Topic outline

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  • The WASP STEM packages have been designed so that teachers from different STEM areas can pick and choose sections relevant to their subject area to work on.  All activities in these packages do not need to be completed to get value for them – each activity can be completed as a stand-alone or can be approached, as a team, as a larger project. The packages have potential to be extended into much longer projects to include curriculum points from different STEM subjects.

    There are three student workbooks - Open, Guided and Scaffolded, that go alongside each resource; all have the same suggestions for activities, however, they have been written and edited to provide differentiated learning options to support good teaching practice.  Teachers may pick and choose which versions they give which students, and may wish to edit them further to address their learning needs. 

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  • The Student Challenge

    You are moving house and your parents have decided that they would like some new equipment for the kitchen. They would like to keep it modern and stylish, but also practical. In particular they would like a new chopping board, as they are sick of the flimsy plastic one they have been using. You have decided for their anniversary you would like to have one made for them, and have taken on the challenge of designing it yourself.

  • Possible Activities

    • Background Research
    • Density of Different Materials
    • Shaking up the Style (the maths of odd shaped boards)
    • Durability of Materials
    • Reactivity of Materials
    • Porosity and Permeability
    • Testing for Bacteria
    • Cost Analysis
    • Designing and Planning the Product
  • Chopping on Rock - Teacher Resource File
  • Chopping on Rock - Scaffolded File
  • Chopping on Rock - Guided File
  • Chopping on Rock - Open File
  • Do you have students completing this STEM challenge from home or another location? Click here to download an interactive pdf version which can be completed just about anywhere.

  • Find out more about the density of rocks and how this information can be useful in this post.

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  • The Student Challenge

    Realising that in Western Australia you have a unique opportunity to find a small fortune or at the very least have an adventure, your family decides that their next holiday will be spent fossicking for gold. You know that this could be very hard and also dangerous, so you decide to do some research and investigations in advance to ensure you are well prepared for the undertaking ahead.

  • Possible Activities

    Background Research
    How Much is Your Gold Worth?
    Creating a Risk Assessment
    Rock Identification
    Determining Densities
    Panning for Gold
    Designing a Dry Blower

  • Going for Gold - Teacher Resource File
  • Going for Gold - Scaffolded File
  • Going for Gold - Guided File
  • Going for Gold - Open File
  • Do you have students completing this STEM challenge from home or another location? Click here to download an interactive pdf version which can be completed just about anywhere.

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  • The Student Challenge

    There has been a lot of activity around your local area, with geologists coming and going. There has been whispers of iron through the community and some people are even talking about the mining company wanting to buy lots of the land in the area for a possible mine. You are keen to find out if this could be true and want to know if your land could be worth a lot more than you thought, so decide to do some geological exploration yourself.

  • Possible Activities

    Background Research
    Properties of Iron Ore
    Analysing Geophysical Maps
    Modelling a Magnetic Survey

  • Searching for Iron Ore - Teacher Resource File
  • Searching for Iron Ore - Scaffolded File
  • Searching for Iron Ore - Guided File
  • Searching for Iron Ore - Open File