Bring STEM to life for students with zombies, rockets,celebrities, and more
STEM to Story: Enthralling and Effective Lesson Plans forGrades 5-8 inspires learning through fun, engaging, andmeaningful lesson plans that fuse hands-on discovery in science,technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with creative writing. Theworkshop activities within the book are the innovative result of apartnership between 826 National's proven creative writing modeland Time Warner Cable's Connect a Million Minds, an initiativededicated to connecting young people to the wonders of STEM throughhands-on learning. Authentically aligned with both the Common CoreState Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards, thisbook provides teachers, after-school and out-of-school providers,and parents with field-tested lessons, workshops, and projectsdesigned by professionals in each field. Including reflectiveobservations by arts and science celebrities like Jon Scieszka,Mayim Bialik, and Steve Hockensmith, lessons feature bonusactivities, fun facts, and teaching points for instructors at everylevel. These quirky, exploratory lessons will effectively awakenstudent imaginations and passions for both STEM and creativewriting, encourage identity with scientific endeavors, and makeboth science and writing fun.
Grades five through eight is the critical period for engagingstudents in STEM, and this book is designed specifically to appealto - and engage - this age group. The guided curriculafosters hands-on discovery, deep learning, and rich inquiry skillswhile feeling more like play than school, and has proven popularand effective with both students and teachers.
* Awaken student imagination and get them excited about STEM
* Fuse creative writing with STEM using hands-on activities
* Make scientific principles relevant to students' lives
* Inspire students to explore STEM topics further
The demand for STEM workers is closely linked to globalcompetitiveness, and a successful future in STEM depends upon anearly introduction to the scientific mindset. The challenge forteachers is to break through students' preconceptions of STEMfields as "hard" or "boring," to show them that STEM is everywhere,it's relevant, and it's loads of fun. For proven lesson plans withjust a dash of weird, STEM to Story is a dynamic resource,adaptable and applicable in school, after school, and at home.

Preface vii
How to Use This Book ix
Science-O-Pedia: A Glossary xix
Acknowledgments xxv
The Authors xxvii
The Contributors xxxi
Lesson Plans
1 The Science of Saving Daylight 1
Students learn the fundamentals of the scientific method as they write zany hypotheses to explain daylight saving time.
2 Technically Speaking 10
A challenge to make a high-performing paper airplane introduces students to the basic principles of both technical writing and engineering.
Observations by Loretta "Aleta" Jackson.
3 It's (Partially) Rocket Science and (Mostly) Ice Cream 26
Students explore physical properties and engineering principles by transforming a liquid into a solid--ice cream!--and then designing a structure to keep it cool.
Observations by Mayim Bialik.
4 Planet Oobleck 38
Students get (a little) messy and (a lot) creative as they use gooey Oobleck to explore our universe and the life forms that inhabit it.
Observations by Colonel Chris Hadfield.
5 How to Write Science Fiction 58
In this writing-intensive lesson, students learn to apply scientific principles and their own imagination to create great stories.
Observations by Mac Barnett.
6 Making Waves 67
Students discover the connections between music and math by making their own instruments and exploring the properties of sound waves.
7 There May Be Bones 84
Shh . . . it's a mystery. Students use their deductive skills to identify what, exactly, is in a mysterious nugget, learning about biology as they do so.
Observations by Jeff Corwin.
8 Tinfoil Shipbuilding 103
Engineers, ahoy! Students put their skills to the test designing seaworthy tinfoil boats, learning about density along the way. Incorporating their newfound knowledge, they then launch some thrilling tales.
9 Water, Water Everywhere, Nor Any Drop to Drink 117
Water is important to just about every STEM discipline. In this thorough lesson, students explore the properties of water across various fields by polluting water, then creating filters to purify it.
10 The Science of Superpowers 138
In this superlesson, students isolate DNA, design planes, build lairs, and engineer safe transport to help a hero save the day.
Observations by Jon Scieszka.
11 Infinite Recess 189
Math meets poetry in a lesson that's as fun as it sounds.
12 Rewriting the Zombie Apocalypse 210
It's a final exam with everything on the line as students are called on toapply all their scientific knowledge to outsmart zombie invaders.
Observations by Steve Hockensmith.
Appendix
Handy Lesson Links 245
Self-Assessment Checklists 254
Common Core Curriculum Standards for English Language Arts 258
Next Generation Science Standards 275
Student Survey 291
826 Centers and Staff 293
Index 297