STEM in the Middle Years provides a summary of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and describes various hands-on activities that can encourage STEM learning for middle years students. It defines STEM as more than just content areas, but a transdisciplinary approach focusing on skills like collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. A variety of low-cost activities are presented, such as building structures from cards or straws, designing containers to keep ice cubes frozen, and programming robots. The goal is for students to engage in the engineering design process of asking, imagining, planning, creating, evaluating, and improving.

1. STEM in the Middle Years
EarthEd Centre, Ballarat
Activities that encourage science,
technology, engineering and maths
learning

2. What is STEM?
• The acronym stands for Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics, but it is more
then the sum of its parts
• Not just a collection of content areas, but a
transdisciplinary approach that provides
authentic contexts for modern learning
• The focus is on developing skills such as
collaboration, critical thinking, creativity,
problem solving and effective communication

4. The STEM process
• Ask – Research, define the problem, what’s
the brief?
• Imagine – Generate ideas, brainstorm
• Plan – Choose a solution
• Create – Construct and develop a prototype
• Evaluate – test and troubleshoot
• Improve – Refine and adjust
• Communication - Results

5. STEM activities
• STEM activities can range from very simple,
low-cost, low tech (for example, cardboard,
paper or plastic straw construction) to high-
tech gadgetry such as 3D printing, robotics
and drones.
• You don’t need a state-of-the-art MakerSpace
or expensive electronic equipment to start
making!

6. Geodesic sphere
• A geodesic structure is
strong, light and based
on triangles.
• Challenge students to
create a dome or
sphere using just plastic
straws.

7. Tallest structure from playing cards
• Which team can
construct the tallest
structure using just
playing cards and no
tape, glue or other
fixings?
• The world record is 7.71
metres!
• https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=fgrJuW_u
KgI

8. Spaghetti marshmallow challenge
• How tall can you make a
tower from just
spaghetti and
marshmallows?

9. Paper chair for teddy
• Using only paper and
tape can you build a
chair that supports a
stuffed toy?

10. Paper aeroplane
• Using an A4 page, fold a
paper plane
• Decide what is the
‘best’ paper plane – is it
the one that flies the
furthest or the highest?
• Test and improve

11. Bridge Challenge
• How much weight can a
bridge bear?
• What is the span
length?
• There are four types of
bridge – beam, arch,
suspension and
cantilever.

12. Bridge Challenge
A bridge challenge can be suitable for a variety
of ages and take from 15 minutes to many days!
• Icy-pole sticks and glue (from 50 to unlimited)
• Straws and skewers
• Spaghetti and marshmallows
• Playing cards and tape
• Paper and string

13. Shadow puppets

14. Ice cube challenge
• Design a container to
keep an ice cube frozen
for the longest time.

15. Car launch
• How far can you get a
model car to travel
without pushing it or
applying external force?
• Use ramps and gravity
to launch your vehicle.
• Measurement, ordering
decimals, angles, forces

16. Marble Drop
• Design a maze for
marble or table-tennis
ball
• Can be attached to the
wall

17. Rube Goldberg
Machines
• Unnecessarily complex
devices that achieve
simple tasks, often
involving domino falls,
rolling balls, ramps,
tubes, levers and
wheels.

19. Create a Hologram

20. 3D Google Glasses – Virtual Reality

21. Soft Circuits

22. Wearable Tech
• Clothing and accessories with integrated
circuits
• FitBits, light-up shoes, GPS in AFL, smart
watches
• Smart helmets that monitor heart-rate etc
• Boxing gloves that track performance
• Backpacks with inbuilt solar panels
• LEDs and sensors on your fingernails

23. 3D printing
• Useful for custom design, such as prosthetics
and prototypes.
• Students can use programs such as Google
SketchUp to create their designs and then 3D
print them in plastic.
• “Moat Boat” is a challenge to make your
rubber-band powered boat travel the longest
distance.

25. Moat Boats
3D printed paddle
boats – how far can
a boat powered by a
rubber band travel?

27. Robotics
• Kibo – early years
• BeeBots and BlueBots - primary
• Sphero – rolling robots
• Ozobots – tiny light-sensing robots
• Dash and Dot – programmable with drag-and-
drop coding

32. ‘Sphero’ rolling
robots

33. Drones
Can you control
a drone?

34. Makey-Makey

41. Coding Resources
• https://code.org/
• Hour of Code: https://code.org/learn
• Unplugged:
https://code.org/curriculum/course2/1/Teach
er
• Computer Science Unplugged:
http://csunplugged.org/
• Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/