learned about each individual simple machine to create a complex chain

In this lesson students will: Identify screws in our world; Discuss how screws make work easier; Plan and construct an Archimedes Screw Provide and receive feedback through peer critiques

In this lesson students will: Identify wedges in our world; Discuss how wedges make work easier; Plan and construct a canoe of their own design that incorporates a wedge shape to make it more

In this lesson students will: Identify wheels and axles in our world; Discuss how wheels and axles make work easier; Plan and construct a wind powered care of their own design that uses wheels and

In this lesson, students will: Identify levers in our world; Discuss how levers make work easier; Plan and construct a catapult that uses a lever Provide and receive feedback through peer critiques

In this lesson, students will: Identify inclined planes in our world; Discuss how inclined planes make work easier; Plan and construct a marble maze of their own design that uses inclined planes

In this lesson, students will: Identify pulleys in our world Discuss how pulleys make work easier Plan and construct an elevator of their own design that incorporates a pulley Provide and receive

This lesson serves as the introduction to an 8 lesson series or unit on simple machines. This series will present dozens of activities to introduce your students to simple machines, culminating in the

Students will use engineering, art, science, and 21st century skills to create a support system to keep Santa safe on Christmas while delivering gifts down the chimney!

This is part 2 of a two part lesson called Sailing Down the Road. In this lesson students will design a sail that can successfully catch the wind and cause their cardboard car (from part 1) to drive

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

Students will use engineering skills, critical thinking, math and balance, and collaboration to build a home for a visiting Hedgehog. The materials are straws, string, wooden blocks, material/fabric

Students will build a bridge out of toothpicks or craft sticks by using gum drops, marshmallows, and/or wood glue. The purpose is to have it stay upright between two chairs without breaking. Students

"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

This lesson is part four of four lessons, which culminates in the flight of drones built by the students. Lesson 4: FLY focuses on the controller pairing and functions, troubleshooting possible

This lesson is part three of four lessons, which culminate in the flight of drones built by the students. Lesson 3: Max Axiom, STEM Adventurer focuses on commercial, scientific, and government drones

This lesson is part two of four lessons, which will culminate in the flight of drones built by the students. Lesson 2: Harmony focuses on how stakeholders work together to ensure safety, mobility, and

This lesson is part one of four lessons, which will culminate in the flight of drones built by the students. Lesson 1: SOAR focuses on social-emotional learning (SEL), noticing and wondering, and the

For this lesson, students will learn about simple machines (wheel and axle). They will learn what they are and how they work. The students will then use criteria and constraints in order to

Students will understand the concept and properties of buoyancy and density, through a hands-on exploration with the Lakeshore Design and Play STEAM Kit Boats by assembling boats using a foam hull