This element ensures the lesson connects two or more areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) in a way that reflects how these fields interact in real-world problem-solving. Instead of treating each subject as a separate box to check, integrated lessons show students how these domains support and enhance each other.

What Might Be Considered Evidence:
• A project requiring both scientific understanding and mathematical modeling
• Students designing a structure or solution that requires applying engineering principles and using data to test it
• Lessons that align with standards from multiple STEM domains (e.g., science + technology)

Example:
In a lesson where students build solar ovens, they use science to understand heat transfer, engineering to design a prototype, math to calculate angles or temperatures, and potentially technology to document and evaluate their results.

STEM learning becomes meaningful when students understand how it connects to their lives, communities, or the world around them. This element evaluates whether the lesson is grounded in authentic, real-world contexts and provides students with opportunities to apply their knowledge in purposeful ways.

What Might Be Considered Evidence:
• Problem-based learning rooted in real issues (e.g., climate change, energy use, food waste)
• Career connections or references to local or global STEM challenges
• Student work that solves or addresses a community or environmental issue.

Example:
Students design water filtration systems to simulate providing clean water to communities lacking access, learning about environmental science, engineering design, and human impact on ecosystems.

Transformative STEM lessons are inclusive by design. This element assesses whether the lesson uses strategies that support access for all learners, especially English Language Learners, students with disabilities, and those from underrepresented groups. It also considers whether materials reflect cultural diversity and varied learning needs.

What Might Be Considered Evidence:
• Use of visuals, models, sentence frames, or vocabulary supports
• Multiple ways for students to demonstrate understanding (e.g., visuals, oral presentations, hands-on models)
• Diverse STEM role models or culturally responsive content

Example:
In a unit on ecosystems, students choose a region or habitat relevant to their family or cultural background and create a visual or bilingual presentation explaining the ecosystem’s components and threats to its balance.

This element focuses on whether the lesson promotes STEM-specific practices like modeling, data analysis, and computational thinking, while also building broader skills like collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making.

What Might Be Considered Evidence:

• Students working in groups to analyze or test a design or hypothesis
• Use of digital tools for simulation, data collection, or modeling
• Student reflection on process, outcomes, or the ethics of their design

Example:
Students simulate an oil spill cleanup using various materials, testing effectiveness and cost. They then discuss which approach is most practical and ethical for real-world use, combining scientific investigation and problem-based decision-making.

This element looks for meaningful connections to other subject areas, such as language arts, history, social studies, or the arts, to deepen understanding, communication, and creativity. STEM becomes more engaging and inclusive when students can connect it to their full academic experience.

What Might Be Considered Evidence:
• Writing prompts that ask students to explain or argue about their STEM work
• Artistic representations or models of STEM ideas (e.g., drawing, building, dramatizing)
• Historical or ethical analysis of STEM innovations or consequences

Example:
After completing a lesson on extreme weather and climate, students write and perform a mock broadcast report from a distant planet, combining science, creative writing, technology, and oral communication.