December resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for December 2024

ACRES Coaching: Elevating Youth Voice and Choice

Wednesdays, 12/4, 12/18 1-3 p.m. EST / 10 - noon PST

How often do youth in your program get to choose what they’re investigating or designing, the materials they might use and/or how they engage with the work? In this module, participants try out strategies for elevating youth voice and choice and apply the ideas as they redesign a STEM activity to incorporate a greater variety of youth input. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend. REGISTER with Code: AC442VC (Coach Becky T)

ACRES Monthly Math Tasters

Discover ways to use natural materials to represent math problems, find and understand math in nature, and use math to investigate authentic outdoor math problems. Gain access to a hub of resources to explore as well as activities you can use immediately.

Numeracy in Nature

Thursday, December 19, 1-2 p.m. Eastern (10-11 a.m. Pacific)

Note: This is a free, live session. Please register for each session you are interested in attending. FMI email acres@mmsa.org.

STEAM Starter Professional Development Module

ACT Now Illinois in partnership with Northern Illinois University and NIU STEAM is offering an asynchronous, out-of-school time STEM facilitator training. Here is a summary of the course:

STEAM Starter is designed as a course to inspire educators and after school staff to integrate STEAM into their daily practice. This Tier 1 (Inspiration) approach gently introduces educators to the value of Authentic Learning and provides them with quick takeaways that they can use immediately in the classroom or informal educational setting.

The module takes one hour to complete and costs $25 per person. Once completed, participants will receive a certificate from NIU they can show their program leadership or use on an application. REGISTER

Techbridge Girls: Role Models Matter

Exposure to role models involved in STEM fields has the power to increase girls' interest and likelihood to pursue a STEM career in the future. To support role models and increase their effectiveness, Techbridge Girls developed the Role Models Matter™ training program. This training has been developed with STEM champions in mind.

Complete the training at your own pace and on-demand. When participants complete the training, they will receive a Credly badge and access to 5 dynamic, hands-on workshops that can be facilitated with girls in classrooms and out-of-school time spaces.

Start today.

Transformative Practices for December 2024

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.

• Learning With AI, Learning About AI - As technology evolves rapidly, many schools wonder how to prepare their students for the jobs of tomorrow.  This site offers 8 ways to include AI/technology to youth.
• AI In The Classroom: Benefits, Challenges, And Best Practices - This all-inclusive guide gives the “why” and “how” of AI in the classroom.  Three simple strategies are highlighted for success.
• Bing Videos - Video for youth about what AI is and how it can be part of their lives.

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.

• Test-Drive a STEM Career with Fun Science Experiments - Many kids are interested in popular science and engineering careers they hear about, but do they know what it's really like to go to work in that career? What kinds of tasks, projects, and experiments does someone in that job really do? Trying out projects, experiments, and activities related to specific career paths is a great way to help students more clearly understand different science and engineering fields. This kind of exploration also helps students see that within the umbrella terms "scientist" and "engineer," there are lots of interesting and exciting career paths and opportunities! There are 10 popular STEM careers paired with exciting hands-on activities that make it fun for kids to test-drive careers of interest.
• How to Integrate Technology - Successful technology integration is more than just getting the tools into the classroom; here are some ideas on how to engage students and enliven lessons with those tools.
• 'Physical Computing' Connects Computer Science With Hands-On Learning - This article highlights the hands-on approach to teaching computational thinking and positions it as is a good way to “check off” the competencies that students should learn as part of the Computer Science Teachers Association K-12 Computer Science Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.
• Brilliant - Designed for older youth (13+) these visual, interactive lessons make concepts feel intuitive — so even complex ideas just click. Real-time feedback and simple explanations engage and encourage youth.

Activities for December 2024

Learn Fresh is a pioneering nonprofit that leverages students’ passion for sports to inspire STEM and social-emotional learning. Starting now, you’ll have access to their 10-part NBA Math Hoops module on the Mizzen Education platform!

Simulating the speed, strategy, and sheer fun of basketball, NBA Math Hoops features youth-centered STEAM curricula, a board game, and community program. With over 30 NBA / WNBA teams and educators across the country, the program reaches more than one million youth and has netted game-changing results in math.

• NBA Math Hoops Lesson 1: Demonstrating Sportsmanship - To start the NBA Math Hoops experience, all students are asked to sign a Sportsmanship Contract. Just like a pro-player singing, it affirms their commitment to their team and league. For grades 3-8.
• NBA Math Hoops Lesson 2: Field Goal Percentages - Understanding percentages is the first fundamental math skill in NBA Math Hoops. In this activity, students use basketball statistics to develop an understanding of the relationship between fractions, decimals, and percentages. For grades 3-8
• NBA Math Hoops Lesson 3: The NBA Math Hoops Draft - Students apply their knowledge of percentages and decimals to the NBA Math Hoops player cards. Then, they form teams and draft their roster for the NBA Math Hoops season. For grades 3-8