Science Standards: https://www.education.ne.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Nebraska-Science-Standards_12-17-24-Update-002.pdf
Professional group National Science Teaching Association: https://www.nsta.org/
Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science: https://www.nebscinats.org/
When we look at the SEP's (Science and Engineering Practices) and CCC's (Cross Cutting Concepts) it would be hard to not insert the rest of STEAM and get results. These are half-baked ideas that could be used as assessments or as a way to strengthen the content the students are learning in class.
I got this list somewhere a long time ago but it gives phenomena-based activities for each grade. It is not my original creation. I wish I knew who to give credit to!
OpenSciEd!
I am a huge fan and proponent for OSE. Are you looking for an amazing curriculum? Are you ready to make a change? Do you want your students to do more of the heavy lifting in their thinking? Do you want quality units for FREE?! This is the program for you. No science program is 1000% perfect but this program is awesome. All of your DCI's SEP's and CCC's are covered in the lessons. At this moment middle school is 100% released but High school and elementary are on their tail. This curriculum is highly discussion-based, hands-on, and phenomena-centered. If you want to talk about it I can spend time doing that. I will give you the good, bad, and the ugly but I will tell you the truth.
This is a link to table flippers, SEP, DCI, CCC cards, and other pieces I use in my classroom like sentence starters.
Project ideas:
Build a website: here is an example of a student-made website https://loganjackson82.wixsite.com/website. Keep in mind I did not help him at all. Websites can be built with Wix, Weebly, and google and most likely many others.
Model an interaction using Sphero bolts: Did you know you can program a bolt to record crash data? Combine that with a sleigh and now you have a mass versus speed lab ready to go. Reading premade data is vital to understanding science and mathematics at this level. However, they can design the lab or you can give them the directions. You can use the premade data to supplement the class-gathered data and now you can compare and contrast. What are the variables that may have impacted their data?
Stars: Stars are a huge cultural piece in every culture, especially in the pre-technology age. In American history, you can find so many stories about how the stars were used to tell stories and predict seasonal changes. Bringing in the story piece is important to the variety of cultures we teach. Consider quilting in science as a STEAM activity. The quilt will allow mathematical, art, cultural, and science ties. Focus the pattern on the story the sky tells. If you have access to an embroidery machine consider using https://www.turtlestitch.org/ as a way to tell a story and code stitching. https://csdt.org/culture/quilting/index.html can be used for more quilting guidance.
Use Tinkercad to create a model: In OpenSciEd students are to make a blueprint of a sustainable palm oil farm. Why not build it in Tinkercad? Now you are using math three-dimensionally to show what they know.
Simulate pollination by bees using a drone: Have students build a flower garden from rolled paper flowers. Place the flower garden in the center of the area you are working in, and sprinkle in paper clips to act as pollen. Attach magnets and pipe cleaners to a drone. Have students fly the drone over to pick up pollen, if you have awesome drones program them to do it once run. Alternatively, glitter although evil and pom-poms can have a similar result if you don't have drone access.
Create a PSA: I know that sounds basic. It is unless you start to add parameters. Level it up! Use special effects like holding a spinning earth in your hand, add your own music from a garage band or code the music at code.org, and start pushing the envelope. Require a few things they could not do if they were just acting it out. The sky is the limit.
Rocks are everywhere: Journaling can be such a great asset. Take a community walk. First, go around town and find places that have specific types of rocks you are looking for. Make sure to scout this out ahead of time. Then take a walk to those places. While there have your students write out notice and wonders, and draw pictures of what patterns in the rocks they are seeing. When you return you could make a classification chart with pictures from your walk. Check out those cross-cutting concepts!
Nature Journaling: https://johnmuirlaws.com/ Journaling in any way shape or form could not be more of a STEAM activity if it tried! After all, I think it was Mythbusters that said something along the lines of the only difference between messing around and science is writing it down.
Soundwave ART: This is such a cool idea. If you have a 3D printer this can easily be done. If you do not let's talk so we can figure it out. You can record a sound wave in a program such as Audacity. For instance have students record their name, then use the sound wave they made and drop it into Tinkercad to make it 3 dimensional, set it into a base shape, then have them put their names into the base as well add a hole and voila they have a custom key chain. Do you like groups to be organized by color? This is perfect for you as well since PLA (filament) comes in so many colors.
These are awesome ideas that I haven't had time to write up just yet!
Use robots to show the displacement of an object
Use Sphero bolts/ mini to model the rotation and revolution of the earth and the moon.
Lightbox Science
red/black/green/blue pictures - uv light
Shrinky Dink
CD Prisms