Subject: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
Lesson Length: 30 - 40 mins
Topic: STEM Careers
Grade Level: 4, 5
Standards / Framework:
STEM learning goals
Brief Description: Students will create a STEM superhero based on one of the components of STEM. Students will craft a scenario for their superhero based on their traits and area of expertise.
Know Before You Start: Experience with STEM challenges and lessons is beneficial, but not necessary.
Hook:
- What do the letters of STEM stand for?
- Have students use Post-It notes to jot them all down. When they’re finished, have them turn to a partner and compare their notes.
Activity:
-
Discuss the subject areas that comprise STEM.
-
How is science important in our everyday lives?
-
How does technology make our lives easier?
-
What do engineers do?
-
How do you use math in your everyday life?
-
How can math be used when you are doing something creative?
-
Brainstorm a list problems involving each of the four STEM disciplines.
-
Help students think about how a superhero might be helpful in these situations.
-
Share the sample comic. Talk about which STEM subject the hero is focused on and how they solved the problem.
-
Have students will create a STEM superhero comic. Students should include:
-
Name (something creative, interesting, and related to their STEM subject).
-
Character traits based on their STEM subject.
-
The problem the superhero is facing.
-
How the problem was solved.
Closure:
- Have students will share their superhero comic with a partner.
Differentiation:
- Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
- Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
-
Provide sentence stems when answering questions, e.g., "Science is important because ___."
-
Allow students to work with a peer model.
-
Provide STEM Superhero examples from which to choose.
Resources:
-
Comic to print or display: Comic.
-
Pictures of superheroes.
-
A short STEM video for students with no prior STEM knowledge: