The Center for Teaching and Learning is dedicated to supporting educators throughout the year.
Especially during this time of e-learning, our staff wants to provide as much support as possible. On this page you will find a variety of resources and offerings. We are all learning together and our team is here to help!
STEM a la Carte
STEM a la Carte is a series of STEM units for kindergarten through fifth grade students, which
provide educators and students with meaningful, standards based, hands-on, and inquiry based
units. The lessons are developed so they may be implemented in a variety of settings, including
formal and informal education as well as STEM clubs. In addition, units are developed for in
person, virtual, and/or hybrid learning scenarios. Each series of lessons is designed around a
theme and for a specific grade band (K-1, 2-3, and 4-5). Materials needed for implementation
are easy to obtain and frequently found at home. STEM a la Carte offerings are engaging and
uncomplicated to implement.
STEM a la Carte Units:
Kindergarten-1st
Preventing Illness – Students explore the concept of a germ and actions that students can take to help prevent the spread of illness. More Info and Pricing
Nature & Me – Students explore the relationships between different aspect of nature, from weather to animal adaptations to human impact. More Info and Pricing
My Friends Push and Pull – Students explore the physics of force and motion through interactive push and pull investigations. More Info and Pricing
Sound of Music– Students explore the different noises and sounds around them. More Info and Pricing
2nd-3rd Grade
Matter Matters – Properties of Matter engages students in chemistry through investigating various types of matter and their characteristics. More Info and Pricing
Forces and Motion – Students explore the idea of forces and movement. They will explore air pressure, magnetism, and static electricity. More Info and Pricing
Properties of Water – Students investigate the unique properties of water and how it interacts with temperature, pressure and other chemicals. More Info and Pricing
4th-5th grade
Climate Challenge – Our Climate challenges students to consider the uses of land, air, and water as they delve into the impact of terrain on groundwater. More Info and Pricing
Something Old, Something New – Students will focus on some of the ways we gather and use our natural resources and grow new resources through the investigation of oil spills, mining, and growing plants. More Info and Pricing
Coding the STEM language – Students will learn how dots and dashes are used to communicate, read, interpret, create and send messages using Morse Code. More Info and Pricing
Let’s Get Ready to Winter – Students will explore winter phenomena including how to melt snow and ice, containing snow drifts, and how avalanches work. More Info and Pricing
19-19-19 “COVIDeos 19” E-Learning Webinars
FREE! We will be offering 19 minute webinars for 19 days at 1900 hours (7:00 PM, CDT). These webinars will focus on remote teaching tools are strategies for educators — i.e. Google Tools, Zoom, FlipGrid, Kahoot!, Biteable, screencasting, e-assessment, the student experience and more.
IMSA Snack Boxes
The Snack Box is designed for teachers and families to provide STEM focused activities for students of all grade levels. Please see the links below for access to all the past grade level snack boxes.
