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High school STEM activities should transcend the traditional, simplistic science projects that focus on just one skill. Instead, these engaging activities intertwine elements of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, fostering research, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills within a single project!
These innovative projects encourage high school students to think creatively and collaborate with their peers, leading to the invention of solutions for real-world issues. Explore how to effectively integrate STEM projects into your science and math classrooms, and discover ways to incorporate STEM across all subjects while celebrating exciting STEM-related events.
Engaging Environmental Science STEM Projects
STEM education plays a crucial role in advancing green technologies, including solar energy and environmental conservation initiatives. Utilize these high school STEM projects to highlight the significance of environmental science, encouraging students to devise creative solutions to challenges like pollution, climate change, and deforestation.
- Rain Garden: Guide students in establishing a rain garden at your school or nearby, with ongoing precipitation measurements and sustainable watering techniques.
- Greenhouse Effect: Investigate the greenhouse effect by placing a jar of ice water under sunlight and measuring temperature changes.
- Grass and Biomass Energy: Explore the energy production potential of grass by measuring how much energy a flowerpot of grass can generate over time.
Physics-Focused STEM Activities for High School
Ignite energy in your classroom with STEM activities that focus on physics principles. These engaging projects are practical means of applying a comprehensive STEM approach to enhance students’ understanding.
- Rube Goldberg Machine: Challenge student teams to create a chain reaction machine using everyday objects, competing to see whose design achieves the best results.
- Magnetic Levitating Trains: Construct flying Maglev trains that appear to float through the air, utilizing magnetic fields.
- Rubber Band Guitars: Merge music and physics by building rubber band guitars, where sound varies based on string tension and length.
Launch Physics Understanding with Simple Machines
Hands-on machine building inspires students to think critically and work collaboratively. By utilizing physics concepts and teamwork, they can create functioning projects with levers, wheels and axles, wedges, pulleys, and more.
Catapult Quadratics STEM Project Algebra 1 *Google Apps*
By AlgebraLove
Grades: 7th-12th
Subjects: Algebra, Algebra 2, Math
This dynamic project combines algebra, physics, and medieval weaponry, providing a comprehensive resource with clear instructions, presentation examples, and an editable Google spreadsheet for students to document their catapult’s distance, power, and accuracy.
Simulate Physics Concepts with Everyday Objects
To illustrate physics concepts effectively, consider using everyday items as manipulatives. These objects can also serve as artistic projects, transforming them into STEAM activities.
Half Life Modeling with Pennies Activity Distance Learning
By Sunrise Science
Grades: 8th-10th
Subjects: Chemistry, Physics
In this activity, students will use pennies to represent the nuclei of the radioactive isotope Pennium. Through multiple trials, they will collect, average, and sum their data, ultimately graphing their results to reveal the fascinating patterns in half-life graphs.
Fantastic Forensic Science STEM Activities
For students fascinated by crime shows or science fairs, forensic science STEM activities amalgamate biology, chemistry, physics, math, and engineering in an exciting way. Transform your classroom into a fictional crime scene and let the science unfold!
- Blood Spatter Geometry: Employ geometric angles to analyze blood spatter patterns at a mock crime scene.
- Forensic Escape Room: Design a series of STEM challenges, including math problems and engineering puzzles, for students to collaborate and escape the classroom.
Extract DNA from Foods
While handling human or animal DNA might not be feasible, extracting DNA from strawberries provides students with a chance to observe actual DNA strands.
Strawberry DNA Extraction Lab with Demonstration Video- DNA Structure
By Suburban Science
Grades: 8th-10th
Subjects: Biology, Forensics
In this engaging lab, students can actually visualize DNA strands! The comprehensive resource includes teacher notes, student worksheets, detailed lab directions, and a video demonstration.
Solve a Crime with Microscopic Precision
Involving students in solving fictional crimes through hands-on activities is an effective way to generate excitement in your classroom. Seek lab activities that encompass multiple STEM disciplines to maximize learning.
CSI Forensics | Forensic Science Microscope Crime Scene Analysis Lab Activity
By Getting Nerdy with Mel and Gerdy
Grades: 5th-11th
Subjects: Biology, Environment, Forensics
Standards: NGSS MS-ETS1-1, 2, 3, 4
Who is the thief behind the school mascot’s disappearance? Utilize an NGSS-aligned forensic lab lesson to investigate a whodunnit mystery using household items and microscopes. This resource includes teacher and student handouts, as well as a PowerPoint and answer key to guide students through the investigation.
Blood Spatter Scavenger Hunt
By The Trendy Science Teacher
Grades: 9th-12th
Subjects: Criminal Justice-Law, Forensics
This ready-to-use forensics activity only requires printing, folding, and hanging! Conduct it within your classroom or transform it into a school-wide scavenger hunt. Either way, this activity promises to engage and motivate all students.
Astronomical Astronomy STEM Activities for High Schoolers
Some science projects are truly out of this world! Integrate astronomy labs into your classroom, incorporating STEM skills to enhance any science curriculum.
- Backyard Rocketry: Challenge students to design, construct, and launch rockets using principles of thrust and pressure.
- Gravity Calculation: Investigate the gravity levels of various planets and create models to demonstrate how an item’s weight changes based on its planetary location.
- Model the Galaxy: Map the positions of Earth and other celestial bodies within the Milky Way, then display these maps as decorative art in the classroom.
Cool Chemistry STEM Projects for Teens
The realm of chemistry offers an abundance of captivating experiments for high school students. When combined with STEM skills such as math, engineering, and technology, these projects create a perfect blend of educational excitement. Implement these STEM activities during special science celebrations like Mole Day or throughout the academic year.
- Glow-in-the-Dark Water: Craft stunning glowing art projects with mixtures of water and quinine under ultraviolet light.
- Analyze Sports Drinks: Compare the electrolyte compositions of various sports drinks for a nutritionally insightful STEM activity involving chemistry and data graphing.
- Penny Batteries: Discover chemical energy by creating a battery using a stack of pennies, washers, and cardboard, along with salt water, vinegar, and an LED light.
Lab 6: What is the concentration of blue dye in a sports drink?
By A Chemistry Guide
Grades: 10th-12th
Subject: Chemistry
This structured inquiry-based activity streamlines lab time for AP Chemistry students, providing a student handout, teacher answer key, and an FRQ section.
How to Bring STEM to Any Class
If you don’t teach a math or science class, there’s no need to feel excluded! There are numerous STEM activities applicable in any high school subject. Consider these interdisciplinary strategies to incorporate STEM throughout your students’ schedules.
- Encourage students to apply CCSS concepts in their STEM projects and experiments by presenting findings in ELA classes or composing an expository essay on their STEM research.
- Invite music students to find, perform, or write music that resonates with specific STEM concepts (e.g., the water cycle, architecture, geometry, or modern technology).
- Celebrate Pi Day across subjects with Pi Day-themed activities and festivities! Serve pie (any type, including pizza) and encourage students to explore the history of pi in social studies.
- Assign teams in PE to hypothesize how their bodies respond when playing a particular sport or game, then follow up with individual or group research in science to present their findings later in the week.
Style STEM Lessons for Learning and Fun with TPT
STEM isn’t merely an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math; it’s a mindset that empowers students to look beyond specific subjects and towards innovative scientific and mathematical solutions. Whether you’re celebrating National STEM Day on November 8th or aiming to inspire future innovators through everyday lessons, you’ll find all the resources you need in these valuable high school STEM resources.
