Million Girls Moonshot resources for March

Pi Day is March 14!

Professional Development Opportunities

Free DNA Science Resources

The Future is Bright! 

From developing cures for cancer to solving the world’s food crisis, genomics is full of meaningful and exciting career opportunities. These roles are critical to solving the biggest challenges facing people and communities by using genomics to unlock the code of life.

STEM Next is partnering with global genomics leader Illumina on the “Future is Bright” campaign to bring the power and wonder of DNA science to afterschool and summer programs nationwide. Through hands-on activities like DNA extraction experiments and exclusive career chats with genomics leaders, we’re helping young people across America discover that innovation is truly in their DNA—and that breakthroughs in health, agriculture, and beyond all connect back to the power of genomics!

We’ve compiled free resources for program providers and educators, including ways to join us in celebrating DNA Day with youth on April 25.

• Professional Development: Join STEM Next for a DNA Day Launch Prep Webinar on April 10th to learn the tools and inspiration needed to host an engaging classroom experience! We'll break down everything from crafting a dynamic DNA Day lesson plan to exploring hands-on activities that will ignite youth curiosity about genetics and genomics. Register today!
• Activities: 
  • Get students excited about genomics with a Strawberry DNA Extraction Experiment
    • Order a DNA Extraction Kit (Please note: supplies are limited!) 
    • Activity instructions
  • Virtual field trip: Unlock the secrets of DNA and dive into the fascinating world of genomics! 
• More resources! 

Math Fluency Games Series

Part 3 March 6, 1-2 p.m. EST (10-11 a.m. PST)

REGISTER

Come engage in fluency math games and activities that support youth in learning math facts and becoming fluent in computation while having fun in the process! Note: These are free, live sessions. Please register for each session you are interested in attending. FMI email acres@mmsa.org. 

Activities for Youth

Museum of Science Boston Free High-Quality Curricula for PK-8

The Museum of Science, Boston’s Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) offers a collection of PK-8 engineering and STEM curricula designed to engage students in authentic, hands-on challenges connected to their lives and communities. The materials apply a model for equity-oriented and socially engaged engineering learning that encourages all to see themselves as engineers and passionate problem solvers poised to make a difference in the world. Curricula include 12 engaging, standards-aligned units for elementary and middle school grades and out-of-school settings. All curriculum guides can be downloaded for free at: https://yes.mos.org/curricula/yes-curricula/. Pre-made materials kits for classrooms and enrichment settings can also be purchased at that link.

Free Activities & Interactives for Families from EiE Families

EiE Families, from the Museum of Science, Boston, has released several new activities and interactive introductions to at-home engineering and computer science activities. These brief online experiences introduce families to the engineering design process and important ideas in computer science, so they are ready to try out hands-on activities with confidence. All EiE Families resources—including the new online introductions, the hands-on activities, and the website itself—are available for free in both English and Spanish at: https://families.eie.org/activities/at-home 

Other Resources

Transformative Practices

STEM Next aims to raise awareness of the following four research-based practices — Access to STEM, Engineering Mindsets, Role Model, Mentors and Families, and STEM Pathways and Transition — proven to remove barriers to access and quality STEM learning experiences for youth. 

Role Models and Mentors

Role Models and Mentors: Contains an extensive list of places to find a variety of role models, speaker bureaus, and mentoring resources.  The site includes FabFems, MentorNet, and Women@NASA. 

Which role models are effective for which students?: Four concrete recommendations for ensuring that STEM role models are motivating for students of all backgrounds and demographics—an important step toward diversifying STEM.

How to be an effective STEM role model: Advice to share with potential role models, and staff who are role models, on how to communicate the message in the most effective way. 

Family Engagement

STEM Family Engagement Planning Tool: A planning tool to support programs in uplifting and empowering all youth and families in STEM. 

STEM Learning Pathways & Career Awareness

STEM Next is committed to strengthening career awareness and exploration in out of school time so youth are prepared for whatever comes NEXT. 

Possible Futures — Career Awareness Curriculum

Open source curriculum that complements and enriches both school and afterschool settings 1) expanding career awareness through authentic experiential learning opportunities; 2) encouraging students to explore their diverse interests, talents, and options; 3) enlivening STEM subjects by bringing in real-world and career contexts; 4) empowering students to develop vital employability skills; and 5) engaging students in making informed choices.

Below are some adaptations of the Possible Futures Career Exploration Curriculum specifically for afterschool and summer programs:

• Career Foundations Adaptation: A collection of 14 lessons, a streamlined combination of the Lenses on the Future and Skills for Success units of Possible Futures curriculum.
• College and Career Readiness Toolkit: Maryland Out of School Time (MOST) embedded the Career Foundations Unit of Possible Futures into this toolkit that serves as a guide for OST providers.

Connected Learning Research Network

The Connected Learning Research Network: Reflections on a Decade of Engaged Scholarship: This report from the Connected Learning Research Network (CLRN) presents a vision for understanding and revitalizing the ways in which we support learning during these changing times. This report synthesizes a varied set of content and perspectives: empirical research on the changing landscape of new media and learning, design principles, evaluation approaches, learner and case studies oriented to identifying and spreading positive innovations.

Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunities

Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunities: A Hive Research Lab toolkit to explore the various ways in which out-of-school educators and professionals have approached the challenge of brokering - supporting the identity development, social capital building and long-term, interest-driven learning across settings actively connecting program participants to new learning opportunities.