Lower cost
A low-cost alternative with straightforward school and district pricing on request.
Find the Thesaurica course designed to replace yours
Teaching a well-known STEM program today? Each Thesaurica course below is designed to cover the skill areas of the course it replaces, as a low-cost alternative with a fresh, project-based experience for educators and students.
K-5 Foundations
| If you teach… | Upgrade to | Grades | Units | Skills taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLTW Launch K-1 engineering & computer science modules | Imagine & Invent | K-1 | 1 | 24 |
| PLTW Launch grades 2-3 engineering & computer science modules | Build & Beyond | 2-3 | 1 | 24 |
| PLTW Launch grades 4-5 engineering & computer science modules | Code & Command | 4-5 | 1 | 24 |
| PLTW Launch biomedical modules | Growing Healthy Scientists | K-5 | 1 | 24 |
Middle School
| If you teach… | Upgrade to | Grades | Units | Skills taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design and Modeling | Sketch to Solid | 6-8 | 3 | 39 |
| Automation and Robotics | Gears & Code | 6-8 | 3 | 37 |
| App Creators | Pocket Apps Studio | 6-8 | 3 | 36 |
| Computer Science for Innovators and Makers | Make It Interactive | 6-8 | 3 | 36 |
| Flight and Space | Wings & Rockets | 6-8 | 3 | 37 |
| Energy and the Environment | Powering Tomorrow | 6-8 | 3 | 39 |
| Green Architecture | Eco Home Design | 6-8 | 3 | 36 |
| Science of Technology | Atoms to Machines | 6-8 | 3 | 37 |
| Magic of Electrons | Sparks & Circuits | 6-8 | 3 | 38 |
| Medical Detectives | Health Case Files | 6-8 | 3 | 36 |
High School Engineering
| If you teach… | Upgrade to | Grades | Units | Skills taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Essentials | Engineering Explorations | 9-12 | 6 | 30 |
| Introduction to Engineering Design | Design & Prototype Studio | 9-10 | 6 | 36 |
| Principles of Engineering | Machines, Materials & Motion | 10-11 | 6 | 36 |
| Advanced Manufacturing | Smart Factory Systems | 10-12 | 6 | 36 |
| Aerospace Engineering | Flight Dynamics & Space Systems | 11-12 | 6 | 30 |
| Civil Engineering and Architecture | Designing the Built World | 11-12 | 6 | 31 |
| Digital Electronics | Digital Logic & Circuits | 10-12 | 6 | 34 |
| Environmental Sustainability | Engineering a Sustainable Planet | 10-12 | 6 | 33 |
High School Computer Science
| If you teach… | Upgrade to | Grades | Units | Skills taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science Essentials | From Blocks to Python | 9-12 | 6 | 32 |
| Computer Science Principles (AP CSP aligned) | Computing & the Connected World | 10-12 | 6 | 35 |
| Computer Science A (AP CSA aligned) | Java & Object-Oriented Design | 11-12 | 6 | 37 |
| Cybersecurity | Digital Defense & Forensics | 10-12 | 6 | 36 |
High School Biomedical Science
| If you teach… | Upgrade to | Grades | Units | Skills taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principles of Biomedical Science | Medical Science Investigations | 9-10 | 6 | 42 |
| Human Body Systems | The Human Machine | 10-11 | 6 | 39 |
| Medical Interventions | Healing by Design | 11-12 | 6 | 42 |
Capstone
| If you teach… | Upgrade to | Grades | Units | Skills taught |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLTW Capstone (formerly Engineering Design and Development; also replaces Biomedical Innovation) | Innovation Capstone: R&D Studio | 11-12 | 6 | 45 |
Why educators make the switch
A better educator experience
Day-by-day plans, slides, activities and assessments, ready to teach.
A better student experience
Project-based units built around modern tools and real deliverables.
Course names shown in the “If you teach…” column are the trademarks or course titles of their respective owners and are used only to identify the courses our offerings are designed to replace. Thesaurica is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. Skill-area comparisons reflect Thesaurica's own review of publicly available course descriptions and may differ from the current version of any third-party course; “skills taught” counts the skills listed in Thesaurica's own unit outlines.