TEACHING RESOURCES

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STEAM & PBL LESSON RESOURCES

Performance Assessment Task Bank: Mathematics

Performance Assessment Task Bank: NGSS

Science / Granada Hills Materials Science Center

The Granada Hills Science Center houses the science materials that can be checked out by teachers of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

‎Everyone Can Create Video‎Professional & Technical · 2018

iMovie & Clips

Students can create informative PSAs and other short videos to demonstrate their understanding of STEAM learnings.

[Expeditions] - List of Available Expeditions

10 Fun LEGO Math Ideas - Learning LiftoffBuild, play, and learn with these fun LEGO math activities!

Totally Awesome Lego Math ActivitiesThese LEGO math activities are perfect for counting, grouping, patterns, adding, subtraction, symmetry, and other vital math skills to early learners.

LEGO Mechanimals

After reading the book or watching the video, students design their own Mechanimal using LEGO bricks. Then describe and explain - their Mechanimal and its role on the farm through a presentation where they take pictures and insert into a Google Slide presentation, write on a Google Doc, etc.

Arts Integration Lesson PlansFREE STEAM & ARTS INTEGRATION Lesson Plans These free arts integration lessons are a perfect way for you to get started with arts integration and STEAM, or to enhance

National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA.gov brings you the latest news, images and videos from America's space agency, pioneering the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research.

What's Up - August 2019In the August sky, look for the "shooting stars" of the annual Perseid meteor shower for some stargazing delights.

Free NGSS Curriculum Resources, Simuations and Models

InteractionsStudents explore how interactions of matter and energy at the atomic level explain phenomena across physics, chemistry, and biology.

Plate Tectonics

PLATE TECTONICS

The Plate Tectonics module "What will Earth look like in 500 million years?" helps students build a systems view of plate tectonics through focused case studies and interactions with the Seismic Explorer and Tectonic Explorer models. As students explore data about plate boundaries on Earth today, they make connections to what happened in Earth's past. Finally, they use their understanding of how Earth's plate system exists today to make predictions about what Earth may look like in 500 million years.

STEM Resource Finder | Concord ConsortiumThe STEM Resource Finder is a collection of the Concord Consortium's best resources for science, math, and engineering education. Our curated collections offer lesson plans and units for your class based on these resources. All for free!"

New Study Shows the Impact of PBL on Student AchievementResearchers in Michigan show that project-based learning in high-poverty communities can produce statistically significant gains in social studies and informational reading.

Roller Coaster Physics: STEM in ActionFifth graders in Donna Migdol's class work collaboratively to create a roller coaster with the longest ride so that a marble can get to end of the roller coaster without falling off. The class begins by "chiming," talking about their design ideas and building off of each other's thoughts. After discussing their plans, students construct individual sketches of their roller coasters. The groups then come together to discuss their ideas, construct group sketches, and make computer simulations of their roller coasters.

STEM Design Challenge: Edible CarsSeventh graders in Beth Manning's science class work in collaborative groups to design and construct edible cars. They begin by sketching plans for their cars and figuring out which foods they will use and how they will put the foods together. The groups then get the appropriate materials and construct their cars, testing and redesigning as necessary. All of the groups come together to put their cars to the test and participate in a car contest. The groups compete to see who constructed the fastest car and who constructed the car that traveled the longest distance past the finish line.

Experimenting with STEM: The Barbie Bungee JumpEighth grade teacher Patrick Roda has students apply their knowledge of the line of best fit to design successful bungee jumps. He tells students that they will test their bungee jumps in the stairwell, with the goal of getting Barbie as close to the ground as possible without touching the bottom step. Patrick has his students begin by constructing a bungee with two rubber bands, attaching a Barbie, and measuring how far the Barbie falls. Students add more rubber bands, perform multiple trials, and record their results in a table.

Applying STEM: The Brain Safety ChallengeAs part of a unit on neuroscience, 6th graders in Channa Comer's class work in teams to design football helmets to protect against brain injury. Using eggs to model the brain, groups design helmets that will keep the egg from cracking. Channa takes her class through the steps that engineers use when working on a design, from brainstorming to final testing. The students work within two constraints: the helmet has to stay on the head and the helmet has to prevent the skull from cracking. After the groups work together to design helmets, they test, revise, and retest their designs as necessary.

The Heat Loss Project: A STEM ExplorationIn this lesson, 6th grade teacher Lawrence Perretto blends STEM and Project Based Learning by having his students construct model homes to explore how thermal energy moves. Students use iPads and thermometers to gather data about their model homes and determine how to make their homes more energy efficient. Lawrence gives his students a variety of materials to construct insulation with. After insulating their model homes, students conduct more thermal testing. Lawrence concludes the lesson by asking students reflection questions about what they learned through this project.

Fun with STEM: The Catapult ProjectAfter designing and constructing catapults, 7th graders in Zara Acosta's class determine which variables affect the accuracy of their catapults. Zara starts the lesson with a "Smath Starter," asking students to discuss what variables they were thinking about. Students then launch their catapults, thinking about how the results of their catapults are affected by both controllable actions and the designs of their catapults. In their notebooks students design data tables to determine how often their projectiles are landing in the center, first ring, and second ring of the target.

How Can We Survive on Mars?A fifth-grade project-based learning unit harnesses excitement about Mars to develop science, math, engineering, and literacy skills.

How Can We Successfully Land a Rover on Mars?The classic egg drop experiment gets reinvented as a driving question for physics students to explore a real-world problem.

Project-Based Learning and the Research PaperStudents take responsibility for their learning and develop solutions for complex problems when their research paper becomes a PBL unit.

Career-Focused PBLA school district uses project-based learning to introduce students to a variety of careers starting in kindergarten.

Summer Planning for PBLLow-stress ideas for revising your project-based learning curriculum before you head back to the classroom.

Projects That Have Been Put to the TestA team of researchers created and tested four social studies units that improved achievement among students in high-poverty schools. See how they did it—and download their curriculum.

What is The Power of Discovery: STEM2?

The Power of Discovery – STEM2 is an important new effort to build on the JumpStarting STEM pilot that will support the power of schools and community‐based organizations to expand learning opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for young people in California.

STEM-Works

Welcome to STEM-Works, a resource for teachers, mentors, parents, STEM professionals, volunteers, and everyone passionate about getting children eager to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math.

http://stem-works.com/

PBS Design Squad

Use DESIGN SQUAD GLOBAL hands-on activities and videos in classrooms and afterschool programs, in libraries and museums, at events and at home, along with our newest resource DESIGN SQUAD GLOBAL CLUBS that connect 10- to 13-year-olds in out-of-school programs around the world.

http://pbskids.org/designsquad/

Teach Engineering

TeachEngineering is a searchable, web-based digital library collection populated with standards-based engineering curricula for use by K-12 teachers and engineering faculty to make applied science and math come alive through engineering design in K-12 settings.

https://www.teachengineering.org/

Teaching STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) in elementary school could be even more promising than teaching STEM.

EiE Curriculum Units

20 hands-on engineering design challenges! Choose the EiE unit that complements the science topics you teach.

You can use EiE curriculum units at the same time as your science units—or afterwards. Browse the units below to see which EiE units will work best in your classroom.

http://www.eie.org/eie-curriculum/curriculum-units

Example LessonsThe example lessons are designed to help promote learning and application of the 8 science practices. The example lessons span various grades and science topics. The site includes 3 type of...

Module 18 - Reuse STEAM - CCSESA Arts InitiativeK-6 teachers with an understanding of Common Core will explore STEAM through the lens of creative reuse while focusing on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to inspire K-6 students to look critically at their environment.

PBS Kids Design Squad

During genius hour students of all levels are empowered to explore their own passions. Discover how to transform your classroom into a place where students want to come in and learn.

http://cybraryman.com/geniushour.html

VIDEO TEACHING RESOURCES

Formative Assessment in Action Video Series

The Formative Assessment in Action video series features California members of the Digital Library State Network of Educators (SNE) demonstrating formative assessment strategies in their classrooms.