September Read Alouds and STEM Challenges
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Looking for some fun ways to engage in STEM and maker learning? This month’s read aloud selections offer hands-on learning that will keep your students exploring, thinking creatively, and designing for a purpose.
There are so many benefits to adding a read aloud to your STEM lessons. A STEM read aloud is a book that is read before a STEM activity to provide a context for the challenge. The purpose of the STEM read aloud is to provide students with background knowledge for the challenge as well as to set up the problem that students are going to be solving.
Any book can provide a context for making and you can implement these lessons at any time of year, but here are a few stories that are perfect during the month of September. Be sure to check out the monthly menus to find all sorts of activities to connect to each book.
Swimmy
Swimmy by Leo Lionni will take your students on an underwater adventure full of wonder and danger. Journey along with Swimmy as he explores things he’s never seen before. The story begins with Swimmy being the only fish left after a tuna swallows the other fish in his school and ends with Swimmy teaching a new school of fish how to work together to explore their surroundings. This story provides opportunities for students to engage in innovative thinking and creative expression with activities like these:
Lobsters have large claws to grab and grip things. Design your own powerful claw. What materials can you use? What things will your grab?
Think about a big task that cannot be accomplished all alone. Draft a plan to accomplish the task with a team of friends or classmates.
Make a shoebox diorama to show an undersea scene. Include at least 3 things from the story.
Get the Read Aloud STEM menu for this book here.
Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown by Tony Hillery is an inspiring story of one man who took his idea and made a difference in his Harlem neighborhood. With the help of the neighborhood kids, Mr. Tony took an overgrown, run down lot and created a garden where the kids could plant and grow healthy food options. With a little love and care, the vacant lot became a beautiful garden and functioning farm in the middle of the city. After reading the book, students can explore a variety of gardening related challenges like these:
Explore the soil. How does it look? feel? smell? Record some of your observations in a notebook.
Create a recipe or plan a meal that includes at least 3 items that can be grown from the ground.
Plant some flower seeds in a cup. What will they need to grow? After a week, check on your seed. Has it changed?
Get the Read Aloud STEM menu for this book here.
The Little Red Pen
The Little Red Pen by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel is a colorful and creative story about office supplies working together to accomplish a task. The little red pen needs to grade a large stack of student papers, but she can’t do it all alone and no one is willing to help. When she accidentally rolls into the trash can out of exhaustion, the other desk supplies have to work together on a rescue mission. The vibrant colors and imaginative story provides many opportunities for learners to engage in innovative thinking and creative expression with activities like these:
Invent something so that your pencils and crayons will not roll off your desk and onto the floor.
In the story, the characters try to create a bridge, but fail. Can you create a bridge to connect two desks, tables, or chairs?
Paper clips are used as a part of the solution in the story. List or draw as many ways to use a paper clip as you can.
Get the Read Aloud STEM menu for this book here.
How to Catch a Star
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers is the story of a young boy on an adventure to catch his very own star. He tries many different ways and never gives up. After reading this story, students can try some design-related tasks like these:
The boy thinks he might use a spaceship to catch a star. Build a miniature spaceship out of cardboard and recyclables.
Brainstorm 3 creative ideas for how you might catch a star. Choose your best idea and build it!
Design a star of your own out of paper. Research some different ways to fold paper to make your star.
Get the Read Aloud STEM menu for this book here.
Whistle for Willie
Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats is a story of Peter who desperately wants to whistle. No matter how hard he tries, no sound comes out. He tries time and time again, but nothing happens. Peter continues to play and adventure throughout his day and his whistle shows up at just the right time! After reading this story, students can try some outdoor STEM challenges like these:
Girls were jumping rope in the neighborhood. Make your own jump rope using recycled grocery bags and duct tape.
Go outside and explore the shadows of different small items. Using paper and a pencil trace some of the shadows. What do you observe?
Peter twirled like a spinning top. Make your own top using a toothpick and a small piece of cardboard.
Get the Read Aloud STEM menu for this book here.
Drum Dream Girl
Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle is the story of a girl who never gave up on her dream. Even though drums were only allowed to be played by boys, she never gave up. With the help of her father and her music teacher she courageously changed music. Not only did she get to play drums, she taught others to follow their dreams, too! After this story, students can do a little research and exploration with challenges like these:
Create your own drum using clean recyclable containers. Tap a beat using your hands or make some drumsticks.
In the streets, some people are walking on stilts. Design a pair of stilts. What materials would be strong enough to hold you?
The girl hears a woodpecker pecking. Can you make something that will replicate that sound?
Get the Read Aloud STEM menu for this book here.
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