STEM Programming

Through engaging labs, real-world problem solving, and connections to technology, engineering, and math, science empowers students to think critically, ask meaningful questions, and understand the natural phenomena around them. This strong scientific foundation prepares them for advanced STEM learning and fosters curiosity that can lead to future STEM careers.

STEM PROGRAMMING

• Grades 5–8 programs aligned to Alabama Course of Study standards
• Consider class size, learning goals (STEM, teamwork, career awareness), and accessibility needs

The study of the natural world through observation, experimentation, and discovery.

Crank it Up
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.5.3, SC23.5.5

Students investigate how electrical energy is transferred and used to power devices by building circuits with multiple loads using Snap Circuits®. Through hands-on exploration and a design-based STEM Challenge, students apply their understanding of energy forms and transfer to create functional circuit systems that model real-world electrical applications.

Supercharged Plants
ALSDE Objectives:SC23.5.5

Students construct and test a model demonstrating how plants obtain energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. They model the transfer of energy from the sun to plants and then to other organisms in a food system. Through discussion and model sharing, students connect their investigation to real ecosystems and explain how photosynthesis drives energy flow among organisms on Earth.

Potential Energy in Roller Coasters
ALSDE Objectives: MA19.6.6, SC23.6.1, SC23.6.2

Students investigate the relationship between potential and kinetic energy by modeling roller coaster motion using Ozobot Ari robots. As they design and program pathways with varying heights, slopes, and speeds, students observe how energy is stored and transferred throughout the system. Through testing and refinement, they analyze how changes in design impact motion, deepening their understanding of energy transformation in real-world systems.

Chickens in Space
ALSDE Objective: SC23.6.5, SC23.6.5

Students use the LEGO® Science kit to design and build a model biodome ecosystem that supports chickens on a space station. By incorporating producers, consumers, and decomposers, they investigate how matter cycles and energy flows through living and nonliving components. Through modeling, testing, and discussion, students analyze ecosystem interactions and compare their systems to real-world ecosystems such as forests.

Solar System Model with Ari
ALSDE Objective: DLCS18.7.6, MA19.7.20, SC23.7.4

Students develop a scaled model of the solar system to explore the relative distances and motion of planets. By programming Ozobot Ari robots to represent planetary movement, they simulate orbits and analyze patterns in speed and position. Through measurement, modeling, and iterative testing, students refine their representations and deepen their understanding of scale, proportional reasoning, and the dynamics of planetary systems.

Move the Matter
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.7.5

Students use the LEGO® Science Kit to construct a model forest ecosystem that initially lacks key components. By adding producers, consumers, and decomposers, they investigate how matter cycles between living and nonliving parts of the system. Through modeling, testing, and discussion, students trace the movement of materials through ecosystems and connect their observations to real-world ecological processes and environmental interactions.

A Breath of Fresh Space
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.8.8

Students use the LEGO® Science Kit to investigate how chemical reactions support life in space by modeling electrolysis and gas balance on the International Space Station. Using molecule models and a balance scale, they explore how atoms are conserved in reactions and how oxygen is produced from water. Students connect their findings to real NASA technologies that maintain breathable air in spacecraft environments.

Resistance Detectives
AlSDE Objectives: SC23.8.7, MA19.8.21

Students investigate how different materials conduct or resist electrical energy by classifying conductors and insulators. Using Snap Circuits®, they explore how circuits respond to various materials and apply their understanding to solve design challenges, reinforcing concepts of conductivity, resistance, and engineering design.

The use of tools, software, and systems to solve problems and improve how we live and work.

Smart Technology: Logic & Control
ALSDE Objectives: DLCS18.5.6, DLCS18.5.7

Students explore smart home technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), focusing on how circuits power connected systems. Using Snap Circuits®, they construct a multi-level building model and apply their knowledge in a STEM Challenge to design a smart home solution, integrating automation concepts, circuit design, and real-world technology applications.

Investigation: Conductivity
ALSDE Objectives: SC.5.PS.1, SC.5.PS.3, DLCS.5.2

Using our zSpace laptops, students investigate how electrical energy flows through circuits by testing conductive and nonconductive materials in a virtual environment. As they build and analyze open and closed circuits, they observe how different materials affect the movement of electricity. The lesson develops understanding of conductors, insulators, and energy transfer while reinforcing how components work together within an electrical system.

Analog & Digital Signals
ALSDE Objectives: DLCS18.6.20, DLCS18.6.21, MA19.6.21, MA19.6.24

Students compare analog and digital signals and explore how information is transmitted in different formats. Using Snap Circuits®, they build and program multi-component circuits, then apply their understanding in a STEM Challenge to create a digital art or sound project, demonstrating how signals can be encoded, processed, and communicated.

Energy, Momentum, and Impulse
ALSDE Objective: SC.6.PS.3, SC.6.PS.4, MATH.6.SP, DLCS.6.2

Using our zSpace laptops, students explore how potential energy, kinetic energy, momentum, and impulse interact through a virtual stunt simulation. By comparing impacts on different surfaces, they analyze how force, motion, and time affect outcomes and safety. The activity emphasizes data interpretation, cause-and-effect relationships, and how physical principles guide design decisions in systems involving motion and collisions.

Investigating Cubelets
ALSDE Objective: SC23.7.1, SC23.7.4, DLCS18.6-8.5, DLCS18.6-8.6

Students explore Cubelets as modular robotic systems, investigating how SENSE, THINK, and ACT components interact to produce complex behaviors. Through hands-on experimentation, they develop foundational understanding of systems, emergence, and computational thinking.

Analog & Digital Signals
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.7.8, DLCS18.7.21, MA19.7.21

Paper Coding
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.8.1, SC23.8.4

Students use Cubelets and physical materials to simulate programming logic, developing foundational coding concepts such as sequencing, inputs, and control. By arranging Cubelets and mapping actions on paper, they model how data flows through a system and how behaviors are produced. This hands-on approach bridges robotics with abstract computational thinking, helping students understand algorithms and system design.

Sound Waves and Music
ALSDE Objectives: SC.8.PS.4, SC.8.PS.5, MATH.8.F, DLCS.8.2

Using our zSpace laptops, students investigate how frequency, wavelength, and wave speed affect sound and pitch using a virtual stringed instrument model. By changing string length, tension, and density, they observe how physical properties influence wave behavior and the sounds produced. The lesson connects mathematical relationships among wave variables to real-world applications in music, helping students understand how energy travels through wave systems.

The application of science and math to design, build, and improve structures, machines, and processes.

Drone Flight Fundamentals: Procedures & Precision
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.5.ETS1.1, SC23.5.ETS1.2, SC23.5.ETS1.3, MA19.5.3, MA19.5.11, DLCS18.5.AP.1, DLCS18.5.IC.2

Students are introduced to drone piloting through a structured team-based mission focused on safety, communication, and precision. Working in flight teams, they conduct preflight inspections, follow a defined flight sequence, and execute takeoff, hover, rotation, and landing tasks. The lesson emphasizes procedural thinking, measurement, and teamwork while building foundational piloting skills in a controlled environment.

Designing 3- and 4- Block Robots
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.5.1, DLCS18.5.5, DLCS18.5.7

Students design and build increasingly complex robots using multiple Cubelets, exploring how different configurations impact behavior. They apply engineering design thinking to create functional robots and propose real-world applications.

Drone Flight Fundamentals: Stability & Control
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.6.ETS1.1, SC23.6.ETS1.2, SC23.6.ETS1.3, MA19.6.1, MA19.6.4, DLCS18.6.AP.1, DLCS18.6.IC.1

Students investigate how changing a single variable affects drone stability and control through structured flight testing. Teams conduct repeated trials, intentionally adjusting one factor such as control input, hover height, or communication style while keeping other conditions constant. Using observations as evidence, students analyze cause-and-effect relationships and develop an understanding of controlled testing and system behavior.

Design 3- and 4-block Robots
ALSDE Objective: SC23.6.1, DLCS18.6-8.5, DLCS18.6-8.7

Drone Flight Fundamentals: Systems & Variables
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.7.ETS1.1, SC23.7.ETS1.2, SC23.7.ETS1.3, MA19.7.1, MA19.7.6, DLCS18.7.AP.1, DLCS18.7.IC.1

Students explore how multiple interacting variables influence drone performance within a system. Through structured flight trials, teams adjust inputs such as timing, control size, and communication while collecting and analyzing performance data. The lesson emphasizes systems thinking, experimental design, and evidence-based reasoning as students determine how variable interactions impact stability and accuracy.

Engineering Design Process
ALSDE Objectives: SC.7.ETS.1, SC.7.ETS.2, DLCS.7.3

Using our zSpace laptops, students learn how engineers solve problems by working through the engineering design process, including identifying criteria and constraints, brainstorming solutions, planning, prototyping, testing, and improving. Through iterative design challenges, they evaluate how well a solution meets a need and refine their ideas based on results, building understanding of optimization, problem solving, and practical application of science and mathematics.

Drone Flight Fundamentals: Optimization & Efficiency
ALSDE Objective: SC23.8.ETS1.1, SC23.8.ETS1.2, SC23.8.ETS1.3, MA19.8.3, MA19.8.6, DLCS18.8.AP.1, DLCS18.8.IC.1

Students optimize drone performance by conducting iterative flight tests and analyzing trade-offs between stability, accuracy, and efficiency. Teams refine piloting strategies by adjusting one variable at a time and evaluating results using performance metrics. The lesson focuses on data-driven decision-making, system optimization, and engineering trade-offs while reinforcing safe and responsible drone operation.

Operate in Color
ALSDE Objectives: SC23.8.9, DLCS18.8.R4

Students use the LEGO® Science Kit to build and program a color-controlled car that performs specific actions when detecting different colors. As they navigate obstacles, collect data, and refine color signals, students engage in iterative testing and redesign. Through this process, they analyze performance, optimize their systems, and apply engineering practices that mirror how real-world technologies are improved through data-driven decision making.

The study of numbers, patterns, and relationships used to analyze data and solve problems.

Aera and Perimeter Everywhere!
ALSDE Objective: MA19.5.12c, MA19.5.12d, MA19.5.17, MA19.5.19, MA19.5.21

Students explore area and perimeter by programming Ozobot robots to travel measured paths that form geometric shapes. As they design, test, and refine their routes, students calculate distances, compare dimensions, and analyze how changes to a shape affect both area and perimeter. Through hands-on application, they connect geometric reasoning to spatial movement, strengthening their understanding of measurement in real-world contexts.

Shadow Shifts
ALSDE Objectives: MA19.5.12c, MA19.5.12d, MA19.5.21, SC23.5.11

Students investigate how the position of a light source affects the size, shape, and direction of shadows. By programming Ozobot robots to move along planned paths, they collect and record observations at different positions and distances from the light. Through analysis and discussion, students identify patterns in how shadows change, connecting their findings to principles of light behavior and measurement in real-world contexts.

Distance Formula with Ari
ASLDE Objectives: DLCS18.6.6, MA19.6.11a, MA19.6.27, MA19.6.28

Students apply coordinate geometry concepts by using the distance formula to calculate and verify the shortest path between plotted points. By programming Ozobot Ari robots to travel between coordinates on a grid, they connect mathematical calculations to physical movement. Through testing and refinement, students analyze accuracy, adjust pathways, and deepen their understanding of distance, precision, and real-world applications of coordinate systems.

Double the Push
ASLDE Objective: SC23.6.11, MA19.6.3

Students use the LEGO® Science Kit to build a force machine that demonstrates how multiple forces acting on an object combine to influence its motion. Through hands-on experimentation and design challenges, they investigate how the sum of forces affects movement and direction. Students apply their understanding by creating a functional game model and connect their findings to real-world phenomena such as surfing and roller coaster motion.

Distance Formula with Ari
ALSDE Objectives: DLCS18.7.6, MA19.7.11a, MA19.7.27, MA19.7.28

Students apply coordinate geometry by using the distance formula to calculate and verify distances between plotted points on a coordinate plane. By programming Ozobot Ari robots to travel between coordinates, they connect mathematical calculations to precise movement. Through testing, measurement, and refinement, students analyze accuracy, adjust pathways, and deepen their understanding of distance, precision, and real-world applications of coordinate systems.

Spinning and Winning
ALSDE Objective: SC23.7.13, MA19.7.4

Students use the LEGO® Science Kit to design and test a spinner device that demonstrates how mass and speed influence kinetic energy. By collecting and analyzing data on spin time, they identify patterns and relationships between motion and energy. Through iterative design, testing, and refinement, students apply measurement and scientific reasoning to optimize performance and deepen their understanding of kinetic energy in real-world systems.

Distance Formula with Ari
AlSDE Objectives: DLCS18.8.6, MA19.8.11a, MA19.8.27, MA19.8.28

Students apply coordinate geometry by using the distance formula to calculate and verify distances between plotted points on a coordinate plane. By programming Ozobot Ari robots to travel between coordinates, they connect mathematical reasoning to precise movement and navigation. Through measurement, testing, and refinement, students evaluate accuracy, adjust pathways, and deepen their understanding of distance, precision, and real-world applications of coordinate systems.

Floor Plan and Scale
ALSDE Objectives: DLCS18.8.6, MA19.8.20, MA19.8.6

Students explore scale drawings by programming Ozobot Ari robots to navigate floor plans and proportional layouts. As they interpret and create scaled representations, students calculate dimensions, compare ratios, and analyze how changes in scale affect real-world measurements. Through testing and refinement, they connect spatial reasoning to precise movement, deepening their understanding of proportional relationships and practical applications of scale in design.

STEM Programming