A Review of Evan Moor STEM Lessons & Challenges – Grade 5

^{Disclaimer: We received this product for review purposes. As always, we are not required to write a positive review. All opinions are honest and my own. This post may contain affiliated links. If you choose to purchase something I have shared, I will earn a small commission…at no extra cost to you!}

My kids constantly beg to do STEM challenges. I would love to do more, but you know how it is, homeschooling, toddlers, and life, can really limit project time. I can only do a few a year because honestly, they take so long to plan (I strive for almost perfection), and it’s hard to find STEM lessons that align with my curriculum and keep my kids attention.

Evan-Moor solved that problem for me. As skimmed through the STEM Lessons and Challenges book, I realized that almost all of the activities fit into my science curriculum or can be attached to a YouTube science video, if I wanted an option to be used as semi-independent work.

We are very pleased to receive the STEM Lessons and Challenges Grade 5 for review, as this is the first time I’ve looked inside their STEM books.

Details

Grade level: 5th Grade

Parent Involvement: Minimum participation.

Schedule: There is no set schedule. You can follow your child’s lead or align it with your current unit study.

Setup: The Grade 5 STEM book focuses on three science disciplines: Life, Earth, and Physical Science and has 15 engaging projects.

At the beginning of every lesson/project, there is a passage that explains the science concept prior to completing the STEM challenge.

Hands-on project: In my opinion, the projects have a variety of difficulties. Some might be more challenging than others, but all are quality projects. The materials needed are super basic; wooden dowels, rules, glue, paper clip, sponges, rubber bands, etc. Most you can find at your local craft or discount store.

STEM Challenge: The STEM Challenge is the main part of the lesson. It consists of several different parts, so let’s take a look at each one:

Challenge Sheet: Explains STEM challenges to the students and gives them space to sketch their design
Suggested Materials List: The materials list is divided into three parts: Items for each group, items for the whole class, and items for testing.
Design Process: The Design Process sheet walks my kids through the steps of planning, creating, testing, and evaluation. This is very good practice to organize your thoughts.
Redesign Process: After the “failed” test, this space allows us to jot down ideas on how they could improve their design and then retest.

Overall: This is a terrific way to add hands-on thinking activities into science units! If you are interested in checking out their other products, head over Evan-Moor’s website to see their STEM Lessons for different grades.