Back to School STEM Challenge Activities: 1:1 PAPERLESS Version

Back-to-School STEM / STEAM challenges are a great way to build community, establish procedures, and get to know how your kids tick! Plus, they’re a great intro to forces and interactions and Newton’s three laws of motion, which are part of 3rd, 5th grade and middle school NGSS standards! (3PS2-1, 5PS2-1, MS-PS2-1, and MS-PS2-2)

The basic premise:

Students work in partners or groups against criteria & constraints lists to design and build solutions to design challenges using symbols of the season: apples and school supplies! Modification suggestions are included to make these challenges engaging and productive for students in grades 2 - 8.

Bring the joy back to your classroom with collaborative, hands-on, brain-busting work (disguised as fun)!

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Note: This version is for use with Google Slides in 1:1 / paperless classrooms. If you prefer to print and have students complete work with paper/pencil, you'll want to look at the PRINTABLE VERSION instead.

If you have questions about which version is right for you, please feel free to leave me a question using the product Q&A below.

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There are five STEM design challenges included in this bundle:
⭐ Back to School STEM Challenge: Apples Aloft 1:1 PAPERLESS
⭐ Back-to-School STEM Challenge: Apples Afar 1:1 PAPERLESS
⭐ Back-to-School STEM Challenge: Apple Annihilator 1:1 PAPERLESS
⭐ Back-to-School STEM Challenge: Apple Ally 1:1 PAPERLESS
⭐ Back-to-School STEM Challenge: Apples A-head 1:1 PAPERLESS

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Materials you’ll need to do the activity are easily modified. Materials lists can be found in the product descriptions for each individual challenge linked above.

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Resource includes:

• Overall STEM Tips
• Suggestions on timing and whether or not to treat these challenges as competitions
• What to say (and what not to say) during STEM Challenges
• 5-event Data Tracker (Google Slide format & printable version)
• NGSS aligned standards, Grades 2 – 8

Teacher Tips

• Links to STEM Challenge How-To videos
• Materials and timing
• Criteria & Constraints (including modifications to increase difficulty for older students)
• Measuring results
• Post-design extension activities list
• Link to a video walk-through of each challenge

Student Slides

• Criteria & Constraints List (editable version provided)
• Design Analysis
• Discussion Questions

Extension slides

• Process Flow Map
• Create & Solve Math Problems Based on Designs
• Several video / website slides for broadening understanding of forces & motion
• Plus, other design-specific extensions (see each individual challenge resource description page for more details)

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Benefits of this STEM Design Challenge:

• Focus on critical thinking, problem solving, and application of learning
• Helps students develop growth mindset traits like persistence and resilience
• High levels of student engagement
• The potential to hit upon all NGSS ETS standards depending on the depth and number of iterations you choose to implement in your classroom (modifications included)
• Highly flexible and differentiated for materials, timing, grade levels, and rigor.

Each design iteration should be planned for ~60-90 min. if you are including data gathering and analysis rather than just building for fun. If you add extension activities, you will need to adjust timing accordingly.

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Related Products:

⭐ Analyze and Interpret Data Unit

⭐ Back to School STEM Challenge Activities Bundle

⭐ Getting Started with STEM Challenges: FREEBIE

⭐ Halloween STEM Challenges: 5-in-1 Bundle_Paperless 1:1 Version

⭐ Planetopia Project STEM Challenge Bundle - PAPERLESS VERSION

⭐ Build a Boat STEM Challenge Mini Bundle - PAPERLESS

⭐ Summer / End of the Year STEM Challenge Bundle PAPERLESS

⭐ STEM Challenges: Year-Round Mega Bundle PAPERLESS VERSION

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Please check out the preview to see the challenge, and don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions!

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