Bring STEM and STEAM learning to life in your classroom with engineering activities for kids, STEM challenges, printable worksheets and more resources designed by teachers for teachers. This collection of printables and digital activities includes curriculum-aligned resources that will help you meet state standards while you're getting students hooked on science, math, and more. In addition to being created by teachers, each resource has undergone a rigorous review by the Teach Starter teacher team. That means they're classroom-ready — so you can cut down on planning time!

Looking for tips on integrating STEM into your lessons? Or maybe you're just trying to figure out how we ended up with STEM, STEAM and STEMM? Read on for tips from the Teach Starter teacher team!

What Is STEM Education in Elementary or Middle School?

STEM education is defined by its focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and that applies to education from K through 12. But when it comes to teaching these skillsets to students who are just beginning to understand basic math and science, you're not teaching Boolean logic or even doing the popular egg drop activity. But don't feel flummoxed! Elementary STEM education is laying a foundation for secondary STEM teachers to build on, and that's important. STEM education can include:

Introduction of the scientific method
Basic science experiments
Building digital literacy skills
Math problems based on real-world applications
Coding and algorithms
Critical thinking and problem-solving activities

What Does STEM Stand For?

Your school may refer to this sort of education as STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Why STEM? The acronym has been used in education since the early 2000s when the National Science Foundation began using the four-letter term to refer to the concept of interdisciplinary education.

What Does STEAM Stand For?

STEM isn't the only term for teaching children these concepts, of course! Your school may refer to this part of the curriculum as STEAM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. You might even see it written as ST∑@M™. The addition of the "A" to STEAM to include art is often credited to Georgette Yakman, a Virginia-based teacher, who has said that STEAM is not a replacement of STEM. Instead, Yakman says, "The liberal arts add the ‘who & why’ to the ‘what & how’ of STEM."

STEM vs STEAM vs. STEMM — What's the Difference?

There is nothing the education system likes as much as a good acronym, so which one should you be using these days? We have touched on STEM and STEAM, but what is STEMM? And which one should you be using?

STEM — short for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math — is often considered the OG here with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) showing up as a relatively recent addition, but the truth is STEM and STEAM have both been around for awhile.
STEAM and STEM were both proposed in 2012 by the United States National Research Council as a new form of teaching K-12 science education. The goal was to focus on deep and collaborative learning to build a strong foundation for students that would prepare them for a technology-heavy working environment in the future.
STEMM is the newcomer here. It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine. Educators and STEMM policymakers say the inclusion of that second M should also come with a focus on diversity and inclusion.

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