Posts filed under: How-To

Free STEM Bell Ringers and STEM Sub Plans

Your STEM activity has come to an end and another class is waiting outside your door. There are zero minutes to prep. How do you buy yourself a few moments...

How to Teach the 4 Cs of Engineering – Fast & Free

You know the 4 C’s of engineering are creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Your students know it too. But getting students to identify the 4 C’s and getting them...

For Parents New to Homeschool

These last few weeks have been trying for all of us. Teachers have been thrust into strange new territory with distance learning, and parents received an unexpected new job of...

Teaching Students to Persevere During STEM Challenges

Be honest — have you ever been profoundly irritated or disappointed in how quickly your students give up when things get tough during a STEM Challenge? Have you lamented their...

3 Mistakes Teachers Make with STEM Challenges and How to Fix it Fast

I’ll be the first to admit that my first few STEM Challenges were a bit of a disaster. Chaotic, constantly running out of time, high frustration levels, and so many...

Which STEM Challenge Materials are Best?

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “What STEM Challenge materials should I have in my classroom?”   While most STEM Challenges come with a recommended materials...

You Do Have the Time to Do STEM Challenges Right

In the last year or so,  I’ve seen an increasing number of requests in social media groups I’m part of for STEM Challenges that can be done in 5 minutes....

Science-Themed Crafts Are Not STEM Challenges

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I enjoy crafts. I mean no disrespect to craft-lovers, but  science-themed crafts are NOT STEM Challenges.   Period. Hard stop. End...

The Struggle Isn’t the Problem, It’s the Point

I know the feeling. You planned a fun STEM Challenge and it’s going to be a great day! You envisioned students hard at work, excelling in their designs, topped off...

STEM Challenge Assessments

I have resisted the topic of assessing STEM Challenges for a long time. I get a worry-headache from the thought of undermining certain goals through excessive assessment. But after a...
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