Working in an environment where I'm not given up-to-date curriculum materials has been a struggle. Students crave new and interesting ways to learn and I've been forced to find all of these materials on my own. I spent over 80 hours this summer learning about and putting together Engineering Learning Cycles for my third graders.
My students have come to love Science this year!
We've done tug of wars, explored and observed on the playground, built our own playgrounds with Legos to learn about force, motion and predicting future motion. The students loved it! They had no idea they were learning reading skills, cooperative learning skills, math, science and engineering practices all in one unit!
State testing has become too much of a focus in schools these days. Learning can get boring, rigorous and tough, especially in elementary school. Kids still need to be kids. They need to get their hands on things. They love to explore and experiment. They need to be engaged and love what they are learning. I want them to love not just science, but all subjects, especially when they're integrated together.
My Project
The Picture Perfect STEM lessons are pre-created lessons that begin with fiction and non-fiction texts. The students will learn about a topic through the book and investigate it further with math, science and engineering practices.
I have fallen in love with this process and I've watched my students fall in love with it, too!
Without these lessons and books, I am forced to come up with all of this on my own. This resource allows me to use lessons that already hit third grade Common Core Standards in math, science, reading and writing. With these books, the students will learn to make connections across disciplines. When working on a unit, rather than a stand-alone lesson, the students can build connections, become more engaged and better understand concepts when applying them to real life situations.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
An Ambush of Tigers: A Wild Gathering of Collective Nouns (Millbrook Picture Books)
• Amazon Business
$15.59
1
$15.59
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia (Millbrook Picture Books)
• Amazon Business
$15.39
1
$15.39
The Inventor's Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford
• Amazon Business
$13.67
1
$13.67
Orion and the Dark
• Amazon Business
$13.59
1
$13.59
Trash to Treasure: A Kid's Upcycling Guide to Crafts
• Amazon Business
$13.56
1
$13.56
Next Time You See a Maple Seed
• Amazon Business
$12.95
1
$12.95
Rosie Revere, Engineer
• Amazon Business
$12.08
1
$12.08
Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival
• Amazon Business
$11.89
1
$11.89
If You Hold a Seed
• Amazon Business
$11.58
1
$11.58
Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos
• Amazon Business
$10.98
1
$10.98
Nefertiti, the Spidernaut: The Jumping Spider Who Learned to Hunt in Space
• Amazon Business
$9.99
1
$9.99
Teacher Created Materials - TIME For Kids Informational Text: Space Exploration - Grade 3 - Guided Reading Level P (Time for Kids Nonfiction Readers: Level 3.6)
• Amazon Business
$9.99
1
$9.99
Burn: Michael Faraday's Candle
• Amazon Business
$9.99
1
$9.99
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor
• Amazon Business
$9.98
1
$9.98
Clink
• Amazon Business
$9.35
1
$9.35
Next Time You See a Spiderweb
• Amazon Business
$9.06
1
$9.06
Ipod and Electronics Visionary Tony Fadell (Stem Trailblazer Bios)
• Amazon Business
$8.99
1
$8.99
Biomedical Engineering and Human Body Systems (Engineering in Action)
• Amazon Business
$8.71
1
$8.71
Let's Think About the Power of Advertising
• Amazon Business
$8.09
1
$8.09
Making Machines with Springs (Simple Machine Projects)
• Amazon Business
$7.94
1
$7.94
Animals That Live in Groups (Learn about Animal Behavior)
• Amazon Business
$7.29
1
$7.29
Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives
• Amazon Business
$7.01
1
$7.01
How Mountains Are Made (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)
• Amazon Business
$6.98
1
$6.98
Jump Into Science: Stars
• Amazon Business
$6.57
1
$6.57
Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France
• Amazon Business
$6.21
1
$6.21
How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again (Winter's Tail)
• Amazon Business
$6.00
1
$6.00
Lightbulbs (Rookie Read-About Science: How Things Work)
• Amazon Business
$5.95
1
$5.95
National Geographic Readers: Wildfires
• Amazon Business
$3.99
1
$3.99
Materials cost
$273.37
Vendor shipping charges
FREE
Sales tax
$0.00
3rd party payment processing fee
$4.10
Fulfillment labor & materials
$30.00
Total project cost
$307.47
Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
$54.26
Total project goal
$361.73
How we calculate what's needed
Total project goal
$361.73
5 Donors
-$311.73
Donations toward project cost
-$264.97
Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
-$46.76
match offer
-$50.00
Match offer toward project cost
-$42.50
Match offer to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Veitengruber and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.