Exploring Careers: STEM Science, Technology, Engineering & Math Cluster

Item description

This career unit gives students an introduction to the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career cluster and what a career in this field would be like. This is perfect for a career, technology, CTE or business class.

The included PowerPoint presentation can be used by the teacher for whole class instruction, or provided to the students electronically (or as a printout) for them to review individually. Students use close reading skills with a short informational passage to learn about the career field and answer questions to use critical thinking skills and demonstrate their understanding. Two different puzzles are included to learn different jobs in the career and to reinforce vocabulary skills. An individual research project to learn more about a famous scientist using Microsoft PowerPoint (or Google Slides) offers students an opportunity for a real-life look into this career. A group lesson to use the Engineering Design Process and build a catapult is provided to simulate the career and allow students to utilize critical thinking skills and teamwork. Finally, a short reflection questionnaire gives students the opportunity to reflect and analyze their learning as they determine if this career field is of interest to them.

The project was created for grades 7-8 but could easily be used with high school students. The teacher can choose to use some or all of the provided lesson options included in this resource.

This lesson is great for distance learning/remote learning. You can upload it to your school’s learning management system (Google Classroom, Edmodo, Canvas, etc.) or share with students via Google Drive.

Files Included with this Lesson

• Teacher & Student Notes and Resources

• Introduction to Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Careers PowerPoint presentation (editable)

• Introduction to Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Careers Research Reading and Questions

• Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle (includes answer key)

• Job Type Word Search Puzzle (includes answer key)

• Research Project – Famous Scientist: Project expectations, resources, and rubric

• Catapult Challenge Group Project Instructions, Worksheet and Rubric

• Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Career Reflection Questions (MS Word)