iExploreScience: STEM in Elem
iExploreScience: STEM in Elem is for upper elementary teachers — especially grades 3–5 —who want to make elementary science and math more engaging, without adding more prep or overwhelm to their day. If you’re looking for practical ways to bring STEM and hands-on learning into your classroom while still meeting standards like NGSS, this podcast is for you.
Each week, you’ll get (ideally) short, (always!) actionable episodes (about 15–30 minutes) filled with classroom-tested ideas you can actually use. From simple STEM challenges and low-prep science activities to math routines, lab management, and neurodivergent-friendly strategies, everything is designed to help you keep students thinking, moving, and engaged—especially during the most challenging times of the year.
You’ll also hear honest reflections from real classroom experiences, with a focus on what works (and what doesn’t) in my 5th grade science and math classroom — no perfection required.
I’m Nicole, and I share practical, hands-on science and math ideas designed specifically for upper elementary teachers who want engaging, rigorous lessons without the overwhelm.
iExploreScience: STEM in Elem
12 Criteria and Constraints: The Two Things That Make It Real Engineering
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Build a roller coaster for a marble. Fine. But what if the marble has to travel as slowly as possible without stopping? Now your students actually have to think.
Criteria and constraints aren't fine print — they are the design of your engineering challenge. In this episode Nicole breaks down what criteria and constraints actually mean, why getting them wrong tanks the whole experience, and how to set them intentionally before you hand out a single piece of tape.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- What criteria and constraints actually are
- Why a challenge that's too easy isn't fun — and how the right constraints add the right amount of struggle
- What you lose when criteria are vague
- How to ground your constraints in something real
- Two questions to ask yourself before your next engineering challenge
LINKS MENTIONED:
📬 iExploreScience Substack — free weekly newsletter and resources for grades 3–5 teachers: https://iexplorescience.substack.com/
📬 Stay Connected
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- 💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevantassel/