Sunshine STEM

During the 1930's, people viewed wolves as dangerous and destructive animals and sought to remove them from Yellowstone National Park. This three-part informational text takes students on a journey from the wolves removal in the 1930s to their amazing return in the 1990s and the subsequent transformation of Yellowstone's present-day ecosystem. The ecological changes after their removal were widespread and evident. An excellent lesson about the power of nature's interconnections and the casca

A highly engaging NGSS aligned unit covering natural selection and adaptations. Students will enjoy the interesting reading passages based on scientific phenomena that are given as a central theme to each lesson. Reading comprehension questions are aligned with ELA standards. Also included are several fun, engaging activities that students will enjoy while gaining a deeper understanding of the content. Students sharpen their math skills by graphing data and analyzing results. Students also u

Students dive into the engaging informational text about Charles Darwin's journey to the Galapagos Islands where he found evidence of adaptation and evolution! Reading passage gives students background information about Darwin and the creatures he encountered on the islands that provided sound evidence of adaptation and evolution. Students complete comprehension questions after reading the text. Next, students construct a claim, evidence, reasoning (CER) based on Darwin's findings. Students a

Complete NGSS aligned unit covering 5-ESS23! Print and go packet OR Google slides includes everything you need with very little prep and materials! Save yourself time while engaging your students in NGSS! Unit includes everything from daily warm-ups to differentiated unit tests and everything in between! Google Slides includes terminology, beautiful color pictures, and engaging daily warm-ups. Also included is a station activity in which students form small groups to read about current enviro

Where would we be without bees? This engaging informational text explains the importance of bees in our world by continuing the cycle of pollination. Students first read the informational text before conducting a fun activity where they pollinate their own worksheets! Next, students answer comprehension questions about the text. Finally, students show their creative side by completing a graphic organizer with sketches of each step of the pollination process. This resource is part of the co

Let's start with the basics! Students define and discuss what ecosystems are in a structured lesson before watching a video with tons of great information. Students complete a video work page as they watch to capture important information about ecosystems. Next, students take guided notes on the basic parts of an ecosystem before applying what they learn with a picture activity. Students draw a picture of the basic parts of ecosystems WHERE THEY LIVE before discussing as a group. Finally, st

Two complete NGSS aligned units covering 5-ESS2 and 5-ESS3! Print and go packets for each unit includes everything you need with very little prep and materials! Save yourself time while engaging your students in NGSS! Units include everything from daily warm-ups to differentiated unit tests and everything in between! ⭐⭐ Now with bonus activity from my new ecosystems unit! ⭐⭐ Earth’s Systems and Interactions unit – Unit chapters include:• What is a system? • Earth’s systems • The atmosphere • Th

⭐⭐Now available in print OR Google Slides! ⭐⭐ Highly engaging and collaborative! Students rotate through six stations to learn about amazing and diverse environmental efforts happening around the world. Each station has an informational text to read as well as pictures of the efforts. Graphs and charts accompany some of the stations for students to analyze. After reading the text, students answer comprehension questions before evaluating the overall effectiveness of t

A close read of two informational text passages regarding wind and coal energy. Students read both texts, underlining words that they are unfamiliar with. Next, students choose two words from each passage to find the definition for and write in the margins of the passages. Next students complete a graphic organizer comparing and contrasting the two energy sources before evaluating which source is more beneficial. This product is aligned is part of a full NGSS aligned unit Earth and Human Ac

Introduce ecosystems to your students in a fun and engaging way! Students begin the project by creating three questions about ecosystems that they may have before turning to a partner to discuss. Together they create a definition of an ecosystem before whole-class discussion. Next, students look up the definitions of biotic and abiotic before observing an ecosystem picture to identify the different parts of the ecosystem. Next, students are introduced to the six major types of ecosystems by mat

Earthquake! One amazing resource covering TWO NGSS standards! Students will enjoy this fun and engaging resource all about earthquakes which is broken down into two different parts. Print and go with very little prep makes this NGSS standard a breeze! Part 1 - Students use the packet for guided research: Research topics include: What causes an earthquakeWhat to do during an earthquakeHow are buildings designed to withstand an earthquakeresearch a famous earthquake in history After students c

JUST PRINT AND GO! Energy pyramid stations and poster project is a highly engaging and fun way to cover NGSS standard 5-LS2 - Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics! Students collaborate in groups as they move through six different stations. Each station provides students with an easy-to-read informative passage about one part of the energy pyramid along with diagrams or illustrations. Students complete a booklet page for each station as well as color and draw examples on their energy p

This interactive resource is designed to introduce elementary students to the fascinating world of patterns found in nature. The journey begins with an introduction to common patterns in found nature like symmetry, spirals, waves, and tessellations, paired with student practice to solidify understanding. A video link guides students through a creative tessellation project, combining art with learning. Students then step outside to explore and identify real-life examples of patterns in their surr

Introduce ecosystems to your students in a fun and engaging way! Students begin by creating three questions about ecosystems before turning to a partner to discuss. Together they create a definition of an ecosystem before a whole-class discussion. Next, students look up the definitions of biotic and abiotic before observing an ecosystem picture to identify the different parts of the ecosystem. Next, Ecosystems Poster Project introduces students to the six major types of ecosystems. Students are

Hit three NGSS standards in one bundle! 5-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics 5-ESS1-2 Earth's Place in the Universe 5-ESS3 Earth and Human ActivityAll three station resources are designed for collaborative, student centered learning in an engaging and fun way! Very little prep or materials needed for all of the resources in this bundle! Energy pyramid stations and poster projectA highly engaging and fun way to cover NGSS standard 5-LS2 - Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and

⭐⭐NOW IN GOOGLE SLIDES!⭐⭐ Introduce your students to amber and how scientists are using amber to unlock the mysteries of dinosaurs and the ancient world. Students read an informational text about where amber comes from, how it traps specimens, and how a quarter-sized piece of amber found in a far-off marketplace held many answers to a growing debate; did dinosaurs have feathers? After students read the informational text, they answer comprehension ques

Ecosystem game is designed to illustrate the different factors that can change ecosystems in both positive and negative ways. Students choose one of four cute game pieces to move through the game board. Who will be the first to cross the finish line? This resource comes with game board, spinner, 4 game pieces, 27 environmental factor cards, student direction and objective sheet and teacher directions. Everything you need to give your students a fun learning experience. Use during testing

Fun and collaborative game that teaches students a hard lesson about conserving resources! Students work in groups of four to harvest a resource (goldfish crackers) in order to feed their families. The game teaches students to think about their own needs while making sure the resource does not run out! Student groups play two rounds, learning very quickly that resources must be taken with care. This activity is part of the full NGSS aligned unit Earth and Human Activity

During a two-month period in the spring of 2020, 350 elephants were found dead in the country of Botswana. The beginning of 2021 saw another 39 elephant deaths in the same region. What change or changes to the environment is killing these elephants? Scientists are not yet convinced of the cause, but several theories have emerged. ⭐ Students read the story of the Botswana elephants which includes the five major theories of how they died. Students partake in a quick activity where they plot severa

Two amazing activities to engage your students in environmental science! Very little prep and a few inexpensive grocery store items is all you need to fascinate your students while they learn important concepts related to resource conservation. Mining for resources A fun, engaging and collaborative activity that allows student groups to act as a chocolate chip resource company! The purpose of this activity is for students to understand the difficulty of mining earth's resources without destr