Turn Students into Solvers with our STEM Cards

Science, technology, engineering, and math are four interdisciplinary topics that encourage students to stretch their minds and develop creative solutions. 

Practicing STEM skills prepares students for success in coursework they’ll cover in later school years and leads them to explore careers in fields like: 

• Computer sciences
• Data & analytics 
• Natural sciences
• Medicine
• Language

And more!

In addition to future academic work, STEM activities help students hone skills they need in and out of the classroom, including critical thinking, reasoning, teamwork, communication, and investigation, to name a few.  

To play, students will use various materials to design and build different objects or solve STEM challenges related to counting to 100.

Each STEM challenge requires 100 of the materials mentioned on the card. Provide students with a journal or scratch paper to record the challenges, draw pictures of their designs, and reflect on the results.

STEM Card Scaffolding + Extension Tips 

We created this 100th day of school resource for independent practice before and after your guided lessons. We also suggest using it to reinforce your weekly plans in the following ways: 

🛴 Scoot Activity

Place the STEM cards around the room and assign pairs or groups to a starting point card. Give students time to review the card and perform the activity. The students will rotate to the next card on your cue (for example, say, “SCOOT”). Continue in this manner until students return to their starting point. 

🔔 Bell Ringer Activity

Welcome students to the start of their school day with a STEM card that wakes up their brains! Project a task card for students to see. On a piece of paper or in their notebooks, have students predict a solution and explain their reasoning. Collect the papers or discuss the answers as a group.

🔚 Exit Activity

After your lesson, pass out the STEM cards to students as an assessment question. Provide them with their own sticky note (use our Sticky Note Printing Guide + Template) so that they can turn in their answer, making sure they include their name at the top. 

Support students who need help counting to 100 by using visual references, like a classroom hundreds chart or their desk plate.

Students who excel in these areas can work on their leadership skills by sharing their designs and insights with classmates. 

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. 

To keep the task cards out of pockets or under desks, punch a hole in the corner of each to place them on a binder ring. Hang the cards from a hook in your math center for easy access.   

Before You Download

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator.