Paper Rockets at the Library

By Amy Cowen on November 9, 2018 2:00 PM

Science Buddies' Lesson Plans help educators lead STEM activities in and out of the classroom. This librarian used the Paper Rockets Lesson Plan as part of an ongoing STEM series at the public library!

Three model rockets made from straws, paper and tape

Lesson plans support STEM education everywhere!

At Science Buddies, we want educators to feel confident leading STEM activities with students in any setting, even at the local library! Many educators using Science Buddies' free, NGSS-aligned Lesson Plans are teaching in a classroom, but we hear every day from educators who are organizing and leading STEM workshops and activities outside of the classroom, educators like Mary, a librarian in Connecticut.

Checking Out STEM at the Library

Mary recently used the Teaching the Scientific Method with Paper Rockets lesson plan with students in grades 3-5 for a STEM event at the public library. She says that the students who attended had such a good time that they stayed past the official end of the workshop because they wanted to keep making adjustments and testing their rockets. Before they left, they even enlisted a parent to help with the "blowing" to propel their rockets!

Mary says that she appreciates the end-to-end support the Lesson Plans at Science Buddies offer. With the background information and discussion prompts they include, the Lesson Plans help her prepare for and then lead STEM activities. "I have not been trained in these subjects, so I need all the help I can get to do these programs," says Mary. "With Science Buddies' projects and Lesson Plans, I feel confident about presenting these STEM projects. Thank you so much for being here to help me!"

The Paper Rockets activity was such a hit that Mary has already followed up with a bridge building activity using the Paper Bridge Design Challenge lesson plan.

"I have not been trained in these subjects, so I need all the help I can get to do these programs. With Science Buddies' projects and Lesson Plans, I feel confident about presenting these STEM projects."
Mary, Librarian

Resources for Educators

Two versions of the Paper Rockets Lesson Plan are available:

Teaching the Scientific Method with Paper Rockets - grades 3-5
Paper Rockets to Learn the Scientific Method - grades 6-8
View all Lesson Plans

Share Your Science Buddies Story!

Have you used a Lesson Plan from Science Buddies in your class or program? We would love to hear your story! Email us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org and tell us how you use Science Buddies with students.