ABOUT THIS PODCAST 🔗
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.
Update frequency:
weekly
Average audio length:
22 minutes
Has sponsors
English
United States
157 episodes
since Aug. 14, 2019
episodic
LATEST EPISODE 🔗
Most back-to-school advice says lock down routines first, then relax and get to know your students. I think that's backwards. Norms and routines don't come with consequences attached, they're just how a classroom runs, and they only hold when kids feel connected to you and to each ot…
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PREVIOUS EPISODES 🔗
This is the first episode where we're really looking ahead to the back-to-school-season — and we're not starting with seating charts or procedures. Instead, we're digging into what's actually happening in your students' brains before they can engage with any of it.
Fun Fact…
Most of us were taught to think about teaching in terms of standards coverage. Hit the standard, move on. But there's a layer underneath that we don't talk about enough — and it's what actually determines whether a student can access the standards in the first place.
In This Episode:…
Vertical whiteboards are all the buzz in math circles -- and whether or not you subscribe to the whole BTC framework, the boards themselves? Golden!! The good news is, it works just as well in science as it does in math.
In this episode, Nicole breaks down exactly how she uses vertical whiteboards …
What if the most powerful thing you could do for student engagement wasn't a flashy lab or a big project — but just getting kids to ask the questions instead of you?
Questioning is one of the most underused tools in upper elementary science. Not teacher questions — student questions. In this e…
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 w…
You've seen the circle graphic. Define, design, build, test, improve. But if you're treating it as a linear checklist, you're missing what actually makes engineering work — and why iteration keeps getting cut.
Real engineering isn't a straight line, and it doesn't (always) …
Mud, leaves, and praying mantises on the side of the building. The schoolyard is more alive than your students expect — and getting outside in the final weeks of school is not a reward. It's science.
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Season 1 goes out the way it should — outside. In this episode Nicole shares three low-pre…
The last few weeks of school are when even your most engaged students start mentally checking out. In this episode Nicole shares three science topics that consistently pull kids back in — space scale, invasive species, and extreme weather — with specific entry points, project ideas, and the framing…
The last week of school doesn't have to be survival mode. In this episode Nicole shares the end-of-year traditions she keeps coming back to — student word clouds, summer science kits, class awards that actually fit each kid, and two letter-writing activities that connect students across time. …
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Nicole VanTassel, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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