STEAM for 8th grade
STEAM for 8th grade: 22 free pages to print, play or teach from. No sign-in.
- Top 9 free coding websites and apps for kids (2026)List
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 kidsGuide
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 studiesGuide
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
- Knowledge-building EnglishGuide
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
- Problem-based mathGuide
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
- 40 icebreakers by gradeIdea
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.
- Lesson plan templatesPage
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.
- 30 STEM challenges by gradeIdea
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.
- Getting to know you wheelTool
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.
- Coding lessons with no computer: unplugged coding for K to 8th gradePrintable
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
- Read It, Run It, Say It: an unplugged coding lessonPrintable
Can you read a program and know what it will do before it runs? A free unplugged lesson for 6th to 8th, about 45 minutes, with a printable.
Checked 2026-11-06
- Say It So Exactly That a Machine Gets It: an unplugged coding lessonPrintable
How do you describe a program so well that nobody has to guess? A free unplugged lesson for 6th to 8th, about 45 minutes, with a printable.
Checked 2026-11-06
- Test Plans, and Where AI Gets It Wrong: an unplugged coding lessonPrintable
How do you know a program is right, and why must you check what an AI gives you? A free unplugged lesson for 6th to 8th, about 45 minutes, with a printable.
Checked 2026-11-06
- What is a building substitute, a permanent sub or a floating sub?Page
A building substitute reports to the same school every day and covers whatever absences it has.
Checked 2026-10-31
- Spot the bad distractorPage
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
- Coding project rubricPrintable
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
- Board game project rubricPrintable
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
- STEM challenge rubricPrintable
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
- Banking Bone Before Age Thirty: 8th grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about building strong bones in youth for 8th grade, 265 words, with seven comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- Why a Type Designer Draws the O Too Tall: 8th grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about type design for 8th grade, 276 words, with six comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- The Spinning Balls That Steered a Steam Engine: 8th grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about the centrifugal governor for 8th grade, 268 words, with six comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.
- Flowers Built for Their Visitors: 8th grade reading passage with questionsReading
A nonfiction passage about pollination and flower design for 8th grade, 290 words, with six comprehension questions, an answer key and vocabulary. Print it or read it big.