September 19, 2018
Looking for a STEM lesson? With all the free lessons available online, it’s not easy to determine which ones are worth your time. Unless you spend hours in front of your computer, how can you tell if the lesson is designed by a credible, experienced educator? Never fear! We’ve found some of the best free STEM lesson sources.
Please let us know in the comments section below if you find other worthwhile STEM lessons online. Enjoy!
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
June 11, 2018
By Tina Brown
We first heard the term “STEM” several years ago. In May of 2013, the National Science and Technology Council introduced their five-year strategic plan. It was a 127-page report on how to strengthen American schools’ science, technology, engineering, and math education programs.
Essentially, the goal of this plan was to produce children who would eventually be competitive in an international job market. However, within a few years of the STEM hype, educators realized there was something missing.
The Missing Element in STEM
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
April 20, 2018
by Priscilla Robinson
Spring in the Pacific Northwest comes with a fanfare of germinating seeds, blossoming flowers, and budding trees. As a science educator, I like to jump on Mother Nature’s bandwagon to bring this burst of plant life into my classroom with a variety of biology experiments and activities. What your students see every day can bloom into teachable moments. These learning ideas will help you make the most out of the magic and science of spring.
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
April 13, 2018
By Cathy Byrne
Virtually all fourth grade students explore electricity and magnetism. As part of this unit, students are asked to do two things:
1 – Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents (4-PS3-2)
2 – Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another (4-PS3-4).
This year, the teachers at my school put a new twist on our electricity and magnetism unit… and the results were amazing!
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Posted by Donna Giachetti
March 23, 2018
by Priscilla Robinson
If you teach STEM, you’ll want to learn about the OneCar system.
The performance components in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have spawned many wonderful chances to explore STEM in the classroom. The STEM curriculum is based on the idea that an interdisciplinary, applied approach is the best way to teach students these four specific disciplines. When your students are searching for solutions to real-world problems, they are more engaged, and their learning is more authentic.
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Posted by Donna Giachetti