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Saturday, November 9, 2019

STEM Challenges for Middle School Thanksgiving

Do your students like to make things and be creative in math? 
How do you have give students time to problem solve in math? 
Every year different students ask for projects or activities to do in class. This is the first year I have used STEM challenges. I've never used them before. Honestly I didn't know how they worked. Do they work?
Yes! I have found that there are STEM challenges that work. There are students that love to make and create. They are eager to build and work with other students on STEM challenges.

STEM Challenges for Middle School 

Students create, implement, and test their designs. The STEM challenges give students objectives to follow and guidelines to stay within. Any student can be successful with these STEM activities. Here are some STEM challenges to try this Thanksgiving. 

1. Students create Corn Mazes. 

Involving problem solving and area students have to create corn mazes. Students design, plan, and test their creations. This is a highly engaging activity for students who like to create and play. 

2.  Students build a Ship 

This is my favorite STEM challenge. Students have to create a ship from a design they are given or draw themselves. Using ratios, proportions, scale drawings, and problem solving to make their pictures come to life.

3. Design Thanksgiving Dinner Tables

Students create dinner tables for Thanksgiving with proportions and problem solving. They test their designs to hold turkey platters for Thanksgiving dinner. 

4. Construct Turkey Towers

This is my favorite STEM challenge. Students make turkey towers with ratios and rates. Solving problems for an equivalent ratio of turkey towers. Highly engaging, lots of fun, and who doesn't like mellowcrème pumpkins?

Thanksgiving STEM challenges are for students to make connections to math with the STEM process. Students will practice their problem solving skills in many different areas of math. They will enjoy making and learning. 


Click HERE to download the Thanksgiving STEM activities.



Happy Teaching!