Engineering Design Process Posters and STEM Question Cards and Strategies

Make STEM conversations more purposeful with STEM Questioning Strategies, a classroom-ready resource designed to help students think through each phase of the engineering design process.

These prompts give teachers practical questions to ask when students get stuck, need to explain their thinking, or are ready to reflect and improve.

This resource supports the full STEM process: Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, Improve, and Share.

Use the posters to introduce or reinforce each step, keep the question cards handy during group check-ins, and use the planning template to prepare thoughtful prompts before each challenge. It is especially helpful for guiding students toward problem solving, collaboration, reflection, and process-based learning.

Includes

• Engineering Design Process posters
• STEM challenge question cards
• Questions organized by each phase of the engineering design process
• Prompts aligned with different levels of thinking, including remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create
• Teacher instructions for classroom use
• STEM Challenge Questions planning template
• Printable materials that can be laminated for repeated use

Perfect For

• Elementary STEM classrooms
• STEM challenges and engineering design lessons
• Small group check-ins
• Classroom discussion prompts
• Helping students explain, test, improve, and share their designs
• Teachers who want ready-to-use questioning support during hands-on activities

Why Teachers Love It

• Helps students move past “I’m stuck” moments with thoughtful teacher prompts
• Encourages students to focus on the process, not just the final product
• Supports stronger collaboration and communication during STEM challenges
• Makes it easier for teachers to ask purposeful questions in the moment
• Provides reusable classroom tools that can be printed, laminated, and kept nearby

Skills Supported

• Problem solving
• Critical thinking
• Engineering design thinking
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Reflection
• Creative thinking
• Testing and improving prototypes

Bring more intentional questioning into your STEM lessons with a resource that helps students slow down, think deeply, and grow as problem solvers through every stage of the design process.