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  • About
    • Our Mission & Philosophy
    • Partners & Supporters
    • Joining the Network
    • School Resources
    • Blog
  • STEM Education
    • Is STEM right for my child?
    • What to expect from a STEM School?
    • Benefits & Features for Students
    • Powerful STEM Statistics
    • FAQ
  • Our Schools
  • Apply
    • Interest Form
    • Application Form
  • Contact

School Resources

We've searched far and wide for resources that schools can use to integrate STEM learning in their classrooms. These are resources we hope other schools across the country can use to give their students the best education.

Class Resources

Curiosity Machine (all grade levels)
This site provides access to a wide range of design challenges. Signing up for a free account will grant you the access to the challenges.

50 STEM Books to Update your classroom Libraries (all grade levels)
With a little help from the educators in our WeAreTeachers Facebook group and Penguin Young Readers, they put together an extensive list of 50 modern STEM-themed books that your classroom or school library simply shouldn’t do without. 
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Vivify STEM (all grade levels)
​This site offers many resources to increase access to quality STEM education.
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STEMfinity (all grades)
This site links to multiple sites with an abundance of (mostly) free STEM lessons.

TeachEngineering (all grade levels)
This site provides free STEM curriculum for K-12th grade. You can search for units, lessons, activities, sprinkles or even challenges. Their database allows educators to search with special parameters, such as NGSS aligned, Design Thinking aligned, etc. It also provides resources for Math for all grade levels.

Videos for a STEM Classroom (all grade levels)
If you're looking to get kids excited about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), show them the ways that popular media uses -- and misuses -- the concepts you teach daily. Used as part of a lesson, clips from movies can reinforce topics, spark discussion, and promote new perspectives.


Techbridge (all grade levels)
This website is a project of Techbridge, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit inspiring girls and underrepresented youth to discover a passion for technology, science, and engineering through hands-on learning and career exploration. It comes with many downloadable activities, icebreakers and other resources centered around STEM.

Engineering: GO FOR IT! (eGFI) (all grades)
Created by the American Society for Engineering Education, eGFI promotes STEM and engineering education with numerous K-12 lesson plans, classroom activities, outreach programs, and links to additional web resources.

National Education Association (all grades)
This site provides various teacher curriculum tools and resources. It also provides information regarding professional development. Some resources are science, technology, engineering or math specific. 

Middle Web, STEM by design (Middle School)
This site primarily focuses on Middle School, however also provides many resources and tips that can be used TK-12th. It follows a blog format for STEM learning and provides not only thoughtful articles, but also useful resources. 
A main contributor to this site is Anne Jolly. She also has a fantastic book that anyone interested in STEM would benefit from reading, STEM by Design.

Novel Engineering (all grades)
Novel Engineering projects are designed around books that teachers choose, generally trade books with interesting plots, rich characters and detailed descriptions of the setting. As they read the text, students are prompted to identify
problems faced by characters in the text and whether these problems are ones that might be addressed with a product or process that the students could design in the classroom. 

STEM Teaching Tools (all grades)

The STEM Teaching Tools site has tools that can help you teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). We are currently focused on supporting the teaching of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Each tool is focused on a specific issue and leverages the best knowledge from research and practice. Under the News section, you can learn a bit more about how you might use them.

Inquiry Learning (all grades)
Trevor Mackenzie has a great blog with helpful visuals and resources for understanding and scaffolding Inquiry Learning. 

LEGO Education (all grades)
LEGO education provides FREE lesson plans for all grade levels with a heavy focus on STEM learning. LEGO education also provides great options for affordable kits that include coding and robotics.

STREAM Resources (all grades)
The Diocese of Buffalo offers STREAM courses for purchase that encompass Religion and Art as well! They are labeled with a brief description and grade levels.

Technology Resources

Revision Assistant
Formative writing feedback

Common Sense
Age-appropriate media and lessons beyond the three Rs. Also provides educational tools to help with safe use of technology.

Google Earth
Virtual field trips/ geological applications 

Glogster
Digital, interactive presentations

TeacherTube
Videos in every subject area 

Big History Project
Engaging history videos and lesson plans

Khan Academy
Curriculum videos and flipped-classroom resources for all subjects

ISTE 
Today’s students must be prepared to thrive in a constantly evolving technological landscape. The ISTE Standards for Students are designed to empower student voice and ensure that learning is a student-driven process. Connect with other educators in the ISTE Standards Community and learn how to use the standards in the classroom with the ISTE Standards for Students ebook.

Other Resources

Guide to Help Close the Gender Gap in STEM
​Microsoft commissioned a survey of over 6,000 girls and young women and conducted interviews with nonprofit and academic experts. We compiled the findings in an online report — and here they present what they have learned in a simple guide for teachers, parents, and education and nonprofit leaders. They provide great tips on what schools, teachers and students can do!

Achieve the Core
This site provides numerous tools for ELA Common Core and Math Common Core standards for ALL grade levels. Some resources include documents to help you plan and reflect on the CCSS, as well as, full lessons categorized by standards. 

Master's in Data Science
This site has everything someone will need to know about pursuing a career in technology fields or related degree. It also provides information on local events, conferences and workshops

Understanding NGSS

NGSS Topic Arrangement for ALL Grades 
This resource deconstructs the main topics of the NGSS for grades K-12. It provide a framework and simple tables with main themes and main statements under each theme.
 
Cross-Cutting Concepts for NGSS
This resources from NGSS provides tables at the end of the document that vertically aligns common statements from the standards among all grade levels. 
  
NSTA Hub for NGSS 
This is an important website for all science teachers to access. It provides easy access to the NGSS by topics and grades. It also has links to cross-cutting concepts, engineering connections and more.

Printable Guides for Teachers
Here are three easy pages with all you need to know to get acquainted with the NGSS and find out how the standards will affect your classroom.

These links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the STEM Network of LA Catholic Schools of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. The STEM Network of LA Catholic Schools, and all associated organizations, bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
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