TeachersFirst's Change Makers - Women in STEM
From laying the foundations of computer programming to making groundbreaking discoveries in physics and space exploration, women have left an indelible mark across STEM disciplines. Pioneers like Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer algorithm in the 1800s, while others like Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, advanced our understanding of radiation. NASA trailblazers such as Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson were the "Hidden Figures" whose calculations were crucial to early spacecraft missions. From Rosalind Franklin's pivotal X-ray work allowing for DNA's double helix structure to Jane Goodall's pioneering ethological research on chimpanzees, women have continuously reshaped scientific paradigms. Their breakthroughs and tireless pursuit of knowledge have profoundly impacted humanity. Use this curated list of reviewed resources to help your students see the vital role women have had in the past, present, and future in the field of STEM.
To learn more about STEM, view our collection here.
You can also learn about additional women change-makers in our collections:
Change Makers - Young Women Who Changed the World
Change Makers - Pioneering Women
Change Makers - Women for Freedom
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Women Techmakers - Google for Developers
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): careers (140), professional development (407), STEM (276), women (140), womenchangemaker (28)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the resources on this site to learn more about women in technology professionally and to share with students. Share stories on this site about women changemakers with students as part of career day activities or include them with studies on technology. Use Netboard, reviewed here to curate information to share with students, including videos from this site as well as other resources such as quizzes, Google Forms, reviewed here , and Genially interactives, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Florence Nightingale - The National Archives
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): 1800s (75), biographies (95), heroes (25), women (140), womenchangemaker (28)
In the Classroom
Include this site with your other resources when teaching about women as changemakers or after reading a biography of Florence Nightingale. Introduce Florence Nightingale to students by creating a timeline of her life using MyLens, reviewed here or by having an online "chat" with Florence Nightingale using Character.ai, reviewed here . This lesson includes seven tasks that explore a different primary source document; divide students into seven groups to each complete a task, then share their discoveries through class presentations. For example, use Google Slides, reviewed here to create a collaborative presentation by adding each task to a different slide. Ask each group to use their slide to respond to the exploration questions provided in their task and share their responses with the class. As a final assessment, use the Choice Board Creation tool found at MagicSchool.ai, reviewed here to find suggestions to include in choice board activities, such as creating a travel brochure from Florence's hometown, writing a news article about Florence, or designing an infographic that presents key facts on Florence Nightingale's life.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The First Women to Design and Build Aeroplanes:Lillian E. Bland and E. Lillian Todd - Gillian Saunders-Smits
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): aviation (38), engineering (126), STEM (276), women (140), womenchangemaker (28)
In the Classroom
Include this article with your other resources when teaching about women changemakers, life in the early 1900s, or technological changes. As an additional resource, add the picture book about the life of E. Lillian Todd, Wood, Wire, and Wings by Kirsten W. Larsen, to your class library or watch the YouTube video discussion of the book here. Organize and share resources with students using Symbaloo, reviewed here or Padlet, reviewed here. Use MyLens, reviewed here to create a timeline of women's contributions to airline design. MyLens uses artificial intelligence (AI) to generate timelines based on your prompt; start with a prompt such as "women airplane designers" to produce a timeline featuring other trailblazing women in airplane design. Extend learning by asking students to design and share a presentation about women changemakers by creating videos using Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here or with Google My Maps, reviewed here to tell the story of women changemakers worldwide.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Fly Girls - American Experience PBS
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): aviation (38), primary sources (118), women (140), womenchangemaker (28), world war 2 (157)
In the Classroom
Include the information on this site with your resources for you and your students to use when studying about World War II or women changemakers. Consider using Milanote, reviewed here to collaborate and share ideas using visual note boards. Add images, notes, and web links when brainstorming ideas and gathering information. Extend learning by asking students to create blogs using edublogs, reviewed here that shares what it was like to live the life of a Fly Girl based upon information gathered from this site and others. Blogs might include short journal entries, images, letters to loved ones at home, and video diaries.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Who Runs the World? Girls - Women as Changemakers - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (165), women (140)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the book suggestions on this page to find additions to your classroom library. Consider adding women as changemakers at one of the stations when doing station rotations. View the archive of OK2Ask: 3 Cool Tools for Station Rotations, reviewed here to learn more about using station rotations in your teaching strategies. Extend learning using the 4-Circle Venn Diagram Creator provided by Canva, reviewed here. Canva shares many templates and ideas for different versions of Venn Diagrams to compare and contrast information. Use these ideas to compare and contrast women changemakers' actions, background, and information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Women Aviators in World War II: Fly Girls - Edsitement
Grades
5 to 8tag(s): aviation (38), women (140), world war 2 (157)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Once the class has gone through however many lessons you choose, enhance learning by having small groups of students investigate one or more extension activities and share their learning by developing a multimedia presentation. Students can choose multimedia presentation formats using Genially, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sally Ride Lesson Plan - ShareMyLesson
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): nasa (30), scientists (63), STEM (276), women (140)
In the Classroom
The downloadable lesson plan includes four ways to approach teaching about Sally Ride; contributions, additive, transformational, and social action. In addition, the plan consists of links to websites and videos to enhance your instruction. After researching Sally Ride, students can apply their knowledge by creating multimedia presentations using tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, Canva for Education, reviewed here, or Microsoft Sway, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Promoting STEM Through Literature - Judy Bowling & Kerry Guiliano
Grades
K to 6tag(s): book lists (165), inquiry (24), literacy (113), Problem Based Learning (12), problem solving (226), STEM (276)
In the Classroom
In addition to the suggestions for STEM-related literature, the Design Thinking Journal is an excellent addition to any classroom for use with many other projects. Include ideas from the site in your Maker Space activities, learn more about Maker Spaces and find additional ideas at the TeachersFirst Maker Spaces Special Topics page with reviewed resources. Enhance learning by encouraging students to share Maker Space projects by posting them on a website or blog created using Edublog, reviewed here. Ask students to share their problem-solving journey using the Design Thinking Journal information when designing projects using Padlet, reviewed here. Padlet can be a video discussion tool with capabilities for sharing student responses through video with other students. Encourage students to respond to each others' videos. This is a link to Padlet's Help section for posting video or an image.Comments
I have always been looking for resources on stem education. I am glad I have chanced on this; helpful for my class. Much appreciated.Victor, , Grades: 0 - 8
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34 Highly Influential African-American Scientists - Interesting Engineering and Christopher McFadden
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): african american (110), black history (130), careers (140), scientists (63), STEM (276), women (140)
In the Classroom
Include the information and scientists named in this article as a starting point for many different classroom uses. During Black History Month, feature one of the scientists included on the list each day. Share this list with students to use as a starting point for researching influential Black leaders or learning about career options. Engage students in understanding these African-American scientists' accomplishments using Google Jamboard, reviewed here. Create a slide for each scientist, then ask students to add a sticky note with information learned about their career as they research their work and accomplishments. Ask students to create simple blogs using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. Telegra.ph is a no-fuss blog creation tool that makes it easy to create and share visually appealing blogs that include images, links, and text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Annie Jump Cannon: Biographical Digital Resources - Project PHaEDRA
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): biographies (95), scientists (63), stars (70), STEM (276), women (140)
In the Classroom
Include this collection with your other resources when teaching lessons about astronomers, famous women, or scientists. Use Wakelet, reviewed here, to curate resources and videos (Youtube videos) to share with students. As you provide time for students to explore this collection, use edpuzzle, reviewed here, with the videos to enhance learning. Add questions or comments to the videos that encourage students to focus on the importance of Cannon's work in the field of astronomy. When sharing articles that contain difficult reading selections, use Read Ahead, reviewed here, to transform the text into a Guided Reading activity that includes a focus on keywords and vocabulary found in the text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin and the Components of Stars - Project PHaEDRA
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): biographies (95), elements (34), scientists (63), stars (70), STEM (276), women (140)
In the Classroom
Share this collection with students to explore when learning about famous Women in History, scientific advancements, or during an astronomy unit. Ask collaborative groups to work together and share information found in the collection. Use a collaborative note-taking tool such as Notejoy, reviewed here, to have students share ideas and information using checklists, adding images and links, and documenting individual contributions to the project. You may also want to show a few videos, or provide a list for students to watch using Youtube videos. Ask groups or individuals to share their learning using a simple video creation tool like CapCut, reviewed here with voice overs and templates. Ask students to include images and require they include proper citations along with their original work.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Science of Henrietta Swan Leavitt - Project PHaEDRA
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): computers (109), scientists (63), STEM (276), women (140)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this collection for use during Women's History Month or during studies of famous scientists. Be sure to show students how to use the citation link found with each resource (select the quotation mark icon) when downloading and using items from this collection. Challenge students to learn more about Leavitt by starting with a Gravity, reviewed here video. Gravity is a video response tool. Use Gravity to record video or create screen recordings to share. Share one of the plate glass images and encouraging students to speculate on what they are looking at. Include items from this collection with your other resources and share them with students on a Padlet, reviewed here. Add additional articles and videos to your Padlet for students to explore. Extend learning by asking students to conduct further research to learn about Leavitt, then share their findings using one of the presentation tools found at Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, such as flyers, videos, or infographics.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Williamina Fleming: Discoveries and Biographical Resources - Project PHaEDRA
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), biographies (95), stars (70), STEM (276), women (140)
In the Classroom
Add a link on classroom computers to this collection for students to explore. Add this and other resources to a collection in Wakelet, reviewed here, and share with students. All materials found on the site are available to download, be sure to show students how to cite each resource using the quotation icon found on each item. Ask students to find biographies and collections of other astronomers, female pioneers, or interesting people from the 1800s for a research project. Create a digital class book of your biographies using Book Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Girls Who Code - Reshma Saujani
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): coding (90), communities (36), computers (109), critical thinking (117), logic (163), women (140)
In the Classroom
Share this site with your school's administration or anyone willing to consider leading an after-school computer program for girls and ask them to become a sponsor. Be sure to share information on the Summer Immersion Program with your high school guidance counselor and technology teachers as an excellent opportunity for interested students. If there are no locations near you (and no volunteers to start one) post this to your web page with the directions to Code At Home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SheHeroes - sheheroes.org
Grades
2 to 10tag(s): careers (140), mentoring (6), women (140), womens suffrage (46)
In the Classroom
Use SheHeroes as part of your Career Day or career unit resources. Add a link on classroom computers for students (male and female) to explore on their own. Take advantage of the further discussion questions to encourage students to think about the obstacles faced by women in business and society. Ask a prominent local business woman to speak to your class and discuss obstacles she has faced and how she was able to overcome those issues. Although the site is dedicated to girls from ages 8-14, share with both boys and girls from ages 8 and up as part of any unit on gender inequalites.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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For Women In Science - Loreal
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): engineering (126), STEM (276), women (140)
In the Classroom
Use this site when researching science careers and scientists to be sure to give women their turn and to inspire another generation of female scientists. Share the video clips on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Use this site during Women's history month. Challenge your students to learn more about present-day famous women in STEM careers and create their own interactive books. Have students use Ourboox, reviewed here. Ourboox creates beautiful page-flipping digital books in minutes, and you can embed video, music, animation, games, maps and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Famous Scientists - famousscientists.org
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): inventors and inventions (76), scientists (63)
In the Classroom
The reading level of this site is rather challenging. Have weaker readers work together with stronger ones. While discussing scientists and inventors, use this site as a resource for gathering information. Have small groups of students research scientists from the same time period. Have them research their contributions including reactions of others to their discovery or invention. Research why these inventions were particularly important and the scientific knowledge that changed as a result. Have them present their findings to the class by creating a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online. Then, if you would like to take your students critical thinking up a notch and extend their learning, you could have the small groups compare the different inventions and decide how and why the earlier inventions had to come before a later invention could be developed. For this you might want to have students use a collaborative graphic organizer like Canva Edu, reviewed here, and have them report out their thoughts and discoveries to the class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Women @ NASA - NASA
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): careers (140), scientists (63), space (216), STEM (276), women (140)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students when researching careers or space exploration. This is a perfect site for Women's History Month! There is plenty of information on the site for students to use as a model for researching career information. Challenge students to trace the life events of one of the women using an animated timeline tool like Time Graphics Timeline Maker, reviewed here. Describe events, display images, and embed videos at different points with this timeline tool. Be sure students share the location where their researched woman is originally from.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Amelia Earhart - The Official Website - Family of Amelia Earhart
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): aviation (38), careers (140), famous people (20), flight (31), women (140)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students when researching famous Americans, women, flight, or careers. Enhance learning by having students use a mapping tool such as Google Earth, reviewed here, to create an audio (and visual) tour of Amelia Earhart's journeys. Her story could also offer a powerful writing prompt for an essay about people who take on formidable challenges/adventures. Substitute a blog tool such as edublog, reviewed here, for paper and pen.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Engineer Girl - National Science Foundation and Berkeley
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): careers (140), engineering (126), STEM (276)
In the Classroom
Find and write about career opportunities as an exploration topic. Discover how many careers use engineering, math, and science and it is not just for boys anymore! Search for other possible engineering related careers and create interactive posters using Adobe Express for Education, reviewed here that informs others of the possibilities, or create using Sway, reviewed here to create interactive presentations across all devices. Have cooperative learning groups create multimedia presentations to share their findings such as an infomercial video using a tool such as Powtoon, reviewed here, or Clipchamp, reviewed here. Share the videos on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. This resource is also terrific for girls spending the Take Your Child to Work Day at a STEM-related workplace. Have the young woman use her workplace visit experience and information from this site to share an interactive newsletter about a STEM career using a tool such as Sway, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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