K–5 Friendly Inquiry Guides
Drawing on decades of collaboration with science educators, San Francisco’s Exploratorium has developed new resources that address common questions and concerns about implementing inquiry. Two ready-to-print resources are 

Inquiry Lessons Learned (PDF)
A short guide to what inquiry-based learning is—and isn't, featuring common questions and concerns of science educators considering inquiry in the classroom

Inquiry Map (PDF)
A map of the Exploratorium’s approach to inquiry that can guide your activities, showing how the inquiry process is driven by the learner’s curiosity and sustained by a sense of ownership of the process

Women in STEM eBook Series

This series of free educational eBooks highlights the role of women in STEM and how women have advanced the science, technology, engineering, and math industry. The eBooks feature biographies of trailblazers who made history through their scientific discoveries and innovation. The short biographies describe different paths, obstacles, and careers in STEM.  Each eBook features a particular theme, such as biotechnology. 

Inclusive Biology Curriculum

The STEM Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has new resources to share from its Inclusive Biology Curriculum project, developed over the last several years with input from high school teachers and students. This collection of NGSS-aligned, high school lesson plans covers some of the fundamental concepts of biology like genetic inheritance and life cycles, with updated approaches that reflect current knowledge and foster a welcoming learning environment for all. The lesson plans include background information, lists of supplies, and slide decks for instructors, as well as worksheets for students.

ORISE Teach With Tech Lesson Plan Competition

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education wants to see how you integrate technology into your lesson plans. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a STEM lesson plan that shows how technology enhances your students’ learning. Three teachers who submit lesson plans will be selected to receive mini-grants of up to $1,500 to help buy equipment for their classroom. The prizes are

• First place: $1,500 mini-grant
• Second place: $1,000 mini-grant
• Third place: $500 mini-grant

Trailblazing STEM Educator Award

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Challenger Center have launched the Trailblazing STEM Educator Award, which will celebrate three K–12 educators who go above and beyond to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Awardees will receive the following:

•    $5,000 award to the educator;
•    $5,000 award to the educator’s school or organization;
•    Free access to Challenger Center’s STEM education programs; and
•    Opportunity to attend a future space launch experience, provided by Blue Origin’s Club for the Future.

The nomination period closes on December 15.

National STEM Scholar Program

Middle school science teachers nationwide can apply for the 2026 class of the National STEM Scholar Program, a professional learning program providing advanced STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) training, national network building, and “big idea” project support for inspiring the next generation of STEM pioneers. The National Stem Cell Foundation and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science at Western Kentucky University (WKU) partnered to create the program, which selects 10 teachers annually from a national pool of applicants based solely on their description of a “big idea” Challenge Project they would like to implement in their classrooms. Funded projects have included robotics labs, 3-D printing labs, rocketry programs, aquaponic farms, trout hatcheries, and oyster reef restoration. In addition to a week of advanced STEM training and project development on the WKU campus in Bowling Green, Kentucky, each class spends a day with a nationally or internationally recognized STEM speaker. Each attendee receives the following: 

•    Advanced STEM education and leadership training on the WKU campus May 24–30, 2026. All expenses—travel, lodging, meals—are included; 
•    A notebook/tablet (Chromebook or similar) to facilitate ongoing collaboration; 
•    A stipend for technology and supplies to implement a classroom Challenge Project; and 
•    Sponsored attendance at the 2027 NSTA National Conference on Science Education.

Applications are due by February 1, 2026.