STEM Curriculum for Fifth Grade

🚀 Global Innovators: STEM Impact Missions

An annual 8-mission plan for fifth grade, focused on data analysis, solution design and global impact.

Main Objective of the Plan

Empowering fifth grade students to act as change agents, using data analysis and the engineering process to design ethical and sustainable solutions to global challenges.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Biology (respiratory and immune systems), biomechanics (levers in the body).
Technology: Data collection (sensors, fitness apps), app prototyping (Figma, Marvel).
Engineering: Design of a functional lung model, design of an assistance tool (e.g. reacher).
Mathematics: Data analysis (average, median, mode of steps/heart rate), percentages (improvement).

Critical Thinking: How are my body systems connected? How can data improve my health?
Collaboration: Collect and anonymize class health data for group analysis.

Hands-on activities

Functional Lung Model: Build a model demonstrating diaphragm action using a bottle, balloons and a rubber membrane.
Health App Hackathon: On paper or using a simple app (such as Marvel or Figma), design the prototype of an app that solves a health problem (e.g. «remember to drink water», «correct posture»).
Fitness Data Analysis: Use pedometers (or phones) to track daily steps for a week. Graph the class data and find the average, median, and mode.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Data Analysis): Students track their steps at home and enter them into a shared Google Sheet. Each student analyzes the entire data set and writes 3 conclusions.

Figma (web), Marvel App, Google Sheets, BrainPop (Immune System).

Formative Evaluation

Demonstration and explanation of the lung model.
Presentation of the app prototype (does it solve the problem?).
Step data graph and written analysis (3 conclusions).

Integration of Ethical Values

Data Privacy: Discuss what health data is private and why it is important to protect it.
Empathy: Design apps that are inclusive and easy to use for everyone.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Hydrology (watersheds), chemistry (pH, nitrates), pollution (point and non-point).
Technology: GIS mapping (Google My Maps), water quality test kits.
Engineering: Design of a water filtration system, design of a watershed model.
Mathematics: Area calculation (watershed), measurement (parts per million), data analysis (contaminant levels).

Systemic Thinking: How does garbage from a street end up in the ocean? How do all the rivers connect?
Digital Literacy: Overlay data layers (factories, farms, rivers) on a digital map.

Hands-on activities

Contaminated Watershed Model: Crumple aluminum foil to create a «basin». Sprinkle «contaminants» (food coloring, chocolate chips) and simulate rain to see how it all flows to a point.
Water Filtration Challenge: Give the groups «dirty water» (soil, vegetable oil, coffee). They should design and build the most effective filter using layers (cotton, sand, gravel, activated carbon).
Local Watershed Mapping: Use Google My Maps to map your own school's watershed. Identify potential sources of pollution (streets, parking lots).

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Watershed Mapping): Students use Google My Maps at home to map their neighborhood watershed and add pins (photos) of potential pollution sources.

Google My Maps, Google Earth, EPA's «How's My Waterway?» (web).

Formative Evaluation

Quality test of the filtered water (how clean was it?).
Digital map of the basin with risk analysis.
Explanation of the contaminated watershed model.

Integration of Ethical Values

Civic Responsibility: Understand that our local actions (trash) have global impacts (oceans).
Environmental Justice: Discuss why some communities suffer more from water pollution than others.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Psychology (market behavior, fear vs. greed).
Technology: Stock market simulators (e.g., Investopedia, MarketWatch).
Engineering: Design of a diversified «investment portfolio» (a system).
Mathematics: Percentages (profit/loss), decimals (stock prices), line charts (price history), compound interest (concept).

Critical Thinking: What makes a stock price go up or down? Why is it risky to put all your money in one place (diversification)?
Planning: Long-term vs. short-term investment strategy.

Hands-on activities

Stock Market Simulation: Give each group virtual $10,000. Using a simulator (or a simple spreadsheet), they should research and «buy» 3-5 stocks of companies they know (e.g. Disney, Nintendo, Tesla).
Stock Tracker: Track your shares for 4 weeks. Graph the performance and calculate the total percentage gain/loss.
Diversification Debate: One group «invests» all in one share. Another group «invests» $2,000 in 5 stocks. Simulate an event (e.g., «Stock X drops 50%»). Discuss which portfolio was more resilient.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Simulation): Use a free web simulator such as MarketWatch or Investopedia. Students manage their own portfolios and compete in a classroom league.

Investopedia Stock Simulator, MarketWatch, Google Finance, Yahoo Finance.

Formative Evaluation

Final presentation of the portfolio (Why did they choose those stocks? What did they learn?).
Correct calculation of the percentage gain/loss.
Reflective writing on risk and diversification.

Integration of Ethical Values

Ethical Investing (ESG): Discuss: Would you invest in a company that harms the environment if it makes you a lot of money?
Patience: Understand that investing (generally) is a long-term game.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Physics (the 4 forces of flight: lift, weight, thrust, drag), Bernoulli's Principle (concept).
Technology: Flight simulators (simple), wind tunnel (homemade).
Engineering: Design process (wing design, rocket design), iterative testing.
Mathematics: Measurement (distance, flight time, wing angles), data collection.

Critical Thinking: Which wing shape creates the most lift? How can I reduce drag?
Collaboration: «Engineering team» to design, build and test a glider.

Hands-on activities

Paper Glider Competition: Go beyond the simple airplane. Investigate 3 designs (e.g., dart, glider, hang glider) and test which one flies the farthest (distance) or the longest (time in the air).
Homemade Wind Tunnel: Build a simple wind tunnel with a cardboard box and a fan. Test different shapes (curved, flat, thick) and measure the resistance (with a simple balance).
Pressure Rockets (Water/Air): (With supervision). Use plastic bottles, cardboard for fins, and a launcher (purchased or made) to launch rockets. Test how different amounts of water or fin designs affect height.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Glider Competition): Students build and test their 3 designs at home. They measure the distance (with steps or tape measure) and record their best throw for each design.

Flight Simulator (web, simple), Kerbal Space Program (concept), NASA «Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics».

Formative Evaluation

Data table of the 3 glider designs.
Diagram of the 4 forces of flight in your glider design.
Rocket lab report (Which design went higher and why?).

Integration of Ethical Values

Safety and Engineering: Discuss why rigorous testing is vital in aeronautics.
Innovation: Recognize the perseverance of the pioneers of flight (Wright brothers).

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Geology (tectonic plates, faults, rock cycle), seismology (P and S waves).
Technology: Seismograph reading (simulated), investigation of seismic zones (maps).
Engineering: Structural design (triangulation, dampers), construction of a «seismic table».
Mathematics: Richter scale (logarithmic, concept), measurement (height of structure, weight supported).

Critical Thinking: Why do some structures fall and others do not? Which shapes are stronger?
Creativity: Use limited materials to build a strong and flexible tower.

Hands-on activities

Tectonic Plate Simulator: Use graham crackers on icing (asthenosphere) to simulate converging, diverging and transforming boundaries.
Home Seismic Table: Build a «seismic table» (tray on marbles or rubber balls) to simulate an earthquake.
Marshmallow Tower Challenge: Using spaghetti, ribbon, yarn and a marshmallow, build the tallest tower that can survive 30 seconds on the «seismic table».

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Tower Challenge): Students build at home (materials can be shipped). They film the test of their tower (by shaking the table manually) and measure its height.

USGS Earthquake Map (web), earthquake simulators, shake table testing videos.

Formative Evaluation

Explanation of the plate tectonics model.
Height and resilience of the marshmallow tower (rubric).
Redesign: What would you change in your tower after the first test (Iteration).

Integration of Ethical Values

Community Resilience: Discuss how engineering saves lives and helps communities recover.
Preparation: Create a family safety plan for natural disasters.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Data science (collection, cleaning, visualization), pattern identification.
Technology: Spreadsheets (Google Sheets - graphics), UI/UX prototyping (Figma, Canva).
Engineering: Software design process (user stories, wireframes, prototypes).
Mathematics: Descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, range), graphs (bar, line, pie).

Digital Literacy: Understand how apps use your data.
Collaboration: «Product teams» with designers, analysts and product managers (roles).

Hands-on activities

Survey and Data Analysis: In groups, create a simple survey (e.g. «Favorite snack», «Screen time»). Collect data, clean it (remove meaningless answers) and visualize it in Google Sheets.
From Data to Conclusion: Each group presents their graph and 3 «conclusions» or «patterns» they found (e.g. «Most prefer salty snacks»).
Data-Driven App Prototype: Based on a problem encountered (e.g. «People forget to drink water» - Unit 1), design a high fidelity prototype (with colors and buttons) in Canva or Figma that solves that problem.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Survey): Use Google Forms for the survey. Data is automatically dumped into Google Sheets, and groups collaborate in Figma (web) for prototyping.

Google Forms, Google Sheets, Figma (web), Canva.

Formative Evaluation

Presentation of data analysis (quality of the graph and conclusions).
App prototype (is it functional? does it solve the problem?).
Self-assessment of teamwork (roles).

Integration of Ethical Values

Data Ethics: Discuss bias - did our survey represent everyone? What if we only surveyed children?
Data Ownership: Who owns the data we collect?

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Carbon cycle, climate change, greenhouse gases (CO2, methane).
Technology: Carbon footprint calculators (online), «food miles» research.
Engineering: Design a carbon reduction plan (a system) for the classroom or home.
Mathematics: Data analysis (calculator), multiplication (mileage calculation), percentages (reduction).

Creativity: Propose innovative solutions to reduce waste.
Critical (Systemic) Thinking: Track the impact of a single decision (e.g. buying an apple from Chile vs. local).

Hands-on activities

Calculate your Footprint: Use an online calculator (simplified, child-friendly) to estimate your family's carbon footprint. Identify the «hot spot» (e.g. transportation, food).
Mapping of «Food Miles»: Research where 5 foods in your kitchen come from. Map the distance they traveled.
Carbon Reduction Project: In groups, choose one area (energy, waste, transportation) and design a systems engineering plan to reduce the classroom footprint by 10%.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Calculate your Footprint): Students do this at home with their families. They create an infographic in Canva with their (anonymous) results and 3 reduction commitments.

Global Footprint Network Calculator (web), Canva, Google Maps (for food miles).

Formative Evaluation

Carbon footprint infographic.
Map of «food miles» with analysis.
Presentation of the carbon reduction plan (is it feasible?).

Integration of Ethical Values

Sustainability: Understand that resources are finite.
Personal Agency: Recognize that individual decisions, taken together, have a massive impact.
Global Consciousness: See climate change as a shared problem.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Biology (hydroponics), chemistry (O2 creation), Martian geology.
Technology: 3D design (Tinkercad, Minecraft), robotics (rovers concept).
Engineering: Systems engineering (integration of life support, energy, food, housing), habitat design.
Mathematics: Budget (limited resources), calculation of area/volume (habitats), rations.

Collaboration: Multidisciplinary project that requires all the «experts» (water, energy, food) to work together.
Critical (Systemic) Thinking: How does a failure in the water system affect the food system and life support?

Hands-on activities

Role Research: Divide the class into «mission teams»: Water Team (Unit 2), Energy Team (Unit 7), Food Team (Hydroponics), Habitat Team (Unit 5).
Design of the Life Support System: Each team designs its system (e.g., a water recycling plan, a solar panel system, a hydroponics plan).
3D model of the Colony: Integrate all designs into a 3D model (digital in Tinkercad/Minecraft or physical with recycled materials) showing how they are connected.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (3D Model): Use Tinkercad or Minecraft Education Edition. Each team builds their module and then joins them together into a single digital world/design.

Tinkercad, Minecraft Education Edition, NASA Mars Exploration (web).

Formative Evaluation

Design report for each piece of equipment (does your system work?).
Final presentation of the colony model (are all systems integrated?).
Reflection: What was the biggest challenge of living in a closed system?

Integration of Ethical Values

Radical Collaboration: Survival depends 100% on teamwork.
Extreme Sustainability: There is no «waste» on Mars; everything must be reused.
Governance: How would fair decisions be made in the colony?