This month the Million Girls Moonshot celebrates Earth Day and Environmental Education Week! Now is the time for all of us — education, business, and civic leaders — to take action on climate in order to preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihoods. To do this, we need to inspire the next generation of creative thinkers and problem solvers to design the solutions that will get us there. This Earth Day, let us act boldly, innovate broadly, and implement equitably. It is going to take all of us! 

If you are interested in becoming involved in the Million Girls Moonshot in your state, please connect with your statewide afterschool network. 

Earth Day 

AUDIENCE: FOR NETWORK STEM/MOONSHOT STAFF, PARTNERS AND PROGRAM PROVIDERS

ASSETS FROM THE IF/THEN® COLLECTION

For Earth Day (4/22)

These assets feature IF/THEN Ambassador and forest ecologist, Lindsey Rustad, and can be used in marketing, presentations, social media, and for conferences presentations.

• Ambassador Profile of Lindsey Rustad
• Draw Her Life of Lindsey Rustad
• Salt Crystal Tree Activity with Lindsey Rustad

These assets feature IF/THEN Ambassador and carnivore ecologist, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. They can be used in marketing, presentations, social media, and for conferences presentations.

• Long profile of Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
• On-the-job video of Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
• Field Shot 3 of Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
• Field Shot 10 of Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant

These assets feature IF/THEN Ambassador and climate scientist, Dr. Victoria Herrmann. These can be used in marketing, presentations, social media, and for conference presentations. 

• Long profile of Dr. Victoria Herrmann
• STEM Journey Video of Dr. Victoria Herrmann

Don’t know where to start in the IF/THEN Collection? Here are some tools to help you!

• IF/THEN Collection Video Tour
• Collection Scavenger Hunt
• User Guide

Video: Earth Day Math - YouTube - This 8-minute video has a short Trivia game about our planet.  Great way to introduce Earth Day using math facts. 

Quality Improvement Opportunity

AUDIENCE: FOR PARTNERS AND PROGRAM PROVIDERS

Are you leading engineering activities in summer of 2022?

If you expect to be conducting an engineering camp or leading engineering activities for middle school youth this summer, you may be able to help with the Million Girls Moonshot (MGM) evaluation. In exchange for your assistance, we will provide $2,000 for program expenses and a $1,000 stipend for the facilitator. 

Learn more about the opportunity HERE. Apply HERE by April 15, 2022.

Featured Webinars

• Webinar: The M in STEM: Math in Everyday Life 

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 11:00AM Pacific / 12:00PM Mountain / 1:00PM Central / 2:00PM Eastern

This webinar will focus on ways math is prevalent and relevant in everyday life, including in afterschool spaces. We will learn about ways to recognize and embrace authentic math moments and activities to help engage afterschool youth in math.

REGISTER HERE

• Webinar: The M in STEM: Making Math Meaningful

Thursday, May 19, 2022 11:00AM Pacific / 12:00PM Mountain / 1:00PM Central / 2:00PM Eastern

This webinar will focus on engaging and supporting youth in mathematics. We will learn from an AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassador who uses mathematics to positively impact society and share best practices and resources to help make the M in STEM meaningful and accessible in afterschool.

REGISTER HERE

Role Models And Mentors as an Equity Strategy

AUDIENCE: FOR NETWORK STEM/MOONSHOT STAFF, PARTNERS AND PROGRAM PROVIDERS

• Role Models Matters Training for STEM Volunteers

Ready to train volunteers and role models in your Network, school, or afterschool program? COMPLETE THIS REGISTRATION FORM to gain access to the Role Models Matter training developed by Techbridge Girls.

To promote this training, click here to access the Media Asset

Quality Trainings

AUDIENCE: FOR NETWORK STEM/MOONSHOT STAFF & AFTER SCHOOL EDUCATORS  

 

DOS Certification Training

The training process involves a two-day live webinar training, completion of video calibration exercises, a one-hour live calibration session, and successful completion of two practice observations in the field. PEAR staff offer live, webinar DoS trainings monthly and in-person training for state networks or organizations can be arranged as needed for an additional cost. PEAR staff provides ongoing technical assistance, quarterly data reports, and online data management support for all DoS observers for two years post-certification.

Dates and times are: April 20-21, 2022; 10am-4pm ET. The deadline to register is April 6. REGISTER HERE

 

ACRES is a nationally acclaimed coaching program that builds knowledge and skills so after school educators, librarians and anyone who works with youth in out-of-school settings can confidently facilitate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) experiences for youth. More information found here.

April Cohort: Ready, Set, STEM! & Asking Purposeful Questions

Are you ready to bring meaningful STEM learning into your program? This module offers educators who are new to facilitating STEM the opportunity to build supportive relationships with other educators while exploring the principles of STEM learning. This module combines an introduction to STEM facilitation with the skill of Asking Purposeful Questions. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Stipends are offered to participants who complete feedback surveys before and after a module.

Cohort dates and times are: Wednesdays April 27th, May 11 and 25th 10:00 - 11:30am EST

REGISTER HERE 

April Cohort: Elevating Youth Voice and Choice

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.*This ACRES skill and cohort is designed for participants who have ideally already done either Asking Purposeful Questions of Ready Set STEM.

Cohort dates and times are: Tuesday April 26th, May 10 and 14th 9:00 - 10:30am EST

REGISTER HERE 

Transformative Practices

AUDIENCE: For Network STEM/Moonshot Staff, Partners, and Program Providers

APPLICATION: Share the following resources about transformative practices with partners and programs in your state. Use them to create professional development for afterschool programs and educators in your state.

• Toolkit: A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction Toolkit | SABES - Created to help educators develop an anti-racist, culturally responsive math practice. It offers “an integrated approach to mathematics that centers Black, Latinx, and Multilingual students in grades 6-8, addresses barriers to math equity, and aligns instruction to grade-level priority standards.
• Article: Equity in Math Class: 5 Tips for Teachers - WeAreTeachers - Ways to Build Equity into Your Math Lessons  discusses how equity and social justice play a critical role in math instruction. 

Engineering Mindsets - Math

• Activity Toolkit: Growing Math - Provides ready-to-roll-out lessons and games combining math, agricultural science and Indigenous history and culture that can be easily used in classrooms, via hybrid models or through distance learning. The project will provide resources, curriculum, training and tech support to teachers and students in Grades 3-8 at schools in six states: Arizona, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon and South Dakota. For schools in the region, all participation and resources are supported through USDA funds. 
• Article: Critical Issue: Remembering the Child: On Equity and Inclusion in Mathematics and Science Classrooms (ncrel.org) - The North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL) addresses equity and inclusion in STEM classrooms as a critical issue in a  paper that includes six effective practices for equity.

Incorporating Role Models

The following assets are free profile videos and photos of IF/THEN Ambassadors. These can be used in marketing, presentations, social media, embedded on websites, during conferences, and more. 

• Article: Incorporating the Stories of Women, People of Color, and LGBTQ+ Scientists Into the Physics Classroom - Short article from NSTA about the contributions of women, people of color, and other diverse scientists to the field of Physics. Includes a link to lesson plans for lesson plans that could be adapted for K9-12.

NATIONAL ROBOTICS WEEK (APRIL 2-10)

• Role Model Video: Mission Unstoppable: Robots Learn How to Interact with Humans
• Role Model Video: Mission Unstoppable: Teaching Robots How to Dance featuring IF/THEN Ambassador and roboticist, Catie Cuan

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WEEK (APRIL 18-22)

• Role Model Video: #SheCanSTEM video featuring IF/THEN Ambassador and climate scientist, Dr. Victoria Herrmann
• Role Model Video: Mission Unstoppable: Tracking Bears with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
• Posters: This is what a scientist looks like of IF/THEN Ambassador and nuclear engineer, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. This poster can be used in your physical paces to highlight an inspiring role model in nuclear engineering.
• Student Activity: Free activity sheet and accompanying video from GoldieBlox’s Curiosity Camp series.
  • Curiosity Camp: Recycled Plant Paper activity sheet with the I’m a Kid…Does Climate Change Affect Me? video featuring IF/THEN Ambassador and climate scientist Kimberly Miner. This is one of many activity sheets and accompanying videos that can be found on the IF/THEN Collection. These activity sheets and videos are designed to be plug and play for programs.

Families

• Website: Math Communities – Students, parents, and educators coming together to play with math!  Math Communities creates a virtual community that provides free access to joyful collaborative activities designed by professional mathematicians and math educators  for K-12 students, educators, and families. There are lots of ways to communicate with other folks interested in math.

STEM Transitions, Handoffs, and Coordination

• Toolkit: Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunity from the Hive Research Network - This toolkit shares ways in which various out-of-school educators and professionals have approached the challenge of brokering. We provide a framework, practice briefs and reports that focus on a particular issue or challenge and provide concrete examples, as well as illustrate how our partners worked through designing new brokering routines in partnership with our research team.

Activities for Programs

AUDIENCE: For Programs and Youth

APPLICATION: Share the following STEM activities with programs and families for additional STEM learning in your state. 
 

• Activity Plans for Earth Day: Math and Climate Change - Teach about the climate by understanding the math. This website has a variety of k-12 activities that teach and encourage youth to care for the planet. 
• Activity: Piles of Paper - In this activity, learners keep track of how much paper the group uses in a week. Build awareness of paper waste, while strengthening measurement and estimation skills. Age range 4-14.
• Activity: We're on the Rise! - Learners build a simple aneroid barometer to learn about changes in barometric pressure and weather forecasting. 
• Activity: Reason for the Seasons - This activity has a strong math element as learners will use a protractor to estimate the angle of the sun in a mode age range 8-14.  
• Activity: Sustainable Grazing - Using math and problem solving skills, they will learn how many animals can live on their imaginary 100 acre ranch. Age range 8-18

Professional Development

AUDIENCE: NETWORKS AND PROGRAMS

APPLICATION: Share the following training opportunities with partners and program leaders to build their understanding of engineering, equity and inclusion, and STEM. 

• Webinar: You Can't Be What You Can't See! STEM Career Awareness for Middle School Girls, featuring Learning Blade

Wednesday, April 6 from 2:00-3:00 pm ET

Join us to hear from Learning Blade's creator and President Sheila Boyington, who is also the MWM National States Chair, as well as actual Learning Blade users and state education leaders. "You Can't Be What You Can't See!" Career exposure early in the pipeline is key to giving students an opportunity to learn about all the possible career paths they can take. This is especially important when it comes to encouraging more girls and women to pursue STEM/CS/CTE-related careers. Hear how the Learning Blade system helps support educators building the future STEM/CS/CTE workforce. REGISTER HERE

• Webinar: Families & STEAM: Strengthening Relationships & Building Partnerships April 6th 1:00 - 2:00 pm PT / 4:00 - 5:00 pm ET

Join NGCP and Linda Kekelis of STEM Next as we explore ways to strengthen relationships and build partnerships with families to create equitable and accessible STEAM learning for youth. Family engagement in STEAM can come in many forms—STEAM nights, science fairs, family newsletters, etc. But how can you move into a deeper partnership with families in the service of STEAM learning? In this webinar, we’ll hear from practitioners and researchers who are working to deepen engagement with youth and their families to intentionally support equity in and access to STEAM opportunities. You will hear about strategies, examples, and current research, and will have the opportunity to ask questions. REGISTER HERE

• Webinar: STEAM Resources for Libraries May 17th 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PT / 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET
  Libraries are instrumental in bringing high-quality STEAM experiences to their communities. Join us to learn about resources and opportunities specifically designed for libraries.In this webinar, we are joined by representatives from NASA's Universe of Learning, The National Citizen and Community Science Library Network, and Leap into Science who will share about resources and opportunities that support STEAM programming at libraries. REGISTER HERE

Mizzen by Mott Moonshot Connection

AUDIENCE: For Networks and Partners

The Mizzen By Mott app delivers inspiring and engaging activities that spark learning in young people. Supported by the Mott Foundation, Mizzen is available at no cost to afterschool professionals! Encourage partners to download the Mizzen By Mott app to access STEM  activities at your finger-touch!  You’ll find it in Mizzen here.

Featured Activities & Playlists

• Playlist: Helping the Planet for 3rd - 5th Grade at Home - This playlists allows younger students to go outside and learn about ways to help the environment. 
• Playlist: Outdoor Activities for Middle School - This playlist is all about getting outside and trying some STEM outdoors for middle school youth. Activities include building a mini greenhouse, egg drop and making a kite.
• Module: S.INQ Up Earth and Space - Earth and Space is an inquiry and exploration-based curriculum that uses hands-on activities focused on the relationship between the earth, the solar system, and human impacts on our global environment. Best for grades 6-8th.