How to Incorporate STEM in Elementary Classrooms

STEM is a popular topic in education discussions. STEM is not a new concept, but many instructors, parents and administrators are searching for ways to integrate these principles into the classroom to create a more enriching environment. Integrated STEM classrooms engage students with their studies by asking them to find new ways to reach conclusions, solve problems and complete hands-on activities to retain real-world concepts. 

Although STEM has a central focus, educators can bring STEM into the classroom in many ways and craft teaching principles to connect STEM with other core classes and materials. Check out our guide on STEM and STEAM and learn how you can use these concepts to foster curiosity, intrigue and interest in the classroom. 

Table of Contents

• What Is STEM and Why Is It Important?
• Benefits of STEM Education
• How to Use STEM in the Classroom
• Ways to Integrate STEM With Other Subjects
• 17 Resources for STEM Education
• STEAM — Integrating STEM With the Arts
• Browse STEM Planners

What Is STEM and Why Is It Important?

STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Schools use STEM to introduce students to valuable skills and knowledge they can apply to the real world. STEM fields are quickly growing, with mathematical science fields growing the fastest. Providing students with STEM education creates a well-rounded classroom that encourages projects and questions. 

STEM aligns with the way individuals problem-solve and work through their daily lives. Integrating STEM in the classroom can create a robust learning environment that allows students to apply the skills they learn to their future careers. 

Core components of STEM are:

• Addressing real problems
• Constructing a process
• Using math and science
• Allowing various approaches and solutions
• Encouraging creativity and innovation
• Involving collaboration and teamwork
• Using inquiry-based learning and teaching

Benefits of STEM Education

Most careers require some elements of STEM topics, even if it's just having a basic knowledge of mathematics. STEM education can improve students' understanding of these fundamental principles and how they merge with other subjects.

Some of the most common STEM education benefits include:

• Fosters a desire to learn: One of the most important aspects of STEM education is that it can ignite a student's interest and willingness to learn. With unique STEM resources, educators can create engaging and exciting lesson plans.
• Encourages creativity: STEM education provides a constructive learning format that encourages experimentation and creativity while learning. Students can learn how to solve problems in different ways and understand how unique elements of STEM topics are often related.
• Promotes technological literacy: Improving technological literacy is an important aspect for any student, as many modern jobs require a basic level of technical capabilities. STEM education can help prepare students to be more comfortable working directly with current and future technology.
• Stimulates Collaboration: While STEM education does value independent learning, it also promotes collaborative learning. Students learn from and alongside peers and work together to solve problems and understand core concepts.
• Teaches adaptation: Adaptation is an essential aspect of learning and can help students prepare for various scenarios. STEM educators can help teach students how to overcome potential problems, adapt to a situation and implement a solution.
• Promotes knowledge application: STEM education allows students to continue learning and applying their skills and knowledge to various tasks and applications.

How to Use STEM in the Classroom

Integrating STEM in the elementary classroom is an excellent way educators can transform the academic experience. When shifting to this focus, you should begin by explaining your expectations and using language that encourages students to explore topics and question conclusions. Get them to problem-solve in unique ways and experiment with interesting solutions to problems. 

STEM activities for elementary schoolers include:

• Pretending to sell an item: Encourage your students to make an item they can sell to other learners. Use fake money from a board game and split the funds evenly. Give your students an hour to trade, sell and barter with classmates. Through this activity, your students can experience supply and demand, loss, profit and advertising. 
• Building models: Whether you want to give your students hands-on experience with math or want to spark creativity in language courses, you can encourage them to build models. Using counting blocks, Legos or Lincoln Logs, you can teach learners to structure different shapes or design a solar system project for science classes.
• Crafting new ways to measure: You can encourage your learners to explore measurements by asking them to create a device to hold different objects. Present various objects like cotton balls, pencils, beads or other small classroom items. Then, give your students crafting supplies like sticks, glue, tape, string, cardboard pieces and anything else they want to use. Instruct them to make a sturdy device and test how much of each object it can hold. Afterward, explore concepts like mass, perimeter, volume and area so they can use their creativity to draw deep connections.
• Modifying current materials: Instructors can adjust aspects of their current curriculum to incorporate STEM practices. For instance, rather than teaching a science chapter solely through lectures, you can find a small experiment for students to complete. Teach photosynthesis by having each student grow a plant in the classroom. Encourage them to place their plants around the room and compare which plants grew the best once blooms start to sprout. 

Ways to Integrate STEM With Other Subjects

STEM encompasses more subjects than those in its name, and you can integrate STEM principles into your curriculum for every class in many ways. As you discuss new concepts, focus on real-world issues, provide hands-on activities, encourage students to find answers in more than one way and come up with collaborative activities that encourage students to interact with other ideas. When you implement the core principles above, you can create an integrated STEM classroom where your student thrive. 

Try these activities in your classroom:

• Blogging materials: You can get your learners to use technology and interact with others by prompting them to document their thoughts as they work through class texts and projects in history, literacy or art classes. They can create shared Google Docs to write their reviews or share videos detailing their feelings, and other classmates can comment on their work, adding to the discussion. 
• Crafting scenes: You can encourage students to create a shoebox model of their favorite scenes for reading and language classes. Ask them to gather materials at home or provide tons of utensils and supplies at school. Watch as they design people, draw animals, construct props and find fun ways to bring their mental pictures to life. 
• Constructing inventions: You can encourage history students to choose a time period and create an invention that would improve daily life. Students can work in teams to discuss what kinds of tools Native Americans, ancient Egyptians or Mesopotamian societies could have used to work and live. 

17 Resources for STEM Education

When creating a lesson plan or integrating a new activity into your curriculum, you may want to consider these STEM education resources.

1. EverFI

EverFI is an excellent website for state-of-the-art educational resources free of cost for students from kindergarten to grade 12. EverFI features a diverse resource library, spanning many important topics, including social-emotional learning, college and career readiness, financial education, health and wellness and much more.

2. Understanding Science

Understanding Science is a STEM resource from the University of California at Berkley that helps students understand how science really works by explaining scientific processes. This resource helps build foundational knowledge on how science works for primary, middle, high school and even undergraduate students. Browse the resource library for tutorials, articles and interactive features.

3. Rubistar

Rubistar allows educators to create rubrics for project-based learning experiences and activities. Choose from customizable rubrics for activities relating to math, science and other core subjects. Rubistar allows registered users to save and edit rubrics with access available online, at home and even while on the road.

4. Share My Lesson

Share My Lesson is an award-winning professional development community that the American Federation of Teachers created. This online resource provides in-depth teaching resources and best practices at no cost for educators. Share My Lesson offers resources for educators teaching students as young as pre-K up to high school.

5. NASA Educators

NASA Educators provides STEM resources for teachers looking to implement innovative teaching materials into their curriculum. Search for resources, tools, features sites and more by grade level and topic. NASA Educators can help teachers find exciting and informative resources to create an engaging lesson for students and drive a desire to learn.

6. NASA SCI Files

The NASA SCI Files is an Emmy-award-winning series of programs designed for elementary students that integrate technology, mathematics and science. These programs emphasize standards-based instruction, research, scientific inquiry and problem-based learning. Educator guides help to supplement these programs.

7. Nancy Clark's Awesome Science Teacher Resources

Nancy Clark is an experienced educator with over 35 years of experience. Nancy Clark's Awesome Science Teacher Resources are an excellent tool for middle school and high school science teachers looking to create an engaging learning atmosphere. Choose from unique worksheets, tests, activities and laboratory exercises to include in your lessons.

8. PBS Learning Media

PBS Learning Media has various free sources educators can search for by resource type, grade level and subject. Math- and science-related resources offer multiple options for introducing STEM concepts to students from kindergarten to grade 12. Resources from PBS Learning Media can complement an existing curriculum. 

9. National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is a STEM teaching tool that features a wide variety of free resources for educators and their classrooms. The searchable database can help educators find resources that complement their current science curriculum and engage and educate students in a fun, constructive format.

10. BrainPOP

BrainPOP is an excellent STEM education resource that provides educational animated movies for students in kindergarten up to grade 12. These animated movies can help explain concepts and nurture a stronger understanding of core subjects, including science, math, technology, English and health. BrainPOP strives to educate both children and adults in a fun, exciting way.

11. The Tech Interactive

The Tech Interactive is a hands-on technology museum with immersive exhibits to inspire young learners and their inner innovators. In addition to in-person activities, The Tech Interactive also offers educators virtual learning resources, including virtual labs and field trips. These resources can help you nurture the inner innovator and thinker in each student.

12. The JASON Project

The JASON Project is designed to connect students with researchers and scientists in real- and near-real-time, both in-person and virtually. Fostering relationships between researchers and students can provide an authentic and enriching science learning experience. These experts can mentor young students and discuss their shared love of knowledge.

13. Exploratorium

Exploratorium offers engaging resources exploring hundreds of different topics to create a fun, engaging learning environment. With over 650 art, human perception and science exhibits, Exploratorium is a STEM teaching tool that can help students learn in an exciting format that encourages continual growth and education.

14. Concord Consortium

The Concord Consortium is a useful STEM resource finder that filters scientifically accurate models and activities by resource type, grade level and STEM discipline. Educators can choose from materials designed for elementary students to higher grade levels. Bring out the inner scientist in your students with Concord Consortium.

15. How Stuff Works

How Stuff Works is a reliable STEM learning resource that provides clear and informative explanations of how everyday objects work. How Stuff Works is an exciting resource that helps teachers intrigue and engage students to learn more each day.

16. What Engineers Do

Uncover what it's like to be an engineer and understand the basic job functions an engineer is expected to perform. What Engineers Do can provide you with interesting information on the job outlook and prospects of engineers. This resource covers the working environment, salary, training and other relevant details related to working as an engineer.

17. The National Inventors Hall of Fame

The National Inventors Hall of Fame is an excellent resource that celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit and promotes creativity in students. This resource connects world-changing inventors with today's youth to foster learning through exhibits and presentations. Spark the creativity in your students and inspire their inner emerging creators.

STEAM — Integrating STEM With the Arts

Although STEM is an excellent foundation for students as they work through school and think about a future career, there is a fundamental piece missing that many want to see — art. As many instructors, students, employers and parents joined the STEM conversation, there became a shift to include the arts in the school curriculum. 

STEAM takes STEM to a new level by including elements of art practices, design and concepts in the classroom. This approach reduces some of the limitations people have presented about STEM by further focusing on wonder, innovation, inquiry and critique. 

STEAM balances assessments, standards and implementation, and these experiences capture at least two elements that work together to create a complete understanding. STEAM activities help strengthen soft skills like communication, leadership, professionalism and enthusiasm. Additionally, STEAM encourages cross-cultural competency as students interact with different perspectives to design innovative solutions and contribute to new discussions. 

Plan for STEM Teaching Principles With Success by Design

Success by Design has been crafting teacher and student solutions since 1988. We understand the importance of scheduling and organizing, so we've created unique planners that can make it easier. Our STEM planners get students thinking about their futures. With our STEM planners, your learners can experience long-term rewards, set goals and become acquainted with the demands they need to meet for their future careers. 

Students use our STEM planners to build confidence while they learn. Our elementary STEM planners have exciting features such as a question of the week, facts about a monthly topic and STEM Designations to explore subjects related to the monthly topic. 

Success by Design recognizes the importance of the arts in a well-rounded education, and all of our STEM planners incorporate the arts with traditional STEM subject matter, making them a perfect choice for a STEAM-based curriculum as well.

As you build an engaging classroom experience for your students, you can feel confident that they're exploring topics on their own too. Browse our STEM planners and encourage your students to explore their natural curiosity. 

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