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May resources from the Million Girls Moonshot

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May resources from the Million Girls Moonshot

During the month of May, the Million Girls Moonshot celebrates Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month). Our country owes a lot of our success to many hardworking, innovative AAPI computer scientists, engineers, and other STEM professionals. These assets will support Networks and program providers as they pay tribute to and highlight a host of AAPI professionals who have contributed to the STEM fields.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

Applications open for Project EDGE Social-Emotional Curriculum Testers!

Project EDGE (Engagement and Development for Girls through Engineering) is testing and evaluating an OST curriculum that integrates engineering activities and social-emotional development for youth with the goal of developing STEM identity and an Engineering Mindset.  Read about the benefits to educators and youth, and requirements for participation here. $1,000 Stipend for program participation.

Applications due May 31, 2023.

WEBINARS

ACRES Training Cohort: Asking Purposeful Questions: Wednesdays: 

05/03/2023, 05/17/2023, 05/31/2023 12:00 pm-2:00 pm EST/ 9:00 AM - 11:00 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: AC288PQ

ACRES Training Cohort: Facilitating Science Practices: Wednesdays: 05/31/2023, 06/14/2023, 06/28/2023 3:30 pm-5:30 pm EST/ 12:30-2:30 pm PST

How can we make sure that our ‘hands on’ science experiences for youth are also ‘minds on?’ In this module, participants learn how to support youth as they engage in science practices to learn science ideas, including planning and conducting investigations around testable questions. They’ll talk about the similarities and differences between questioning in science versus questioning in engineering contexts. REGISTER HERE Code: AC225SP

Click2Engineering Spring Community of Practice: May 3, and 17 2023 2:30 pm EST/ 11:30 am PST

The Click2Engineering community of practice (CoP) introduces out-of-school time educators to the basics of engineering and leading engineering activities with youth. The CoP is organized around the 10 Practices for an Engineering Mindset, and includes hands-on engineering activities, developing engineering experiences for youth, and learning skills to facilitate engineering practices.  The CoP is four meetings over 8 weeks. REGISTER HERE

Click2ComputerScience Virtual Workshop: Hacker Series May 23, 2023 1:30-3pm EST/ 10:30-noon PST

Looking to enhance your computer science programming? Join us for the "Hacker Training" virtual workshop on May 23, 2023. We'll explore the fascinating world of encryption with prime numbers. You'll learn the basics of cryptography, including how to encode and decode messages using prime numbers, and how to bring this to the youth in your program.  At Click2ComputerScience, know that you don't need to be an expert coder or techie to lead great CS experiences. This workshop will build on the skills you already have, and you will be prepared to help youth have fun working with numbers and discover the importance of cybersecurity in today's digital landscape. Register now for this workshop on May 23, 2023. REGISTER HERE

Afterschool Math Plus Curriculum Training Thursdays: May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15, September 19, October 17, and November 28, 2023 from 1 to 2 p.m. EST

REGISTER FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TRAINING SESSION HERE

Date and Time

Afterschool Math Plus Curriculum Topic Areas

May 16

1 to p.m. EST

Jump Rope Math: The Whys of Jumping Rope

Conduct surveys about why people jump rope and use data to create bar graphs and Venn diagrams to represent people’s answers.

June 20

1 to p.m. EST

Jump Rope Math: How Far Can You Go?

Create line graphs and use data to make predictions about how far jumpers can travel in a set amount of time.

July 18

1 to p.m. EST

Jump Rope Math: Going to Great Lengths

Observe patterns, create a scatter graph, and analyze data to make predictions about connections between jump rope length and jumper height.

August 15

1 to p.m. EST

Jump Rope Math: Designing a Math Investigation

Use bar graphs, line graphs, scatter graphs and Venn diagrams to explore different ways of answering math questions about jumping rope.

September 19

1 to p.m. EST

MusicMath: Unexpected Math, Creating Rhythms, and Making Rhythm Patterns

Create musical patterns, then repeat the patterns and think about how to represent the patterns using words, pictures, and symbols.

October 17

1 to p.m. EST

MusicMath: Composing Music (with Math!)

Experiment with repeating patterns and create new arrangements using similar sounds in different sequences.

November 14

1 to p.m. EST

MusicMath: Discovering Music Fractions

Identify and represent parts of fractions using music and explore combinations and permutations, or ways of creating variety while still using the same elements.

December 12

1 to 2 p.m. EST

MusicMath: Orchestration

Use fractions to create musical compositions, then perform the compositions using found instruments (pans, boxes, pencils, whistles). Create new combinations and permutations for the music fractions.

Note: Each webinar will include strategies to support a positive Math Identity (e.g., role models, career connections, family connections, literacy connections).

REGISTER FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TRAINING SESSION HERE

ACTIVITIES

Activity Playlist

Looking for a sequence of activities you can implement in your afterschool program today? Say goodbye to googling or searching on Pinterest. Use the following activities in sequence to support youth in building an engineering mindset.

  • Environmental Science Playlist
    • Activities: A list of dozens of activities on climate change with descriptions, age level, everything you need to know.
    • Role Models: List of 13 inspiring examples of young environmentalists making a difference
    • Activities: Free hands-on activities for families and educators on environmental advocacy, role models, and environmental friendly strategies.
  • Environmental Science and Engineering: These  20+ free STEM lessons, projects, and activities have been grouped thematically to highlight environmental science challenges and potential STEM-based solutions: Energy, Ecological Footprint, Water, STEM Solutions
  • Activities: Celebrate spring with 26 free science and engineering lessons, projects, and activities for enriching hands-on STEM related to spring weather, flowers, plants, and more!

Looking for EVEN More Activities at NASA?! Activity Toolkit: Engineering is Elementary's NASA Partnership free units - A suite of free NASA-funded STEM resources for students in grades 3-8. All resources are research-based and classroom-tested. They are designed to support students’ understanding of space, while helping them see themselves as capable problem solvers.

RECRUIT STEM EXPERTS AS VOLUNTEERS

Less than 50% of high school girls know a woman in a STEM career. Let’s change that - recruit STEM professionals to support the youth you serve today!

The Moonshot helps to connect STEM experts with OST programs! Share your program’s volunteer opportunities for STEM experts to work with your youth today! Register here to find role models and mentors in STEM.

TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICES

  • Website: State of Girls and Women in STEM - This updated NGCP resource presents a high-level summary of the most compelling statistics and research on the state of girls and women in STEM, focused on K-12 Education, Higher Education, and the STEM Workforce. The report highlights the impacts of intersectional inequalities, as Latina, Black, and Indigenous women represent less than 10% of the STEM workforce. A toolkit with graphics of these statistics and research is available to use in social media and presentations.
  • Webinar Series: NCWIT Webinar Series: Advising for Future-Ready Careers - NCWIT Counselors for Computing in partnership with Department of Defense STEM is hosting a webinar series for educators, parents/caregivers, and students focused on preparing youth for diverse careers in computing. Participants will gain resources and strategies for engaging youth in computer science experiences and topics, such as machine learning. The next webinar entitled “Support and Strengthen Pre-college STEM Programs” is May 11.
  • Website: Exploring Paleontology to Spark Science Engagement from a Young Age - Learn how to nurture your students’ interest in dinosaurs and increase science engagement beginning in elementary school in this webinar recording. Hear from Dr. Holly Woodward Ballard, an Associate Professor of Anatomy and Paleontology at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, and PK-5th grade teacher Alyssa Barr who shares tips on how to use a book like Lily and Maia to fuel an integrated learning experience. This webinar also featured Audrey O’Connell, co-founder of HSG, who shared the process of developing the Lily and Maia characters and working with the young artist, Grace Hattrup, to ensure scientific accuracy of the paleo elements.
  • Website: Smithsonian Science for Makerspaces - This series of free engineering design challenges engage youth in emerging technologies through hands-on learning. Inspired by Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, these activities bridge formal science education and the makerspace movement by helping educators and teachers engage with digital and physical technologies within the context of STEAM by asking them to make something new.
  • 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.

ASSETS FROM THE IF/THEN® COLLECTION

These assets feature IF/THEN® Ambassadors , and can be used in marketing, presentations, social media, and conference presentations.

ABOUT THE MOONSHOT

www.milliongirlsmoonshot.org

Technovation teaches girls how to use technology to solve real-world problems—and to become leaders

By Maggie Jaris, Director of Content Strategy at Technovation. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's new “Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society” (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs working at the intersection of...

BY: Guest Blogger      05/05/23

May resources from the Million Girls Moonshot

During the month of May, the Million Girls Moonshot celebrates Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month). Our country owes a lot of our success to many hardworking, innovative AAPI computer scientists, engineers, and other STEM professionals. These assets will support Networks and...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      05/01/23

Youth in action: Earth Day

Photo courtesy of California Academy of Sciences. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's new “Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society” (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs working at the intersection of STEM and civic...

BY: Anita Krishnamurthi      04/28/23

April resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Every year on April 25 since 2003, scientists, biologists, and genetics enthusiasts come together to observe National DNA Day, celebrating the discovery and research into DNA and the scientific advancements that helped make progress possible. National DNA Day encourages people to learn more about...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      04/03/23

March resources from the Million Girls Moonshot

March means Women’s History Month! Women’s History Month is a wonderful time to honor the stories, achievements, and legacies of the amazing women who shaped STEM fields as we know them today. By educating ourselves about the past, we can create a bright future for women and girls to...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      03/21/23

Youth serve as STEM ambassadors with Chief Science Officers International

This is the first of the Afterschool Alliance's new series of blogs highlighting examples of programs working at the intersection of STEM and civic engagement. We are excited to showcase the systemic change young people can make in their communities when their afterschool programs support them...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/03/23

January resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Happy New Year! January is National Mentoring Month - a national celebration of the role models and mentors that have made monumental differences in the lives of so many. Listed as one of Moonshot’s four transformative practices, role models and mentors play a significant role in showing...

BY: Tierra Easter      01/26/23

December resources from Million Girls Moonshot

This month, millions of students worldwide celebrated Computer Science Week (December 6-12) with the Hour of Code. December's resources from Million Girls Moonshot features information on how your afterschool program can participate in Hour of Code, as well as free professional development...

BY: Tierra Easter      12/19/22

September resources from Million Girls Moonshot

To help students see themselves with a future in STEM and to broaden understanding of science history, it is important for students to learn about a diverse range of scientists and engineers. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we highlight a few of the Hispanic and Latinx scientists and engineers...

BY: Chris Neitzey      09/20/22

August resources from Million Girls Moonshot

The school year has started for many across the country, and the August assets from Million Girls Moonshot focus on opportunities and resources for Networks and partners to build the capacity of program providers around the four transformative programming areas: 1) Equity and Inclusion, 2)...

BY: Chris Neitzey      09/01/22

Technovation teaches girls how to use technology to solve real-world problems—and to become leaders

By Maggie Jaris, Director of Content Strategy at Technovation. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's new “Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society” (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs working at the intersection of...

BY: Guest Blogger      05/05/23

May resources from the Million Girls Moonshot

During the month of May, the Million Girls Moonshot celebrates Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month). Our country owes a lot of our success to many hardworking, innovative AAPI computer scientists, engineers, and other STEM professionals. These assets will support Networks and...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      05/01/23

April resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Every year on April 25 since 2003, scientists, biologists, and genetics enthusiasts come together to observe National DNA Day, celebrating the discovery and research into DNA and the scientific advancements that helped make progress possible. National DNA Day encourages people to learn more about...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      04/03/23

March resources from the Million Girls Moonshot

March means Women’s History Month! Women’s History Month is a wonderful time to honor the stories, achievements, and legacies of the amazing women who shaped STEM fields as we know them today. By educating ourselves about the past, we can create a bright future for women and girls to...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      03/21/23

September resources from Million Girls Moonshot

To help students see themselves with a future in STEM and to broaden understanding of science history, it is important for students to learn about a diverse range of scientists and engineers. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we highlight a few of the Hispanic and Latinx scientists and engineers...

BY: Chris Neitzey      09/20/22

August resources from Million Girls Moonshot

The school year has started for many across the country, and the August assets from Million Girls Moonshot focus on opportunities and resources for Networks and partners to build the capacity of program providers around the four transformative programming areas: 1) Equity and Inclusion, 2)...

BY: Chris Neitzey      09/01/22

May Resources from Million Girls Moonshot

During the month of May, the Million Girls Moonshot celebrates Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month). Our country owes a lot of our success to many hardworking, innovative AAPI computer scientists, engineers, and other STEM professionals. These assets will support Networks and...

BY: Chris Neitzey      05/10/22

April resources from Million Girls Moonshot

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...

BY: Chris Neitzey      04/26/22

March Resources from Million Girls Moonshot

March marks the beginning of Women’s History month. What was originally known as “Women’s History Week” in 1982, has deservedly transformed over the years into an entire month aimed at recognizing and celebrating the contributions of women in our society, throughout...

BY: Chris Neitzey      03/10/22

February Resources from Million Girls Moonshot

The Million Girls Moonshot is excited to launch recruitment for the inaugural 2022 Moonshot Flight Crew. They are looking for youth advocates — young scientists, engineers, inventors, builders, and leaders who have been inspired by their experience outside of the school...

BY: Chris Neitzey      02/03/22

September resources from Million Girls Moonshot

To help students see themselves with a future in STEM and to broaden understanding of science history, it is important for students to learn about a diverse range of scientists and engineers. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we highlight a few of the Hispanic and Latinx scientists and engineers...

BY: Chris Neitzey      09/20/22

August resources from Million Girls Moonshot

The school year has started for many across the country, and the August assets from Million Girls Moonshot focus on opportunities and resources for Networks and partners to build the capacity of program providers around the four transformative programming areas: 1) Equity and Inclusion, 2)...

BY: Chris Neitzey      09/01/22

Foster STEM learning with the 4-H STEM Challenge

By Michael Compton, STEM Integrated Marketing Manager at National 4-H Council. STEM refers to the four disciplines of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. Research suggests that using STEM learning opportunities in after-school educational settings is important to address the...

BY: Guest Blogger      08/15/22

February Resources from Million Girls Moonshot

The Million Girls Moonshot is excited to launch recruitment for the inaugural 2022 Moonshot Flight Crew. They are looking for youth advocates — young scientists, engineers, inventors, builders, and leaders who have been inspired by their experience outside of the school...

BY: Chris Neitzey      02/03/22

The Million Girls Moonshot is launching its inaugural Flight Crew!

The Flight Crew is a cohort of youth advocates, ages 13-18, who are committed to creating equity for girls in STEM through elevating youth voices and inspiring future STEM leaders. We are looking for young scientists, engineers, inventors, builders, and leaders who have been inspired by their...

BY: Leah Silverberg      01/28/22

January resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Quality Trainings Audience: For programs and program staff in your state Share with Network STEM Staff, Key Partners, and Program Leaders in your state interested in becoming Dimensions of Success Certified. More information found here. Dimensions of Success (DoS) Certification...

BY: Chris Neitzey      01/14/22

December Resources from Million Girls Moonshot

December brings us the opportunity to reflect on our successes and explore how we might do more as we head into a new year. Below we bring you the December assets from the Million Girls Moonshot, and encourage you to share these resources with your networks and partners. If you are interested in...

BY: Chris Neitzey      12/20/21

CyberStart America: A free computer science/cybersecurity program for afterschool

By Kate Straus, National Cyber Scholarship Foundation. The digitized and online world we now live in has revolutionized how we work, seek entertainment, stay informed and connect with each other. Unfortunately, it has also revolutionized how cyber criminals can target us! Whether temporarily...

BY: Guest Blogger      12/03/21

November resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Photo courtesy of Million Girls Moonshot Below are the November resources from Million Girls Moonshot. This month’s asset package includes resources to share and utilize related to the four transformative practices: equity and inclusion, engineering mindsets, role models, mentors and...

BY: Chris Neitzey      11/19/21

Upcoming STEM opportunities from Million Girls Moonshot

Teen Science Cafe The Teen Science Cafe is an opportunity for youth in rural areas to engage in conversations around STEM with each other and with a scientist, engineer, or inventor. Uniquely fitted to afterschool and out-of-school time programs, the goal of the Teen Science Cafe is to garner...

BY: Maria Rizo      09/30/21

Engineer for the Week: Bring free, high-quality STEM learning to your students!

Are you an afterschool practitioner looking for high-quality, cost-free curriculum to help your students develop computer science skills and explore engineering? Do you believe all students should have access to high-quality, cost-free programming where they can develop computer science skills...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      03/03/22

CyberStart America: A free computer science/cybersecurity program for afterschool

By Kate Straus, National Cyber Scholarship Foundation. The digitized and online world we now live in has revolutionized how we work, seek entertainment, stay informed and connect with each other. Unfortunately, it has also revolutionized how cyber criminals can target us! Whether temporarily...

BY: Guest Blogger      12/03/21

Engineer for the Week Fall Sprint is now open for registration!

Are you an afterschool practitioner looking for high-quality, cost-free curriculum to help your students develop computer science skills and explore engineering? Do you believe all students should have access to high-quality, cost-free programming where they can develop computer science skills...

BY: Leah Silverberg      09/02/21

July resources from Million Girls Moonshot

This month’s resources from the Million Girls Moonshot offer tools and resources for programs looking to implement STEM learning in summer programming. This summer provides an opportunity to reintroduce the four transformative programming areas of the Moonshot: equity and inclusion,...

BY: Chris Neitzey      07/30/21