STEM Education Resources

The Oregon Coast STEM Hub connects educators with a variety of STEM-related lesson plans and resources that are available online.  Do you know of a resource that should be on this list?  Contribute to this list.

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Early Learners

Let's Talk, Read and Sing about STEM
Grades - infant to preK
Great for: Early childhood educators and families
The U.S. Department of Education created these tip sheets which provide fun, concrete resources and recommendations for families, caregivers, and infant, toddler, and preschool educators on easy ways to incorporate STEM concepts and vocabulary into everyday routines, and suggestions for activities to engage young children in STEM learning.

 

Ocean Science

  • Axial Seamount Expedition 2017
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators
    Resources for teachers to learn about current research at the underwater volcanic region off the Oregon coast known as the Axial Seamount. In July 2017, a Lincoln County School District teacher-at-sea aboard the R/V Revelle blogged about the ship's expedition to the Axial Seamount and collected educational videos, classroom activities and data resources that are arranged by grade band.
  • Bridge
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators
    A collection of K-12 resources for marine science education on-line, including lesson plans and links to resource providers, professional development and grant opportunities.  Resources are organized into topic areas and grade levels.
  • COSEE
    Grades: K-12 and informal audiences
    Great for: K-12 teachers, informal educators
    Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence is a nationwide network of ocean science research institutions, informal science education organizations, and formal education entities, funded primarily by the National Science Foundation with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The Best of COSEE Hands-On Activities can be searched by subject, grade level, or Ocean Literacy Principle.
  • Estuary Education
    Grades: middle school, high school
    Great for: middle school and high school educators
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) have collaborated to produce a site containing everything you ever wanted to know about estuaries, how they function and the creatures that live there.  The site contains lesson plans, animations, tutorials and games, including an entire "Estuaries 101 Curriculum" and links to real-time data from estuaries around the country.
  • JOIDES Resolution e-books (Broken Link)
    Grades: K-8
    Great for: K-8 educators
    Two interactive e-books teach K-8 students about everything from dinosaurs to intra-terrestrial life to the nature of science. Download for free: "Where Wild Microbes Grow"  and "Uncovering Earth's Secrets" by Kevin Kurtz and Alice Feagan.
  • Marine Debris STEAMSS
    Grades:  4 - 12
    Great for: 4-12 educators
    Marine Debris is a complex, real-world problem which can be addressed through the lenses of several different academic subjects. This curriculum integrates the subject areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, and Social Studies (STEAMSS), focusing on experiential hands-on activities for students in grades 4 through 12. The collected teacher-tested resources enable educators to create in-depth, project based learning (PBL) units, work with teaching partners across disciplines, and find classroom and field experiences that will help students explore the issue and impacts of marine debris and engage in stewardship actions
  • NANOOS
    Grades: 6-12
    Great for: 6-12 educators
    The Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) website provides users with a wealth of near and real-time ocean data that students can use to learn about climate, coastal hazards, ecosystem assessment, fisheries and maritime operations. Explore the lesson plans and topic-specific applications.
  • NOAA Education
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration site links to a variety of lesson plans, videos, topical essays, career information, and puzzles related to marine topics.  It covers everything from tsunamis to coral reefs to fisheries.  Make sure to check out the Office of Ocean Exploration & Research under the Education Programs tab for near real-time access to a series of multidisciplinary ocean explorations.
  • Oceanscape Network
    Grades: middle school and high school
    Great for: middle school and high school educators and students
    This interactive online resource from the Oregon Coast Aquarium helps build online student communities and facilitate inquiry-based learning with a focus on the Oregon Coast.
  • OCEP Coastal Education Modules
    Grades: 3-12
    Great for: upper elementary, middle school, and high school educators
    The Oregon Coast Education Program provides coastal education modules with resources that help Oregon teachers provide meaningful watershed and coastal experiences for their students.  The OCEP modules are housed on the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators website.
  • World Ocean Curriculum Catalogue
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators
    WORLD OCEAN Observatory Curriculum Catalogue provides a comprehensive list of links to educational content, lesson plans, and educational activities for kindergarten through secondary programs.  The Our Ocean Space network invites students to exchange projects, art, audio-visual presentations and more with their counterparts worldwide. 

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Forest and Freshwater Science

  • Oregon ASK
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators, out-of-school program facilitators
    This statewide afterschool network lists a variety STEM resources and funding opportunities.
  • ODFW STEP Education
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators
    Discover the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's "Fish Eggs to Fry Program", in which STEP Biologists bring salmon and trout eggs into the classroom to be raised by students and then released.  Access the curriculum, handbook, supporting videos and more.
  • OFRI Learnforests
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators
    The Oregon Forest Resources Institute provides forest-based resources for Oregon educators. Search for materials by grade level, standards or subject.
  • StreamWebs
    Grades: middle school and high school
    Great for: middle and high school educators and students
    Hosted by OSU Sea Grant Extension, this dynamic networking platform that links students with locally based hands-on watershed stewardship projects and provides a multimedia showcase for their project and data reports.
    NEW! Six middle school lessons in the StreamWebs Field and Classroom Watershed Investigation curriculum became available May 2017. Download PDF.
  • USGS Education
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators, undergraduate educators
    Why is the ocean water salty?  Explore the USGS Education Pages and learn the answer to this and other questions about water, erosion, earthquakes, tsunamis and much more.
  • WISE
    Grades: 4-12
    Great for: upper elementary, middle school, and high school educators
    The Watershed and Invasive Species Education program is dedicated to helping teachers learn about emerging watershed issues, which can be used as tools to engage students in science learning and community action.

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Engineering Design

  • BPA
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators
    Explore science, electricity and power with lessons and other resources from the Bonneville Power Administration.
  • CIESE
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators
    The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education sponsors and designs interdisciplinary projects that teachers throughout the world can use to enhance their curriculum through compelling use of the Internet.
  • COSEY
    Grades: middle school and high school
    Great for: middle and high school educators
    OSU's Center for Outreach and Science Engineering for Youth provides lessons designed to introduce students to concepts in the scientific method and sustainable engineering. Each curriculum is available as a downloadable .zip file and includes a lesson plan as well as a PowerPoint presentation for use in the classroom. Some lessons also include worksheets, where applicable.
  • DiscoverE
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: Engineering mentors and teachers
    Discover Engineering provides resources for engineering mentors, plus this searchable list of engineering activities and lesson plans.
  • Engineering is Elementary
    Grades: 1-8
    Great for:  1-8 grade teachers, afterschool program educators
    Supports educators and children with curricula and PD that develop engineering literacy.  Includes classroom curriculum for Gr 1-5, and free afterschool curriculum resources for Gr 3-8.
  • Khan Academy
    Grades: high school
    Great for: high school educators and students
    Online teaching modules and innovative training models for a variety of STEM subjects.
  • LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics
    Grades: upper elementary through high school
    Great for: classroom and afterschool club robotics team leaders
    What can you do with your EV3 robots during when you are not preparing for a competition?  Check out these fun lessons and project ideas.
  • MIT BLOSSOMS
    Grades: middle school and high school
    Great for: middle school and high school educators and students
    Blended Learning Open Source Science or Math Studies includes great teacher-created videos about complex ideas.
  • NASA Space Launch System (SLS)
    Grades: 1-5
    Great for: Engineering challenges
    NGSS aligned lessons include Light But Strong and How Big Is It? 
  • STEMN (Broken Link)
    Grades: middle school through post-secondary
    Great for: Project-based STEM education classes or teams
    Students post projects on topics ranging from 3-D printing to robotics and aerospace engineering. Find project ideas or start your own.
  • Wave Energy Engineering Curriculum PDF
    Grades: 4-12
    Great for: 4-12 educators
    In this lesson designed for grades 4-12, students build and test their own model wave energy devices.  Wave Energy kits are available for check out from HMSC; See also: A Primer on Wave Energy from Oregon Sea Grant.

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Computer Science

  • Code.org
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: K-12 educators and students
    Code.org provides free online computer science and coding curriculum for K-12 students as well as professional development for teachers.
  • The Journey Inside
    Grades: middle school and high school
    Great for: middle and high school educators and students
    Intel provides this collection of 35 interactive, online lessons for students to learn about technology, computers, and society.
  • Made with Code
    Grades:  all ages
    Great for:  Girls, K-12 educators and students
    This Google site inspires girls to pursue their dreams with code.  Projects range from beginner to advanced, and include seasonal activities such as programming the lights on holiday trees at the White House.
  • Microsoft Youth Spark
    Grades: all ages
    Great for: Girls, K-12 students, educators and mentors
    This Microsoft site is filled with resources for students to learn about computer science and coding and ideas for how mentors can support classrooms.
  • Open Explorer
    Grades: middle school and high school
    Great for: educators, students, explorers
    Created by OpenROV, this website is a place to tell stories, conduct research, and share your discoveries with others. A digital field journal, if you will.  Create an expedition, or follow the field journals of other DIY explorers.
  • STEM Pack - Cybersecurity from AAUW
    Grades: middle school
    Great for: teachers focusing on inspiring middle school girls in STEM
    This curriculum created by Symantec and the American Association of University Women provides robust lessons that cover the origins of the internet, binary code, an introduction to programming languages and coding, deconstructing a computer, and more

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Math

  • Illustrative Mathematics
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: educators, assessment writers, and curriculum planners
    Provides instructional and assessment tasks, lesson plans, and other resources that are searchable by standards.
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
    Grades: K-12
    Great for: educators
    Lists lesson plans, interactive and mobile apps, student explorations and more.