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Building Bricks STEM Challenge: Engage Young Minds Through Hands-On Learning

Do you have a bunch of building bricks or LEGO® blocks in your classroom? Are you looking for low-prep STEM stations for younger students? Check out our free Building Bricks Challenge Mats, a perfect way to introduce K-5 students to STEM! Read all the details including materials, set-up, and lesson plan to implement with your students.

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Incorporating Engineering Practices into Texas Science Classrooms

If you're a Texas educator, you’ve likely heard about the new science standards that now include engineering practices. But you might be wondering: What exactly are they, and how can you integrate them into your teaching?

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Brick by Brick: Intro to Criteria and Constraints

The world’s greatest superhero needs your help! Your mission is to create an exact replica of their top-secret headquarters. But there’s a catch: the villain has stolen all the blueprints! It’s time to put on your engineering hats, strategize with your team, and rebuild the superhero’s headquarters brick by brick. The fate of this mission depends on you—let’s get started!

The Brick by Brick: Intro to Criteria & Constraints lesson builds communication skills, increases understanding of the engineering design process, and is a great way to connect to authentic engineering work. Learn more below and find this lesson for FREE in our STEM resource library.

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Water STEM Activity: Design a Water Pipeline!

Water is one of the most vital resources on our planet, yet many students are unaware of the engineering marvels that ensure clean water reaches our taps daily. The water pipeline STEM challenge is an exciting way to introduce students to the crucial role of engineers in solving real-world problems while aligning with key educational standards.

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A Search for Life: Astro-Rover STEM Challenge

The Astro-Rover STEM Challenge is a classroom favorite, with many of my students calling it the highlight of their entire school year! What makes this space-themed unit unique is the way it blends science concepts and design thinking into one truly interdisciplinary package. The Astro-Rover STEM lesson, perfect for middle school classrooms, captivates students with the thrilling topic of alien life while aligning with key NGSS science standards, such as understanding how the presence of water can indicate potential for life.

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Earthquake-Resistant Structures STEM Project

Why do earthquakes happen? How can we protect people and buildings during an earthquake? These are just some of the questions students explore in the Earthquake 5E STEM challenge. In this challenge, students learn about earthquakes and how engineers design structures to be earthquake-resistant.

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Exploring National Parks with a STEM Challenge!

My most vivid family memories involved both travel and education. Not in a boring fashion, but super fun, “this will stick with me for the rest of my life” kind of way. Where did my traveling education occur? National Parks! And now, as an educator, I share my love for nature with a National Park project and STEM challenge. Read below for a semester unit on national parks that includes research, planning, budgeting, natural resources, and design through an experience that I hope will spark a sense of wonder and discovery for your students!

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A Teacher’s Guide to Science Fair

Are you a teacher responsible for running Science Fair this year? Not sure where to start? Read on for our Science Fair Guide: Steps to Success! This post includes the basics of Science Fair, our steps to success for teachers, a free science fair poster, a nature of science lesson, and links to real student Science Fair project examples.

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Best Free AI Tools for Educators

With the release of ChatGPT last year, teachers are still scrambling to catch up on the implications and potential of AI in our classrooms. While AI-generated essays and exams are a huge problem, in this post, we focus on all the benefits of AI for teachers! Read on for all the FREE AI tools that can help you improve lessons, support differentiation, ease administrative tasks, and give you some time back in your day. We also share 25 ChatGPT prompts for teachers!

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