pdf, 556.26 KB
pdf, 556.26 KB
Grade 1 STEM Task Cards | 80 Hands-On STEM Activities

This Grade 1 STEM Task Cards resource includes 80 short, hands-on STEM challenges organized into eight skill-focused sets. Designed to pair with the Grade 1 STEM Full-Year Curriculum, the cards give students frequent opportunities to measure, calculate, build, test, predict, observe, and explain.

What’s Included

The 80 task cards are divided into eight sets:

  • Measure It – measuring length in centimetres
  • Number It – addition and subtraction within 20
  • Shape It – shape attributes and composing shapes
  • Data It – collecting, organizing, and interpreting data
  • Code It – sequencing, algorithms, directions, and debugging
  • Force It – pushes, pulls, motion, and prediction
  • Living It – plant and animal structures and functions
  • Weather It – sunlight, shadows, daylight, and weather patterns

The resource also includes recording sheets, answer notes, and a class progress tracker.

Each challenge is designed to take approximately 5–10 minutes, making the cards suitable for short periods of STEM learning.

Classroom Uses

The cards provide flexible, low-prep activities for:

  • STEM centers
  • Early finishers
  • Morning work
  • Small-group instruction
  • Independent practice
  • Homework
  • Targeted review

Students can complete individual cards or work systematically through an entire set. Most activities use simple materials that are commonly available in elementary classrooms.

Skills & Learning Goals

The activities integrate Grade 1 mathematics, science, engineering, and introductory coding. Students practice measuring in centimetres, addition and subtraction within 20, identifying and composing shapes, collecting and interpreting data, creating and following algorithms, debugging, exploring forces and motion, and making predictions before testing.

They also investigate plant and animal structures and functions and explore sunlight, shadows, weather, and seasonal patterns.

Key Benefits

The task cards provide a consistent STEM routine without requiring teachers to plan a complete lesson for every activity. Color-coded sets, recording pages, answer notes, and the class tracker make the resource easy to organize and monitor.

The short format also allows teachers to mix different STEM disciplines throughout the week, giving students regular practice with hands-on investigation and problem-solving.

Overall, this resource offers a practical way to integrate STEM into everyday Grade 1 instruction while helping students develop early skills in measurement, mathematics, science, engineering, coding, data, prediction, and communication.

Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 35%

A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

Bundle

K - 5 STEM Task Cards Bundle | Full-Year Engineering Activities

K–5 STEM Task Cards Bundle | 460 Quick STEM Practice Cards | Math, Science, Coding & Engineering 460 five-to-ten-minute STEM task cards across Kindergarten through 5th Grade — 46 skill-focused sets with recording sheets and answer notes — for the moments your main lesson is finished and you still want students thinking, measuring, and explaining. These are the short ones. Not the weekly engineering challenge, not the unit capstone: a card a student can pick up, complete with classroom materials, and record in five to ten minutes. Every set has an answer key that tells you what good thinking looks like, because most cards have more than one right answer. What's Included Six grade-level task card sets (308 pages, 460 cards): Kindergarten STEM Picture Task Cards (60 cards, 38 pages) — no reading required; a picture and four or five words per card. Six sets: Count It, Measure It, Sort It, Build It, Say It, Draw It. Two cards per page for little hands. Answer notes for teachers. 1st Grade STEM Task Cards (80 cards, 54 pages) — eight sets: Measure It, Number It, Shape It, Data It, Code It, Force It, Living It, Weather It. Recording sheets, answer notes, class tracker. 2nd Grade STEM Task Cards (80 cards, 54 pages) — eight sets: Measure It, Number It, Data It, Code It, Materials It, Force It, Living Systems, Earth It. Recording sheets and answer notes. 3rd Grade STEM Task Cards (80 cards, 54 pages) — eight sets: Variables, Measure It, Number It, Data It, Code It, Forces It, Life It, Earth It. Recording sheets and answer notes. 4th Grade STEM Task Cards (80 cards, 54 pages) — eight sets: Specify It, Cost It, Measure & Angles, Decimals & Fractions, Compare Data, Code It, Energy & Waves, Earth & Life. Recording sheets, answer notes, class tracker, storage labels. 5th Grade STEM Task Cards (80 cards, 54 pages) — eight sets: Define It, Optimise It, Ratios, Volume & Grids, Interpret Data, Code It, Matter & Energy, Earth & Life. Recording sheets, answer notes, class tracker, storage labels. What the Cards Practice Each grade's sets map to that grade's math and science content, with an unplugged coding strand from 1st Grade up: Math in STEM contexts: counting and comparing (K) → addition and subtraction within 20, shapes, cm measurement (1st) → arrays, estimation, unit choice (2nd) → multiplication, division, fractions, typical values, line plots (3rd) → decimals, budgets, angles, area, percentages, means (4th) → ratios, rates, volume, coordinate grids (5th) Science: pushes and pulls, weather, plants and animals (1st) → materials, friction, habitats, land and water (2nd) → variables, balanced forces, life cycles, climate data (3rd) → energy transfer, waves, light, erosion (4th) → particles, conservation of matter, Earth systems, gravity, stars (5th) Coding, unplugged: sequencing and debugging (1st) → loops and patterns (2nd) → conditional logic (3rd) → variables (4th) → flowcharts and pseudocode (5th) Engineering thinking: Build It and Draw It (K) → predict-then-test (1st–3rd) → measurable criteria and constraints (4th) → problem definition, stakeholders, and trade-offs (5th) How It Works in the Classroom STEM center: one set in a labeled bin each week, with its recording sheet Early finishers: a ring of mixed cards near your STEM area Small groups: pick the set that matches the skill and work through 4–5 cards together Morning work: one card on each desk Homework: three cards home with the recording sheet Kindergarten: early finisher tray, carpet time, or a small-group table with an adult Format 6 PDF files, 308 pages total 4 cards per page (2 per page in K), designed for cardstock and lamination Recording sheet and answer notes for every set; class trackers at 1st, 4th, and 5th; storage labels at 4th and 5th Materials are common classroom supplies Teaching duration: 1 full school year per grade How This Fits With the Other K–5 STEM Bundles The K–5 STEM program has four student-facing card and page sets, each doing a different job. Task Cards (this bundle) are 5–10 minute skill practice with answer keys. The K–5 STEM Challenge Cards Bundle holds the 36 weekly engineering challenges per grade. The K–5 STEM Journal Bundle is where students record those challenges. The K–5 STEM Projects Bundle is the unit capstones. The teacher lesson plans are in the K–5 STEM Curriculum Bundle, and everything together is the K–5 STEM Mega Bundle. Every task card set works on its own — no other purchase needed. Why Buy the Bundle Six sets bought separately cost $39.94. This bundle is $27.96 — and gives a STEM specialist or a whole elementary building 460 ready-to-go cards for centers, early finishers, and the ten minutes before the bell, K through 5. Pick a card. Measure it, test it, explain it. Five minutes, done.

$27.96
Bundle

1st Grade STEM Bundle | Full-Year Engineering Activities

1st Grade STEM Bundle | Full-Year STEM Curriculum | Engineering Activities, Projects, Task Cards & More Make STEM and engineering easy to teach all year long with this comprehensive 1st Grade STEM Curriculum Bundle! Packed with multiple formats for hands-on learning, this collection gives first grade students repeated opportunities to explore engineering, problem-solving, creativity, and design through engaging, age-appropriate STEM activities. With curriculum lessons, challenge cards, STEM journals, projects, task cards, early-finisher activities, and substitute plans all included, this 1st Grade STEM Bundle provides flexible resources for keeping young learners engaged while saving teachers valuable planning time. What's Included This bundle includes 7 first grade STEM resources: • STEM Curriculum — 36 weekly challenges across 6 units, 5 sessions each • STEM Journal — 180 student recording pages • Challenge Cards — 96 student-facing cards including 36 Level Up extensions • STEM Projects — 6 unit capstones plus 12 standalone mini-projects • Task Cards — 80 math, science and coding skill cards • Early Finishers — 40 no-prep challenges with choice board and bin labels • Sub Plans — 12 emergency lessons with word-for-word scripts Together, these resources provide multiple formats for introducing, practicing, applying, documenting, and extending STEM and engineering learning throughout the school year. How It Works in the Classroom Use this 1st Grade STEM Curriculum Bundle for: • Daily or weekly STEM instruction • Engineering challenges • STEM centers and stations • Whole-group lessons • Small-group activities • Independent STEM practice • Hands-on projects • STEM journals and reflection • Early-finisher activities • Substitute teacher plans • Enrichment and extension • Flexible no-prep or low-prep STEM learning The variety of resources makes it easy to adjust instruction based on your schedule and classroom needs. Use the curriculum for structured instruction, challenge cards and task cards for shorter activities, projects for hands-on application, journals for student reflection, and early-finisher resources for meaningful extension. Standards & Learning Goals Students build foundational STEM and engineering skills through age-appropriate challenges and activities, including: Engineering Design • Identifying problems • Brainstorming solutions • Designing and building • Testing ideas • Improving solutions Problem-Solving • Thinking creatively • Trying different strategies • Learning from mistakes • Making decisions • Explaining solutions STEM Thinking • Observing and investigating • Asking questions • Making predictions • Applying reasoning • Connecting ideas to real-world situations Communication & Reflection • Describing designs • Sharing ideas • Recording learning • Reflecting on challenges • Explaining how solutions can be improved Why Teachers Love It * Uses common classroom and recycled materials — full materials list included * Complete first grade STEM resource collection * Seven complementary STEM resources in one bundle * Full-year engineering activities * Multiple instructional formats * Supports hands-on STEM learning * Encourages creativity and problem-solving * Includes projects, task cards, challenge cards, and journals * Provides early-finisher activities * Includes substitute teacher plans * Flexible for whole-group, small-group, centers, and independent learning * Saves valuable planning time Instead of searching for different STEM activities throughout the year, teachers can use this 1st Grade STEM Bundle as a flexible resource library with options for instruction, practice, enrichment, projects, and unexpected schedule changes. Download Today Add this 1st Grade STEM Curriculum Bundle to your classroom and give students a full year of opportunities to design, build, explore, problem-solve, and think like engineers! Whether you need a structured STEM curriculum, a quick challenge, a hands-on project, an independent activity, an early-finisher option, or a substitute plan, this bundle gives you resources you can reach for throughout the school year.

$48.00

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