What is STEM?

Free to teach as-is — the teacher guide, student handout, and slides are included.

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Objective

I can describe the purpose and process of STEM.

Part 1 of 4

Warm-up video

Crash Course Kids · 4:30Vetted channel

We don't generate video — this one is by Crash Course Kids on YouTube. The practice questions and exit ticket below were drafted by AI for this objective, and every question is editable in the teacher guide.

Part 2 of 4

Key concepts

3 concepts

  1. 1

    An engineer is someone who designs and builds things like machines, systems, or structures to solve a specific problem.

  2. 2

    When working, engineers ask themselves: What is the problem? Who has the problem? And why is the problem important to solve?

  3. 3

    Henry Ford, a mechanical engineer, made cars more affordable, and Marissa Mayer, a software engineer, is the president of Yahoo.

Part 3 of 4

Practice

10 questions

1

What is the main job of an engineer?

2

Name three important questions an engineer should ask when starting a project.

Part 4 of 4

Exit ticket

Quick comprehension check

Name one type of engineer mentioned in the video and describe a problem that type of engineer might solve.

Sample answer included in the free materials

Get the materials

Teacher guide, student handout, and slides — free, in Google Docs format

  • Teacher Guide

    Complete lesson plan with answer keys and alternate activities

  • Student Handout

    Printable worksheet

  • Slides

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