STEAM for 5th grade

Scratch is our number one pick: a free block-based coding site from a nonprofit that works for ages 8 and up and has teacher accounts. Ranked, with price, a limit and how we chose.

Checked 2026-10-27

Computer science for kids in plain words: the 2026 CSTA standards, Code.org, Scratch and ScratchJr, CS Unplugged, AP CS Principles vs. CS A, and what the evidence says.

Checked 2026-11-06

Inquiry-based social studies in plain words: the C3 Framework, the Inquiry Design Model, primary sources and Reading Like a Historian, civics and geography standards, and the evidence.

Checked 2026-11-06

What knowledge-building ELA is: why background knowledge drives comprehension, how CKLA, EL Education and Wit & Wisdom work, and what reviewers found.

Checked 2026-11-06

What problem-based math is: Illustrative Math, Investigations, CGI, Number Talks, Building Thinking Classrooms and Japanese lessons, and a fair account of the explicit-versus-inquiry debate.

Checked 2026-11-06

Forty first-week icebreakers sorted for K–2, 3–5 and 6–8, each with what to say, what you need and how long it takes, plus a getting to know you wheel and an all about me page.

Eight lesson plan formats to fill in on screen: daily, weekly, 5E, gradual release, Madeline Hunter, backward design, unit and centers. Print or copy to Docs.

Thirty STEM challenges for K–2, 3–5 and 6–8 with cheap, safe materials: the challenge, the materials, the time limit and how to test each design fairly.

Twenty printable cards for coding without a screen: robot partner, repeat, find the bug, if-then rules. Print 4 or 8 to a page. Free, no sign-in.

Checked 2026-11-07

A getting-to-know-you spinner with fourteen icebreaker prompts for the first week of school: favorites, hobbies, dream trips and more. Safe for every age and easy to answer.

Ten free unplugged coding lessons with printables, K to 8th grade: steps, repeats, if-then, bugs, scoreboards, test plans, and writing a precise spec for an AI.

Checked 2026-11-06

How do you say "do it this many times" and "do this or that" to a robot? A free unplugged lesson for 3rd to 5th, about 40 minutes, with a printable.

Checked 2026-11-06

What does a game have to remember, and what makes it change? A free unplugged lesson for 3rd to 5th, about 35 minutes, with a printable.

Checked 2026-11-06

How do you cut a big job into small jobs, and how do you check it works? A free unplugged lesson for 3rd to 5th, about 40 minutes, with a printable.

Checked 2026-11-06

A building substitute reports to the same school every day and covers whatever absences it has.

Checked 2026-10-31

A nonfiction passage about engineering for 5th grade, 205 words, with seven comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.

Ten questions with their wrong answers. Spot the one that gives the game away. Each why shows the real rule Peabody's practice bank uses to pick wrong boxes.

Checked 2026-10-30

A free coding project rubric in three grade bands (K–2, 3–5, 6–8) for block or text code: it works, planning, debugging, readable code and explaining it.

Checked 2026-10-30

A free board game project rubric in three grade bands (K–2, 3–5, 6–8): the topic in play, clear rules, neat board and pieces, a game that works when classmates play.

Checked 2026-10-30

A free STEM challenge rubric in three grade bands (K–2, 3–5, 6–8) scoring the process (plan, teamwork, test and improve, reflect), not only whether it worked.

Checked 2026-10-30

A nonfiction passage about building inspectors and codes for 5th grade, 223 words, with six comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.

A fiction passage about a robot crossing guard for 5th grade, 231 words, with six comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.

A fiction passage about a robot that will not pull weeds for 5th grade, 243 words, with six comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.