STEM and Language Arts: Making the Connection

As educators, we know the importance of integrating various disciplines to create a well-rounded learning experience for our students. From math and science to language arts, we know how important it is to focus on cross-curricular learning in today’s classroom. But, what about STEM? Where does that fit in? I love STEM learning because it’s easy to integrate it into so many other subject areas. Today, I’m going to be focusing on STEM and language arts and how to find that exciting intersection with fun activities your students will love. I’m excited to show you innovative strategies, engaging activities, and inspiring resources to enrich both STEM and language arts education in your classroom. So, let’s embark on this journey of exploration and discovery together!

Simple STEM Stories Connect to Language Arts

So, what are Simple STEM Stories? Simple STEM Stories are STEM-based projects that offer engaging, hands-on activities that are designed to coordinate with a specific children’s book. They give you a perfect pairing of STEM and language arts learning. Whether used in whole group settings or as part of center activities, these themed STEM tasks spark curiosity and critical thinking in students.

Easy Ways to Incorporate Language Arts Skills

But the connection to language arts does not have to stop there! Use these engaging STEM units to introduce students to new vocabulary. From STEM words to vocabulary related to the story, this is a great time to build their knowledge of words. While you are working with the new words don’t be shy about talking about parts of speech. It’s a great way to help your kids understand the new words at a deeper level.

Additionally, each of these STEM projects incorporates writing. From describing your creation to reflecting on the creation, your students will love writing when it is connected to STEM. You can even take writing a step further by having them write a story with their STEM challenge creation as a main part of the story. It’s a great way to get them thinking creatively and learning about story elements too.

And. . . with a little thought, you can find ways to connect the STEM activities to almost any reading, writing, or language arts skill you are working on with your students.

You Can Connect STEM and Language Arts!

Whether you are a classroom teacher or a STEM teacher, you can seamlessly incorporate read-alouds and activities into your curriculum. Then keep them thinking with the STEM challenge. I always love watching my students make meaningful connections between stories and hands-on exploration! This can be completed during the week as a class, added to a center, or saved for Fun Friday. Your choice!

Check out these awesome simple STEM stories you can start using in your classroom today!

Rocket Girl STEM and Language Arts Activity

Combining STEM and language arts in your classroom will be so exciting with this engaging hands-on Rocket Girl Simple STEM Story activity! Students will dive into the world of rockets as they combine creativity and problem-solving skills to construct their own rockets.

Using simple materials like paper tubes, construction paper, and straws your students will design and build the rocket of their dreams. Inspired by the book “Rocket Girl: A Space Book about Shooting for the Stars & Landing on the Moon!” by Didi Dragon, this activity is designed to enhance literacy skills while also fostering STEM learning.

Use the task cards, design process poster, and student response sheets to guide your students through the design thinking process. After the challenge, you can encourage teamwork by allowing students to share their creations with the class. You could even take your students outside to test out their rockets. I love to reward my student’s efforts with certificates and stickers. This helps to promote a positive atmosphere of creativity in your classroom.

Another favorite for my students is the optional shake break video included in the digital slides. It helps get students up and moving when they’ve been working so hard on building their rockets!

STEM and Language Arts Activity – The Pigeon HAS to Go to School

“The Pigeon HAS To Go To School” by Mo Willems is not only a delightfully written and illustrated book but is also the perfect pairing for STEM and language arts learning. This adorable book is a great addition to your classroom library during those first few weeks of school. After reading the story to my students, it’s time for them to begin their creative journey. Students will work through the process of designing a mode of transportation for the adventurous Pigeon.

This Simple STEM Stories: The Pigeon HAS to Go to School challenge gets kids excited to think creatively. To help students think about more than just the traditional school bus, this activity includes real-life images of all types of transportation. By exploring all of the different ways to get to school, students are encouraged to think creatively as they begin their STEM challenge. The challenge prompts them to consider different transportation options and come up with their own solution to help the Pigeon.

After designing their new mode of transportation, students can reflect on the process with some printable writing prompt pages. These make it super easy to pair STEM and language arts standards.

The Recess Queen STEM and Language Arts Resource

By now I’m sure you are seeing the amazing benefits of combining STEM and language arts activities. Here’s another fantastic resource to use when you want to get in some fun hands-on learning while focusing on an exciting picture book.

“The Recess Queen” by Alexis O’Neill is just the book for pairing STEM and language arts. It is all about handling bullies in a healthy way, and guess what? The setting is everyone’s favorite school location – the playground! Because of this, you know your students will be totally excited about the challenge of designing some new playground equipment! My kiddos love to unleash their creativity and dream up something epic for our school playground. I’m always blown away by the creative ideas they come up with.

To kick off this awesome Simple STEM Stories: The Recess Queen challenge, students will be reading task cards that guide them through the process step by step. These cards will get their creative juices flowing and set the stage for some serious innovation! Then, it’s time to put pencil to paper (or fingers to keyboard) as students draw images of their brand-new playground equipment and describe it in detail.

After they’ve completed their designs, students will have the chance to reflect on their creations. They’ll use pages to jot down their thoughts, considering what worked well and what they might change next time. It’s all about fostering that growth mindset and encouraging them to think critically about their designs. With each reflection, they’ll be working on their problem-solving skills and gearing up for even more STEM adventures ahead.

Seasonal STEM and ELA Activities

Using STEM and language arts together in my classroom isn’t just a one-and-done situation. No way! I like to keep STEM and language arts learning going all year long. That’s where seasonal STEM and language arts activities come into play.

One of my favorite seasonal STEM and language arts activities is the Fall STEM Challenge! This STEM challenge is all about fall leaves and asks students to think about how to answer the question, “What kind of machine can I make to pick up as many leaves as possible?”. I love pairing this activity with lots of fall-themed books that either I can read to my students or they can read independently. One of my favorites is “Fall Leaves” by Loretta Holland. It’s a beautifully written and illustrated book and the perfect way to kick off this STEM challenge.

As students brainstorm, design, and test their leaf-picking machines, they are also honing critical language arts skills along the way. From discussing their design ideas to writing reflections on their design, they’re flexing their communication muscles in meaningful ways. Through writing descriptions of their machines and reflecting on their successes and challenges, they’re not just engineers – they’re storytellers. Because they are using STEM and language arts, students are not only building machines – they’re building literacy skills as well.

STEM and Language Arts Activities for the Whole Year

Love these STEM and language arts activities? Looking for even more? I can help! Grab the Simple STEM Stories Bundle! It includes each of the activities mentioned above and more. With 8 different resources in the bundle, you will be well on your way to connecting STEM and language arts learning all year long!

Looking for More STEM Activities?

Spark curiosity in your students and kids with Let’s Explore STEM! This picture book takes your kids on an exciting adventure with Natalie as she discovers the wonders of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. From building bridges to exploring space, the engaging rhymes and beautiful illustrations make complex concepts fun and accessible. With added vocabulary, discussion questions, and simple STEM challenges at the end, this book is perfect to inspire a love for STEM and creativity in your kids.

Check out these posts to continue exploring STEM lessons and activities for your classroom.

• My Favorite STEM Robots for the Classroom
• 10 Easy Kindergarten STEM Ideas for Your Classroom
• Integrating STEM Into the Classroom: How to Use STEM Learning All Year Long

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