STEM Instructional Materials
What’s for Lunch?
In this NGSS-aligned STEM storyline, students explore the physical and nutritional properties of different foods and engineer a healthy and yummy snack for their friends and families. This unit aids students in mastering the 5th grade Physical Science performance expectations for Structure and Properties of Matter (5-PS-1-1, 5-PS1-2, 5-PS1-3, and 5-PS-1-4).
Save our Turtles!
Set your students on a mission to help save the western pond turtles by first studying the ecosystems in which they thrive, and then designing solutions to help this species survive. This unit focuses on the NGSS Performance Expectations Bundle for 5th Grade Life Science (5-PS-3-1, 5-LS1-1, 5-LS2-1).
Why Won’t Our Blueberries Grow?
This NGSS-aligned STEM storyline, students embark on a mission to help preserve the Western Pond Turtle from extinction! Students study the ecosystem in which this endangered species thrives and come up with a plan to help reduce negative human impact on their survival! Students master the NGSS Life Science bundle for Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems (PEs 5-PS3-1, 5-LS1-1, and 5-LS2-1).
Where Did the Beach Go?
This NGSS-aligned STEM storyline unit strives to help students explore the 2nd grade NGSS standards bundle Earth’s Systems: Processes that Shape the Earth (2-ESS1-1, 2-ESS2-1, 2-ESS2-2, & 2-ESS2-3). Students make sense of the phenomenon of beach erosion and design a solution to help the residents of North Cove, WA.
Patterns in the Sky
This NGSS-aligned integrated storyline unit strives to help students explore the 1st grade NGSS standards bundle Space Systems: Patterns in the Sky (1ESS1-1 and 1-ESS1-2). Students learn about how changes in the sky affect the behavior and survival of different animals.
Inspired by Nature
This NGSS-aligned STEM Storyline helps students understand the concept of biomimicry and how humans can use the traits and behaviors of plants and animals to create solutions to many human-related problems. The unit addresses NGSS Life Science performance expectations (1-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2, 1-LS3-1).
Ecosystem Invasion
This NGSS-aligned STEM Storyline addresses the NGSS Life Science bundles for Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems (3-LS2-1, 3-LS4-3, and 3-LS4-4) and Inheritance and Variation of Traits: Life Cycles and Traits (3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-LS3-2, and 3-LS4-2). 3rd graders go on a mission to battle the local invasive species who are threatening the native species in their area!
Environments: Save the Pika!
This NGSS-aligned STEM Storyline focuses on the 4th grade NGSS bundle addressing Structure, Function, and Information Processing (Performance expectations 4-PS4-2, 4-LS1-1, and 4-LS1-2). Students go on a mission to create a campaign to help preserve the adorable (and threatened) Pika population who lives in the Columbia River Gorge.
What can we do in our community to preserve honey bee populations?
This Middle School OER Unit presents two MS NGSS Life Science topic bundles using the context of Bee Colony Collapse Disorder as an anchoring phenomenon.
Beyond Weather & Climate
This unit engages students in using real data, text, and inquiry to answer the question How does the weather in the Arctic, Antarctica, and [insert hometown] compare? Students investigate how scientists study the Earth’s climate while experiencing activities that integrate NGSS Standards for weather and climate with Common Core ELA Standards.