Dear Parents,
This month we will be researching the women that have made strides in Mathematics, Science, and the Arts. Through this research it is my hope to inspire our 21st century girls to see the endless possibilities available to them to make a contribution in these areas.
Women’s History Month is an opportunity to encourage our girls to pursue STEM professions at the high school, university levels, and beyond.
According to the National Science Foundation Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, in 2013 only 29 percent of the employed engineers and scientists in the U.S. were women and only 19 percent of engineering majors were female.
This short, but very powerful, mini research unit will support the endeavor to teach our children that future opportunities in the STEM professions are open to all students regardless of their gender.
It will support the ideas that STEM, and other professions, are equal opportunity professions for all those that choose to pursue them.
Below are great read-aloud biography picture books that are a great way to expand students’ knowledge about women who’ve made important contributions in STEM.
Lesson:
1. Students will research the women of their choice.
2. They will create a report using a variety of medium.
3. As a culminating activity students will host an afternoon tea to showcase the contributions of the women in their lives that help us to achieve our potential.
4. More information on tea and donations coming soon.
Women’s History Month for the 21st Century Student
A Mini Research Report Project
Awesome books to read during Women’s History Month
Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventorby Emily Arnold McCully
Somebody actually invented the flat-bottomed paper bag, and we’re going to learn all about her! This book sends a warm message about female empowerment, and it celebrates the rewards of hard work rather than “born genius,” making Mattie truly inspiring.
Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomerby Robert Burleigh
I love any book with Raul Colon’s etched watercolor and pencil illustrations, and this biography about a stalwart astronomer is no exception. Henrietta Leavitt discovered the relationship between a star’s brightness and its distance from Earth at a time when women were relegated to clerical calculations in the astronomy lab. For budding astronauts and astronomers, this is a great pick!
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimpsby Jeanette Winter
Jane Goodall’s primate adventures always capture my students’ imaginations, and this picture book is a great way to introduce this famous biologist and the importance of observation as a scientific skill. I like to pair this biography with a classic from my own childhood,Koko’s Kittenby Dr. Francine Patterson. While Koko, a famous sign-language-speaking gorilla, lived at the San Francisco Zoo, her story demonstrates the gorilla’s interactions with the author, a young female scientist.
The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Foreverby H. Joseph Hopkins
Show your students a Google Maps satellite view of San Diego and they’ll notice a green patch in the middle of the city. Zoom in on Balboa Park and inform your students that this impressive green space only exists here in this desert city due to the efforts of one determined botanist, Katherine Olivia Sessions. The predictable refrain throughout the book — “But Kate did!” — makes this a fun interactive read-aloud.
Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merianby Margarita Engle
The artist and naturalist Maria Merian was the mother of entomology and a free-wheeling explorer of exotic locales in the late 1600s — long before women were making their mark in scientific realms. This brightly illustrated picture book focuses on Merian’s discovery of moths’ metamorphosis at a time when this biological phenomenon was considered magic. Students thrill to learn that Merian made her big discoveries when she was merely 13 years old!
Olivia's Birds: Saving the Gulfby Olivia Bouler
This book isn’t a biography, but your students will definitely want to learn more about the 11-year-old who wrote and illustrated this bird guide in order to raise money and awareness about birds affected by oil spills. This book will inspire the nascent environmentalists in your class to take action.
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Womenby Catherine Thimmesh
An enjoyable, fast-paced anthology of biographies, this book lends itself to reading comprehension activities and jigsaw group work.
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dreamby Tanya Lee Stone
A challenging photo-essay style “picture book,” this is a great independent reading choice for advanced upper elementary readers. I’ve used excerpts from this book as a complex text for shared reading with my students. This book tells the remarkable and frustrating story of 13 women who attempted to breach NASA’s male-only realm of astronauts, paving the way for the next generation of female astronauts.
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Womenby Catherine Thimmesh
An enjoyable, fast-paced anthology of biographies, this book lends itself to reading comprehension activities and jigsaw group work.
Skype in the Classroom
Withthis free, virtual platform, you can invite guest speakers into your classroom to discuss a wide range of STEM topics with your students. Do some prep work ahead of time with your students so they have meaningful questions prepared to ask their Skype guest. All you need is a webcam, projector, speakers, and an Internet connection to connect with scientists, programmers, authors, and more. For example,Microsoft has partnered with Skype in the Classroomto facilitate Skype chats with their tech professionals. Why not invite a female computer programmer or video game designer to chat with your students?