November STEM Lesson Plans (Includes Balloons Over Broadway Activities)
As we transition into November, it’s the perfect time to continue engaging students with STEM activities that spark curiosity and creativity.
This month, you have two exciting options for structuring your STEM lessons, allowing flexibility based on your classroom needs and goals. Whether you choose to focus on an immersive project with Balloons Over Broadway or rotate through seasonal challenges, November promises to be packed with learning opportunities!
Want to watch the video instead of reading the blog? Check out the replay of our November STEM Planning Party!
Simplifying Your Planning Process
All of these lessons are available on Teachers Pay Teachers. However, the best way to access all of the November STEM lessons is through the STEM Teachers Club Membership.
The STEM Teachers Club Membership not only provides high-quality lesson plans but also offers a structured approach to implementing them. With weekly themes and suggested read-alouds, you can easily integrate STEM into your daily schedule. Through the STEM Teachers Club you are able to gain access to our full catalog of lessons with unlimited downloads and you can cancel anytime.
Here's how you can leverage the resources and support provided by the STEM Teachers Club Membership to make your November STEM lesson planning a breeze.
Option 1: Balloons Over Broadway
If you’re looking for a deep dive into a single project, the first path is ideal for spending the entire month on STEM activities inspired by the beloved story Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet. This picture book introduces students to the life of Tony Sarg, the master puppeteer behind the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons.
Through hands-on, engineering-focused lessons, students will engage in the Engineering Design Process as they imagine, plan, create, and improve their own parade balloons and/or floats. By tackling real-world problems like structure and movement, your students will not only build their own balloons but also develop key skills like creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration.
Here are some of the exciting activities you can implement:
Paper Plate Balloons with Green Screen: Have students design their own balloons using paper plates, templates, markers, and craft supplies. As an optional alternative you use the DoInk green screen app or Canva to place their balloons in a New York cityscape.
Mini Paper Balloons with KUBO: Integrate KUBO or a similar coding robot into your lessons as students create balloons that move and navigate through a parade route.
Regular Balloons or Paper Balloons with Bee-Bot or Blue-Bot: Challenge your students to design a balloon for the parade and code it to follow the parade path using Blue-Bot or Bee-Bot.
Parade Float Design: Introduce your students to Project Based Learning with a fun and hands-on challenge to design a float for the Thanksgiving Parade.
Mini Paper Balloons with Ozobots: Integrate Ozobots into your lessons as students create balloons that move and navigate through a parade route. Students can also learn about shapes or multiplication arrays as they design buildings for the parade path.
Balloons with Sphero Bolts: Challenge older students to design a parade balloon and code it through the parade route powered by Sphero Bolts and chariots!
This focused month-long project gives students multiple opportunities to improve and iterate on their designs, making it a great option for classrooms where students benefit from continuous exploration of one theme.
You can get all of the Balloons Over Broadway resources in our Balloons Over Broadway Bundle on TPT. However, for the same price you can get a month of unlimited downloads in the STEM Teachers Club Membership! Use Code CarlyandAdamBlog to get $5 off your first month of membership!
Option 2: Seasonal Fall and Thanksgiving STEM Challenges
For those who prefer to mix things up each week, the second path offers a range of weekly STEM challenges that connect to November’s themes like Election Day, Thanksgiving, and the fall season. Each challenge ties STEM concepts to cultural traditions, encouraging students to make connections between what they learn and the world around them.
Week 1: Election STEM ACTIVITIES AND CHALLENGES
Week 1 is all about the election. Students will learn about citizenship and the voting process through hands-on STEM activities and challenges.
Duck for President: Students in Kindergarten and First Grade will use building materials like KEVA planks or LEGOs to create a podium for duck after reading Duck for President. As an optional extension activity students can also learn about the history of campaign buttons and design a campaign button for duck.
Sofia Valdez Future Prez: Students in Second and Third Grade will design a collaborative park after reading Sofia Valdez Future Prez and learning about citizenship.
Grace for President: Students in Third and Fourth Grade will design a ballot box after reading Grace for president. Students must think through how the votes will be collected and counted as they design their ballot box.
You can get all of the election resources in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store. However, for the same price you can get a month of unlimited downloads in the STEM Teachers Club Membership! Use Code CarlyandAdamBlog to get $5 off your first month of membership!
Week 2: Thanksgiving STEM ACTIVITIES AND CHALLENGES
As November progresses, you can infuse Thanksgiving fun into your STEM lessons. Week 2 is all about introducing fun and engaging fall and Thanksgiving activities while keeping STEM at the core.
10 Fat Turkeys: Students in Kindergarten practice counting to 10 after reading 10 Fat Turkeys. They also use their engineering skills to build a fence that can support all of the turkeys.
Our Table: Students in First Grade build a Thanksgiving table that can fit all of the family members after reading Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds.
Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’: After reading Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’ students in second grade use their engineering skills to construct a fishing pole to help the mom in the story fish the turkey out of the pond.
A Plump and Perky Turkey: After reading A Plump and Perky Turkey students in third grade design a 3D turkey that can stand up on its own.
The Great Turkey Race: Students in fourth grade design a turkey obstacle course using paper and tape after reading The Great Turkey Race.
‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving: Students in fifth grade design a pulley to hide a turkey to keep it safe.
You can get all of these Thanksgiving STEM resources in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store. However, the STEM Teachers Club Membership is the best deal! Use Code CarlyandAdamBlog to get $5 off your first month of membership!
Week 3: More Fall and Thanksgiving STEM ACTIVITIES AND CHALLENGES
Here are more fall and Thanksgiving challenges for your students to explore during the month of November:
A Leaf Can Be: Students in Kindergarten use their creativity to turn leaves into different objects after reading A Leaf Can Be.
Leaf Man: Students in First Grade use leaves and their creativity to create different animals.
Turkey Trouble: After reading Turkey Trouble students in second grade use their engineering skills to construct a disguise for a turkey.
Turk and Runt: After reading Turk and Runt students in third grade disguise the turkeys as snowmen using toothpicks and marshmallows.
Thank You Sarah: Students in fourth grade code a path to help Sarah save Thanksgiving after reading Thank You Sarah.
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever: Students in fifth grade design a pulley to lift a mini pumpkin after reading The Biggest Pumpkin Ever.
You can get all of these Thanksgiving STEM resources in our Teachers Pay Teachers Store. However, the STEM Teachers Club Membership is the best deal! Use Code CarlyandAdamBlog to get $5 off your first month of membership!
How to Choose the Right Path?
Both paths align with core STEM principles, and either choice will help your students grow in their problem-solving abilities. If your classroom thrives on exploration and iteration, focusing on Balloons Over Broadway for the entire month allows students to develop a deep understanding of engineering concepts. On the other hand, if your students enjoy variety and learning through quick bursts of creativity, the weekly STEM challenges offer fresh activities that keep students engaged.
No matter which path you choose, November is filled with opportunities to make learning both fun and meaningful!
Feel free to modify these lesson plans to fit your classroom’s unique needs, and enjoy watching your students’ creativity soar this month.
By following these plans, you’ll be able to provide a rich, engaging STEM experience for your students throughout November, while keeping the activities aligned with seasonal themes and learning goals.
Ready to make STEM planning easier than ever? Join the STEM Teachers Club today and take the first step towards a successful and inspiring school year. Visit the STEM Teachers Club website for more information and to sign up.
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