Decimal Place Value - STEM Lesson

I’ve recently been trying to get into the STEM world. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) is a cross-curricular form of instruction that focuses on creating a bridge between academic and real-world scenarios and application. Example, when learning about decimal place value, sometimes, when we could something, there are not always whole numbers to work with; we frequently see parts of whole numbers.

This SMARTIE or SKITTLE STEM challenge has students use a physical manipulative to represent numbers in a values chart, then students turn these numbers into word form and say the numbers as well.

Teaching grades 6 and 7 I find that students arrive in my class knowing what decimals are but they aren’t able to say them. I ask for a student to read a word problem or THEY have a question for me and then they just point and say, “that number.” Telling them that they can eat the candy once they’ve completed the task gives them some incentive to work through the STEM challenge with focus and purpose.