Explain the Engineering Design Process: A Guide for Teachers
Imagine your classroom buzzing with the excitement of students tackling real-world problems, collaborating to brainstorm innovative solutions, and eagerly building prototypes to test their ideas. This is the reality of a STEM classroom! But it takes work to get there, and it starts teaching students how to solve problems. This guide will show you how […]
The Role of Criteria and Constraints in the Engineering Design Process
By Trilby Hillenbrand When students, engineers, or inventors start a new project, they are often excited to brainstorm ideas and create prototypes. However, one of the most important steps in the engineering design process is actually defining the problem. This means understanding what the problem is and figuring out the criteria and constraints that will […]
A STEM Curriculum to Inspire Middle School Scientists and Engineers
Are you seeking a comprehensive middle school STEM curriculum to captivate and motivate your students? Dive into our incredible bundle offering 30+ weeks of STEM lessons, activities, and projects designed to streamline your planning and inspire your future scientists and engineers.
The Importance of STEM Education for Middle Schoolers
STEM is a field that’s rapidly growing in importance in today’s job market. In fact, STEM careers are projected to grow 10.8% between 2021 and 2031, compared to just 4.9% growth for all other occupations (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). But here’s the catch: only 20% of US high school graduates are actually prepared […]
Creating Effective STEM Lesson Plans: Tips and Tricks
STEM education at its core is about applying science, technology, engineering and math skills and knowledge to solve problems. Therefore, the focus of STEM lesson plans should be on developing students’ problem-solving abilities. Therefore, STEM lesson plans usually consist of longer term projects where students are doing the majority of the work and teachers are […]
How to start a STEM program: 5 tips for your first weeks of school
The first few days of a new semester are always exciting, but they are also so important for creating the classroom culture and routines that will guide the rest of the school year. While some classroom procedures and routines can be used in any classroom, there are specific considerations for a STEM classroom. Whether you […]
Biomedical Engineering STEM Activity with Animal Prosthetics for Middle School
Exposing students to new career paths and showing them real-world applications is an important part of STEM class! Many students are surprised to learn that some engineers work with animals. In this biomedical engineering STEM activity, students are introduced to three animals, Bob the alligator, Bruce the parrot, and Snoopy the cat. Each potential client […]
Using Middle School Science Rubrics for STEM
Ever wonder what true success in STEM actually looks like? This question haunted me when I made the leap from teaching middle school science to STEM education. While science rubrics for middle school were familiar territory, STEM assessment was a whole new challenge. Here’s the thing: At its core, STEM education is about transforming students […]
Choosing a middle school STEM curriculum
In today’s rapidly evolving world, selecting the right middle school STEM curriculum is more crucial than ever. Our students need to be prepared for technology and engineering jobs that don’t exist yet – and that’s what makes STEM education so awesome! It builds students’ problem-solving skills that will benefit them in any future STEM career. […]
What are the steps of the engineering design process?
If you’re teaching a STEM class, the engineering design process will be one of the most important parts of your curriculum. But what exactly is it? And what are the steps of the engineering design process? Let’s dive into what it is and how you can effectively teach it to your students! What is the […]