STEM Competitions for K-12 Educators Educator competitions increase students’ interest and excitement for STEM

Math in Action | Lesson Plan Competition

STEM Competitions for K-12 Educators

Deadline: on or before 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time, Sunday, March 31st, 2024

Teachers! Math is everywhere, and we want to see how you bring math to life in your classroom. The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) wants to you to submit a lesson plan that demonstrates how math can be applied in the real world, highlighting its relevance and importance in everyday life. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a STEM lesson plan that includes how we use math in the real world. THREE teachers who submit lesson plans will be selected to receive a math visualization prize bundle for their classroom!

Math Visualization Prize Bundle:

  • Amazon Kindle Scribe Tablet (includes premium pen, power adapter, and denim fabric cover)
  • 24 Pack Dry Erase Graph Boards w/Erasers
  • 24 Dry Erase Markers
  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Hot Glue
  • Air Dry Clay
  • SET – Card Game
  • 50 Math-Themed Stickers

Details:

Interested educators are invited to submit an original lesson plan to https://orausurvey.orau.org/n/MathInAction.aspx by 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time, Sunday, March 31st, 2024.

  • To avoid plagiarism, please a submit lesson plan that you have written. We understand that many activities are developed by other teachers; just make sure that you put your own spin on the activity.
  • Lesson plan may focus on any topic as long as the lesson plan incorporates utilizing the real world to understand a math concept.
  • Lesson plans should include the following:
    • lesson title
    • teacher name and school
    • target grade level
    • time required for lesson
    • standards/objectives
    • materials required
    • instructional steps for introduction, activities, and closure
    • assessment strategies
    • differentiation strategies
  • Lesson plans will be scored using a rubric (.PDF), and winners will be announced late April!
  • Teachers must teach in the United States, a U.S. Territory, or a DoDEA school to be eligible to win.
  • Teachers are eligible to win 2 ORISE competitions in a 12-month period.

Note: Lesson plans submitted for the competition may be shared with other educators via the ORISE website. Plans are subject to revision and edits by ORISE staff before they are shared, so please submit in an editable format (Not PDF).

To view the current ORISE lesson plan library, visit https://orise.orau.gov/stem/k-12/curriculum-for-the-classroom.html.


 

 

Check back soon!

 

Previous ORISE Educator Competitions and Winners

Teachers, help shape the future of scientific research by incorporating citizen science into your classroom! The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) wants to see how you incorporate the use of citizen science into your lesson plans. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a STEM lesson plan that includes citizen science. THREE teachers who submit lesson plans will be selected to receive a field adventure prize pack!

Prizes:

  • iPad 9th generation
  • Fitbit Versa 4
  • Citizen Science Field Guide
  • Power bank
  • Journal
  • Pens, Sticky Notes, and Highlighters Kit

Winners announced soon!

 

Teachers! Step into the future with artificial intelligence and make this New Year your smartest one yet! Throughout the month of January, we want to hear how you appropriately incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into your classrooms! This could include AI tools you use to help in your teaching, how your students use AI in your class, or how you teach students about AI. To enter the contest, follow ORISE on social media, fill out this (very short) survey, and comment your answer on the post!

Winners announced soon!

Prizes:

THREE randomly selected teachers will receive an iPad, iPad accessories (case, screen protector, and Apple Pencil), and a Merge Cube to bring augmented reality into your classroom!

Teachers! The new year is here and it’s time to energize your students! The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) wants to see how you incorporate topics involving energy into your lesson plans. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a STEM lesson plan that incorporates an energy-related concept. THREE teachers who submit lesson plans will be selected to receive mini-grants up to $1,500 to help buy equipment for their classroom!

Winners:

  • Jennifer H., Red Oak Middle School, TX
  • Lauren N., Mililani Uka Elementary School, HI
  • Michael T., Warner Arts Magnet Elementary, TN

Prizes:

  • 1st place: $1,500 mini-grant
  • 2nd place: $1,000 mini-grant
  • 3rd place: $500 mini-grant

ATTENTION TEACHERS! This December, we want to see your classroom wish list! ORISE wants to hear about the must-have supplies that help you create a welcoming and effective learning environment for your students!

Winners:

  • Vincent D., Gresham Middle School, TN
  • Amanda G., Ohio County School, KY
  • Christine I., Smyrna High School, DE

Prizes:

THREE randomly selected winners will receive the following prizes:

NEW YEAR’S SCHOOL SUPPLY BUNDLE:

  • Bluetooth Projector
  • Personal Laminator and Laminating Sheets
  • PaperMate Flair Pens
  • Post-it Notes
  • White-Out Correction Tape
  • Expo Markers
  • Sharpie Highlighters

 

Calling all teachers! Winter is quickly approaching, and the ORISE wants to see your student-led STEM activity plans that can be completed at home during the holiday breaks. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a student-led activity plan that incorporates a hands-on STEM activity! THREE teachers will be awarded an iPad and Raycon Earbuds.

Winners:

  • Stacey N., St. Louis Priory School, MO
  • Danielle P., Waverly Junior High School, OH
  • Annalisa S., Delta Woods Middle School, MO

Prizes include:

  • iPad (10th generation) and accessories
  • Apple Pencil
  • Raycon Earbuds

Teachers, now is the time to call students to action and teach them to make a difference in their classrooms, communities, and the world! ORISE wants to see how you incorporate STEM projects that make a positive impact on problems that affect our world into your lesson plans. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a STEM lesson plan. Examples of issues that may be addressed include food waste, the energy crisis, endangered species, etc. A lesson may allow students to identify their own issues in the community. THREE teachers who submit lesson plans will be selected to receive mini-grants up to $1,500 to help buy equipment for their classroom!

Winners:

$1,500.00 mini-grant: Ross R., Monroe Career & Technical Institute, PA

$1,000.00 mini-grant: Roy B., Twin Buttes Cyber Academy, NM

$500.00 mini-grant: George H., Richardson High School, TX

ATTENTION TEACHERS! Are you stuck in the back-to-school slump? Kick it with the Cricut! The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) wants to hear your ways to get yourself and your students back into the swing of things!

Winners:

  • Jessica Minton, Houston High School, TN
  • Jessica Noffsinger, STEM Lab, CO
  • Rachael Teague, Campbell County High School, TN

Prizes:

THREE randomly selected winners will receive the following prizes:

CRICUT JOY BUNDLE:

  • Cricut Joy Machine
  • Premium Fine Point Blade + Housing
  • Fine Point Pen
  • StandardGrip Mat
  • Joy Smart Permanent Vinyl Rolls
  • Transfer Tape
  • Joy Starter Tool Set
  • Smart Materials eBook
  • Cricut Carrying Case

Teachers! This summer, ORISE wants to see your best back-to-school STEM lesson plans. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a STEM lesson plan that includes back-to-school activities. THREE teachers who submit lesson plans will be selected to receive mini-grants up to $1,500 to help buy equipment for their classroom!

Winners:

  • $1,500 mini-grant winner: Christiana Deeter, Canterbury School of Fort Myers, Fort Myer, FL
  • $1,000 mini-grant winner: Michele Thomas, Sussex Technical High School, Georgetown, DE
  • $500 mini-grant winner: Brittany Farris, Jacksboro Elementary School, Jacksboro, TN

This July we want to talk about technology. Technology has increasingly become an integral part of our day to day lives, including in the classroom! Throughout the month of July, we want to know how you incorporate technology into your classroom! 

Winners:

  • Claudia Bouchard, Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, CT
  • Catherine Molder, Lake Pointe Elementary School, Weatherford, TX
  • Anne Schoeffler, Seton Catholic School, Hudson, OH

Here at ORISE we love getting feedback from students and we would love to get feedback from our teachers! For this month’s social media competition, we want to know what kind of lesson plans you would like to see to fill our free lesson plan library!

Winners:

  • Jennifer R., Knoxville High School, IL
  • Marcy B., Main Street Intermediate School, OH
  • Claudia B., Norwich Free Academy, CT

Prizes:

THREE randomly selected winners received the following prizes:

Back to School Supplies Bundle:

  • 10 Drawer Cart
  • Post-it Flip Charts
  • Flip Chart Markers
  • Paper Mate Flair Pens
  • Black and Multicolored Expo Markers
  • And more!

ATTENTION TEACHERS! Staying active is one of the key parts of living a healthy lifestyle, not only for you as educators, but for your students as well! As we are nearing the summer, ORISE wants to hear the different ways that you encourage your students to stay active and spend time outside!

Winners:

  • Elizabeth E., Fontana USD, CA
  • Lauren N., Mililani Uka Elementary, HI
  • Wendy S., Powell High School, WY

Prizes:

THREE randomly selected winners will receive the following prizes:

Staying Active in the Great Outdoors Kit:

  • Wise Owl Camping Hammock
  • Canon Phone Mini Photo Printer Bundle
  • Jumbo Insulated Cooler Bag
  • Outdoor School Nature Guides
  • ORISE Swag pack including an ORISE branded ceramic mug, tumbler, fanny pack, and more!

If you have any questions, please contact STEMEd@orau.org.

This March we would love to celebrate the lesser-known discoverers and trailblazers of the STEM fields. There are many remarkable experts who deserve recognition for their work yet are not widely included in K-12 education. Movies such as Hidden Figures or children’s books about Temple Grandin and Ray Montague demonstrate this. The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) wants to see how you incorporate largely unknown experts in the STEM fields and their discoveries into your lesson plans. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a STEM lesson plan that includes obscure contributors to a STEM field. THREE teachers who submit lesson plans will be selected to receive the prizes listed below!

Winners:

  • Tiarra Baker, Farragut High School, TN
  • Jamahl Peavey, Arlington High School, MA
  • Abby Cornelius, Blue Valley North High School, KS

Prizes:

  • iPad
  • Apple pencil
  • iPad accessories
  • Sphero SPRK
  • Sphero storage case

February is here and so is Random Acts of Kindness Day! The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) wants to challenge you and see how you incorporate kindness into your STEM lesson plans. We want to see how your lesson engages students in acts of kindness whether it be to one another or to their communities. An example of this would be to have students be kind by serving their community libraries or animal shelters! Get students pumped up for helping their communities and being compassionate to others. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a STEM lesson plan that includes kindness. THREE teachers who submit lesson plans will be selected to receive mini grants up to $1,500 to help buy equipment for their classroom!

Winners:

  • Emily Fain-Lynch, Green Magnet Academy, TN
  • Rachel Cahill Itle, Penn Mont Academy, PA
  • Liliia Khmarskaia, JMB High School, MD

Prizes:

  • Class set of 3D printer pens
  • Storymatic cards
  • Kindness stickers
  • Kindness quote bracelets
  • Felt letter board