STEM Curriculum for First Grade

🌱 Little STEM Explorers: Discovering the World, Creating the Future.

An annual journey of hands-on projects connecting science, health and values for curious first-grade minds.

Main Objective of the Plan

Ignite the innate curiosity of first grade students, using hands-on STEM projects to build a solid foundation in problem solving, collaboration, and caring for themselves, others, and their environment.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Basic biology (parts of the body, 5 senses).
Technology: Use of simple measuring tools (thermometer, magnifying glass).
Engineering: Design of help tools.
Mathematics: Counting (beats), sorting (food).

Critical Thinking: Why do we need to wash our hands? What foods help my body?
Collaboration: Work in pairs to measure the pulse.

Hands-on activities

Clean Hands Project: Use glitter («germs») and soap to understand the importance of hand washing.
Stethoscope Engineering: Build a simple stethoscope with a cardboard tube and two funnels to listen to the heartbeat.
Food Stoplight: Classify food images into categories of «green light» (eat often), «yellow light» (sometimes) and «red light» (seldom).

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Traffic Light): Students look for foods in their own kitchen (with permission) or in magazines/brochures and sort them on a sheet of paper divided into three colors. They can take a picture of their sorting.

Digital tools: simple anatomy apps (e.g. «My Incredible Body»), hygiene videos.

Formative Evaluation

Observation checklist (hand washing).
Portfolio of photos of your meals/classifications.
Exit ticket (Draw a healthy food).

Integration of Ethical Values

Self-care: Encourage personal responsibility for one's own health and hygiene.
Respect: Understand that all bodies are different and valuable.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Plant life cycle, plant parts, photosynthesis (basic idea of sun and food).
Technology: Use of camera/tablet to document growth.
Engineering: Design of simple irrigation systems.
Mathematics: Measurement (plant height), counting (leaves), data recording (simple growth chart).

Creativity: Designing unique pots with recycled materials.
Digital Literacy: Take sequential photos of the growth.

Hands-on activities

Mi Amigo Frijol: Germinate a bean in a plastic bag with wet cotton stuck to the window to observe the roots and stem.
Self-Regulating Planter Design: Use a cut plastic bottle and a piece of yarn to create a pot that «drinks» water on its own.
Observation Diary: Draw or photograph the plant every two days, measuring its height with a ruler or connectable cubes.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Mi Amigo Frijol): Each student does this at home. They create a digital (using Google Slides/Jamboard) or physical observation journal, sharing their photos/drawings weekly.

PlantNet App (simple identification), Google Lens, camera.

Formative Evaluation

Plant observation diary (simple rubric).
Self-assessment: Did my plant have everything it needed?
Short presentation («Show and tell») of your pot.

Integration of Ethical Values

Responsibility: Caring for a living being.
Patience: Understand that growth takes time.
Sustainability: Reuse materials for pots.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Material properties (metal vs. paper money).
Technology: Use of toy cash register or simple calculator app.
Engineering: Design and construction of a personal piggy bank.
Mathematics: Coin recognition, counting, simple sums (1+1, 1+5).

Critical Thinking: Is this something I need or something I want? Why do we save?
Collaboration: Play the roles of buyer and seller in the «little shop».

Hands-on activities

Classification of Needs vs. Wants: Use picture cards (food, water, toy, video game) and sort them into two boxes.
Piggy Bank Design Challenge: Use cardboard boxes, bottles, and art supplies to design a safe piggy bank for coin storage.
Class Market: Set up a «little store» with simple objects (pencils, erasers). Students earn «money» (tokens) for tasks and decide whether to spend or save.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Piggy Bank): Students build their piggy bank at home and share a short video (15 seconds) or photo explaining a feature of their design.

Online money counting games (e.g. ABCya), calculator app.

Formative Evaluation

Observation during the «little store» role-play.
Classification checklist (need/want).
Drawing of «Something I want to save for».

Integration of Ethical Values

Decision Making: Learning to make choices and the consequences of choices.
Future Planning: Introduce the concept of saving for a goal.
Honesty: Manage the «money» of the class.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Basic physics (forces: push, pull), friction (smooth vs. rough surfaces).
Technology: Use a stopwatch (app) to measure time.
Engineering: Design ramps and obstacles.
Mathematics: Measurement (distance), comparison (faster, slower).

Critical Thinking: Why does the cart go faster on this ramp? How can I make it go further?
Collaboration: Build an obstacle course as a team.

Hands-on activities

Ramp Races: Build ramps out of books and cardboard. Try different heights and surfaces (sandpaper, cloth) to see how they affect the speed of a cart.
Mini-Golf design: Use recycled materials (tubes, boxes) to design a miniature golf hole that requires precise ball pushing.
Tug-of-War: Explore the forces of pushing and pulling in a safe and controlled manner.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Ramps): Students use household objects (books, cushions, boards) to create ramps. They record a short video showing their fastest cart and their slowest cart, explaining why they think it happened.

Stopwatch app, simple physics simulator (e.g. Phet Jr.).

Formative Evaluation

Science notebook (drawings of their ramps and predictions).
Distance measurements recorded.
Quick interview, «What did you do to make your cart go faster?»

Integration of Ethical Values

Fair Play: Follow the rules in «races» and games.
Perseverance: Try different ramp designs until it works.
Security: Understand how to play without getting hurt.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Water states (solid, liquid, gas), water cycle (basic concepts), pollution.
Technology: See water cycle simulations.
Engineering: Design of a water filter.
Mathematics: Measuring (volume in cups), counting (drops).

Critical Thinking: Where does the water come from? What would happen if it ran out?
Creativity: To represent the water cycle with movement.

Hands-on activities

Water Cycle in a Bag: Draw sun and clouds in a Ziploc bag, add water with blue dye, stick it to the window and observe evaporation and condensation.
Water Filter Challenge: Use a bottle, absorbent cotton, sand and gravel to try to clean «dirty water» (water with dirt and bits of leaves).
Waste Detectives: Take a tour of the school (or home) to find leaky faucets and note how many you found.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Detectives): Students do the walk-through at home. They create a small drawing «ticket ticket» for each leaky faucet or unnecessarily turned on light and share it.

BrainPop Jr. videos (Water Cycle), conservation games.

Formative Evaluation

Labeled drawing of the water cycle in the bag.
Simple filter design rubric (Did the water come out clearer?).
Group discussion: How can we save water?

Integration of Ethical Values

Environmental Responsibility: Understand that water is a shared and limited resource.
Empathy: Understand that not everyone has easy access to clean water.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Observation and sequencing.
Technology: Basic coding (sequencing), digital narrative.
Engineering: Design process (planning a story).
Mathematics: Patterns, sequences (first, second, third).

Digital Literacy: Use a tablet app to create something, understand basic commands.
Collaboration: Create a group «code» sequence.

Hands-on activities

Unplugged Encoding: Create a grid on the floor. One student is the «robot» and the others give him commands (forward, turn) to get to a treasure.
Simple Stop-Motion Animation: Use toys (e.g., blocks, dolls) and an app (such as Stop Motion Studio) to take 10-15 photos by moving the objects slightly and create a mini-movie.
My First «Bug»: Play a game where the teacher purposely gives incorrect instructions (e.g., «touch your nose» while touching your ear) to teach the concept of «bug» (error).

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Stop-Motion): Students use their own toys and a free app on an adult's phone. They export their 5-second video and upload it to a class gallery.

Code.org (Course A), ScratchJr, Stop Motion Studio app.

Formative Evaluation

Sequence checklist (Did they follow the steps?).
Final product (animation).
Self-assessment: What was difficult to explain to the «robot»?

Integration of Ethical Values

Clear communication: Learn that instructions must be precise.
Resilience: Understand that bugs are normal and can be fixed.
Digital Ethics: Tablet time sharing.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Properties of materials (plastic, paper, metal, glass), decomposition.
Technology: Use magnets to separate metals.
Engineering: Design process to reuse materials.
Mathematics: Sorting, counting, simple graphs (how many of each material).

Creativity: Inventing a new use for an old object.
Critical Thinking: Can this object be reused, can it be recycled, or is it garbage?

Hands-on activities

Sorting Station: Bring in (clean) different types of containers. Students sort them by material (paper, plastic, metal) using their senses and a magnet.
Recycled Toy Challenge: Engineering challenge where they must create a new toy (e.g. a car, a robot) using at least 3 different recycled materials.
Basura-Banda« Orchestra: Build simple musical instruments (maracas with bottles, drums with cans).

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Recycled Toy): Home Challenge. Students build their toy and present it in a video call, explaining what materials they used and why.

Online recycling sorting games, recycling plant videos.

Formative Evaluation

Bar chart of classified materials.
Simple toy rubric (Does it use 3 materials? Does it work?).
Discussion: What else can we do to make less waste?

Integration of Ethical Values

Sustainability: Understand the impact of our waste on the planet.
Ingenuity: See the value in objects that others discard.
Civic Responsibility: Participate in recycling.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Social observation (what does our community need?).
Technology: Use digital maps (Google Maps) to see the school's neighborhood.
Engineering: Structural design (bridges), space design (parks).
Mathematics: Geometry (shapes), measurement (length).

Collaboration: Work as a team to design and build.
Critical Thinking: What makes a park fun for *everyone* (accessibility).

Hands-on activities

Design of «Park for All»: In groups, design a park on a large piece of paper, making sure to include things for different people (e.g., wheelchair ramps, benches for grandparents, swings).
Puente de Palitos Challenge: Using popsicle sticks and glue (or tape), design a bridge that can cross a «river» (space between two tables) and support weight (e.g., a toy cart).
Kindness Map: Create a map of the classroom or school and put a sticky star every time someone does a «social engineering deed» (a kind act, helping someone).

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Park Design): Students use a collaborative digital board (such as Jamboard) to draw their park together, dragging images or using drawing tools.

Jamboard/Miro, Google Maps (satellite view), drawing apps.

Formative Evaluation

Presentation of the park design (peer review).
Bridge load test (How much weight did it support?).
Observation of group collaboration.

Integration of Ethical Values

Empathy: Design with the needs of others in mind.
Teamwork: Understand that everyone's ideas are valuable to build something great.
Social Responsibility: Be a friendly and helpful member of the community.