Sparking Curiosity, Inspiring Minds

For our Grade 3 NGSS unit on Weather and Climate , I have been working hard to make the learning hands-on, inquiry-led and full of opportunities to explore the concepts of patterns and cause and effect. This unit is already a favorite because students get to investigate real-world weather concepts, so adding some engineering design work felt like a natural fit. For the STEAM design challenge I created, students were asked to design a hurricane-proof structure that could with

We recently wrapped up a fun Grade 2 hands-on project for the end of Module 1, The Wide World of Schools . In this unit, students learn about human rights in communities and explore the purpose and importance of access to education. A teacher came to me with a challenge and said, “Mark, how can we redesign this performance task into something more STEM-related and hands-on?” In the new EL curriculum , students usually create paper class crests using pre-designed symbols to re

One of the new Grade 1 literacy units this year is called “Be a Maker”  and it has been a dream connection for integrating STEAM...

As part of the First Lego League robotics program , students take on an Innovation Project  each year, researching a real-world problem...

Lasercutting is by far my favourite fabrication tool to use with students. It’s fast, easy to learn, and more eco-friendly than many...

Starting our ES Student Leadership program has been one of the most rewarding projects I have been involved in. We are into our 2nd year...

We don't use kids to build robots, we use robots to build kids." This quote from Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST, has always summed up my...

What happens when you combine math, engineering, creativity, and potatoes? You get the Grade 3 Potato Olympics! Over the past few weeks,...

Last year, I co-designed a project that quickly became a highlight of the year—a hands-on, highly engaging blend of Minecraft, cardboard...

As part of our Grade 4 energy unit, we wanted students to explore how energy can be transferred and transformed in everyday materials. To...

Blending Writing and 3D Printing: The Magical Artifacts Project One of my favorite projects to lead with Grade 5 students was the 3D...

One of the most powerful aspects of STEAM projects is the way they connect disciplines, using big ideas, concepts, and attributes as the...

I love creating fun, engaging, hands-on design challenges for students. Sometimes, the best design challenges are ones that can fit on a...

n Grade 4 science, our unit on Processes that Shape the Earth  looked at how natural forces like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods,...

I wanted to share two recent activities with my Grade 5 students that truly captured the heart of scientific and engineering thinking....

We just finished using AI Flint with Grade 5 students as part of their Persuasive Writing unit and it was fascinating! We had been...

As part of the Grade 3 Weather and Climate unit, the teaching team invited me to their planning meeting to brainstorm ways to make the...

I love design projects that have a purpose behind them. The annual Skyscraper Project in Grade 5 has been a favorite because it combines...

One of the joys of working with Grade 1 students is watching them connect big ideas to creative play. This year, we designed a project...

This year marks our third cycle of implementing the First Lego League Explore program in Grade 2. While the program is often seen as an...