Million Girls Moonshot resources for April

Trainings for April  2024

ACRES Coaching: Asking Purposeful Questions

Tuesdays: 4/16, 4/30, and 5/14/2024 11:00 am- 1:00 pm EST / 8:00 - 10:00 am PST

Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop their reasoning through the questions we ask them? This module is a great way to train staff on how to facilitate STEM learning. Experienced educators also love being part of a cohort as a way to connect with other educators across the country, to learn new lesson plans, and to reflect on practice.  This is our introductory module and a prerequisite to other opportunities. *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 HERE Code: AC330PQ (Coach Emma C)

ACRES Coaching: Elevating Youth Voice and Choice (For OST professionals who have completed Asking Purposeful Questions)

Thursdays: 4/11, 4/25, 5/9/24 11am - 1pm EST / 8am - 10am 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 HERE Code: AC351VC (Coach Becky T)

ACRES Coaching: Facilitating Engineering Practices (For OST professionals who have completed Asking Purposeful Questions)

Wednesdays: 4/10, 4/24, 5/8/2024 1pm - 3pm EST /10am - 12pm PST

Engineering has become a staple of STEM programming for youth. How can we confidently bring engineering into our programming and support youth as they engage in problem solving? In this module, participants gain first-hand experience with engineering by solving a design problem. They examine the components of the engineering design process and discuss ways to model the process with youth.

*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 HERE Code: AC329EP (Coach Emma C)

A Conversation with Christine Cunningham about YES

Tuesday April 2nd, 2024 Noon-1:00 pm ET; 9:00 am-10:00 am PST

Youth Engineering Solutions is building the next generation of problem solvers and engineers by creating resources that engage all students in authentic engineering challenges connected to their lives and communities.  Join this webinar and learn about resources from YES that are designed for elementary classrooms, middle school classrooms, and afterschool programs. This virtual workshop will prepare you to create authentic engineering experiences that motivate and engage youth in developing an engineering mindset. You’ll learn more about equity-oriented engineering learning and this can transform out-of-school time learning.

REGISTER HERE

Click2Engineering’s Including All Learners in Engineering

Wednesday, April 24th, 2024 Noon-1:00 pm ET; 9:00 am-10:00 am PST

In a highly competitive world, how do we create program spaces that help young people feel like engineering is a discipline in which they can succeed and thrive? Join this virtual workshop to develop strategies for creating engineering experiences that are engaging for all youth. Dive into what makes an engineering activity open and inclusive. Experience hands-on engineering and come away with ideas you can put into practice.

REGISTER HERE

Transformative Practices for April 2024

The Million Girls Moonshot aims to raise awareness of the following four research-based practices — Equity and Inclusion, Engineering Mindsets, Role Model, Mentors, and Families, and STEM Pathways and Transition — proven to remove barriers to access and quality STEM learning experiences. Resources, toolkits, blogs, and activities that elevate these four Transformative Practices can be found below and on the Million Girls Moonshot Toolkit

Equity and Inclusion

• Access to STEM Framework: To improve the overall quality of out-of-school STEM programs, we need to address how program providers design and implement programming to increase access in STEM for youth who have been underrepresented in the STEM fields. Partnering with the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) and national experts, we have developed an Access to STEM Framework — a guide for supporting program providers in this transformation. Download the Framework.
   
• Elevating Youth Voice in STEM Programming Webinar: One way to ensure your program is youth-centric is to elevate youth voice and empower youth to take charge of their own STEM experiences. In this webinar recording, presenters share their knowledge and first-hand experiences promoting or using their voices and developing leadership skills to support and promote STEM learning in their communities.
   
• Cultural Competence in Afterschool Programs: A chapter on how programs address the increasing and cultural diversity in the United States. Program leaders need to consider how to adapt their program to make it culturally relevant to the youth and families they serve. This chapter explores the meaning of cultural relevance, how to design cultural competence afterschool programs, and how to tailor cultural competence to meet local needs.

Engineering Mindsets

• Engineering Mindset Overview: An engineering mindset refers to the attitudes and thinking skills associated with engineering — using a systematic engineering design process, considering real-world problems, applying math and science, and working in teams. The Moonshot focuses on 10 engineering practices. An overview of each practice follows and subsequent briefs will explore each one individually.
   
• Engineering Design Process: This resource helps educators understand design process and how to facilitate engineering activities with kids

Role Models, Mentors, and Families

Role models, mentors, and family engagement in a young person’s STEM education leads to increased interest, greater self-confidence, and ultimately a stronger STEM identity. Developing a science-related identity increases the likelihood that students will work toward developing science literacy, or even pursue a career in a science or STEM-related field.

• Video and articles: Greta Thunberg on how to tackle climate anxiety | The One Show - BBC (youtube.com) Greta Thunberg, the environmental activist who has been making headlines around the globe, is a 21-year-old Swedish woman. Greta Thunberg - Speech, Quotes & Activism (biography.com) She is a climate activist who has received worldwide recognition for her efforts to fight climate change. She has been nominated for the Nobel Prize.  Other remarkable environmentalists can be found here: Top 18 Famous Environmental Scientists You Should Know 2024 (scijournal.org)
   
• Video: TEDxTC - Winona LaDuke - Seeds of Our Ancestors, Seeds of Life (youtube.com) Winona LaDuke is an Ojibwe conservationist who gives a cultural and scientific contest to why environmental conservation is so important.
   
• Article: How To Become an Environmental Scientist: A Step-By-Step Guide – Forbes Advisor This guide for older youth offers a step-by-step pathway to a career in environmental science. Explore details on an environmental scientist job description, available degrees and concentrations in the field, salary data and job outlook projections.
   
• Video: video about barbara mcclintock - Yahoo Search Results Video Search Results Barbara McClintock was a scientist and cytogeneticist who received the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in botany from Cornell University and began her lifelong work in the development of maize cytogenetics. She eventually gained recognition as among the best in the field and was honored with several prestigious awards. 
   
• The Importance of Mentoring to Increase Diversity in STEM: This is a personal recounting by Dr. Leslie McCollum on her experiences as she reached her PhD in physics. She highlights a sense of belonging as a key factor.
   
• The Key To Diversity And Inclusion Is Mentorship: Mentoring increases the diversity of participants and increases their engagement. Recent research also shows that mentoring has benefits for the mentor and was identified in by mentors one study as an important aspect of their careers.
   
• SciGirls Family Guide for Engaging Girls in STEM: The guide is designed to spark a curiosity for STEM in girls through activities that promote knowledge and discovery. This guide shares strategies and tips to support families in their encouragement of girls to pursue STEM. 

Continuous STEM Learning Pathways

Research tells us that continuous engagement and exposure rather than limited one-time opportunities are needed to nurture the interest and motivation necessary for children to pursue STEM pathways long term. The Moonshot aims to understand and support transitions and handoffs that remove barriers for youth by connecting STEM learning across ages and settings, ensuring youth interest and motivation persists.

• Possible Futures — Career Exploration 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.

Activities for April 2024

Video: dna activities for kids - Yahoo Search Results Video Search Results This video designed for kids is a fun/exciting way to introduce DNA to children. In this video kids will learn facts all about DNA, what it is made of, chromosomes, traits and much more. There are additional DNA teaching resources, including a free lesson plan found here: https://learnbright.org/lessons/science/dna ...

Student Activity: PLT_GreenJobs_MonitoringForestHealth.pdf Through a variety of health indicators, learners assess the health of a forested area and see how soil scientists, wildlife biologists, arborists, and other forest professionals monitor forests. This activity supports STEM identity by relati through role model and career connections.

Student Activity: How To Make Seed Bombs - Little Bins for Little Hands Kick off your spring science with a fun Earth Day activity and make seed bombs with your kids! Super easy and fun to make, help youth connect to their impact on the environment start a new tradition to celebrate Earth Day and learn how to make seed bombs or seed balls. This website also features other STEM activities for kids in environmental education.

Student Activity: Do-It-Yourself DNA | STEM Activity (sciencebuddies.org)  In this activity, you will make your own DNA extraction kit from household chemicals and use it to extract DNA from strawberries.

Student Activity: Investigate Alien Genetics | Lesson Plan (sciencebuddies.org) Students model how traits are passed on from parents to their offspring by creating baby aliens based on the alien parents' traits. As students compare the physical features of their alien families, they will be able to make the connection between an organism's genotype and phenotype. Students will also learn the difference between dominant and recessive traits.

Student Activity: Extracting Onion DNA | Science Project (sciencebuddies.org)In this project, you'll learn how to isolate DNA from onion cells, separating it from other cellular components in a manner that still preserves its structure and sequence. In the end, you'll have enough DNA to see with the unaided eye, and you'll be able to spool it to demonstrate its strand-like structure.