A book and Web site experience from the National Academy of SciencesGet the Books
A curious look at Women's Adventures in Science  
Parent-Teacher Guide
Introduction
Leading an Adventure
Exploring the Context
Using the Science Labs
AEP: 2007 Finalist, Distinguished Achievement Award
Parent-Teacher Guide

The Women's Adventures in Science (WAS) project is designed to support kids, especially girls, in their scientific explorations so they learn the fundamental skills of scientific investigation and feel empowered to tackle such adventures.

The activities and experiences of the biography series and Web site are inspired by the lives of 10 remarkable contemporary women scientists.

This parent-teacher guide suggests ways that the content of this project can be used as a teaching tool in the classroom and offers ideas for extending the content with additional questions and activities. These suggestions can easily be modified for home use as well.

Why Focus on Women and Girls?

A report by the National Center for Education Standards, Trends in Educational Equity of Girls and Women (2000), noted that in fourth grade the number of girls and boys who like math and science is about the same but by eighth grade twice as many boys as girls show an interest in these subjects. Research by other respected organizations, such as the National Science Foundation, reports similar findings.

A number of factors contribute to this inequity, including:
  • Societal stereotypes consistently convey messages that science is for boys, not girls.
  • Boys receive much more praise for their academic contributions than girls. Girls often receive praise for being well behaved, organized, on time, or neat.
  • Many believe science to be a field of study in which an eccentric man works alone in a lab. Why would a girl aspire to that career objective?
Recognizing the importance of the contributions of women in science, the WAS project is focused on encouraging girls to be young scientists. To help engage girls in science in the classroom and at home, consider focusing on the following:
  • Creativity: Sketching and the use of color in data collection and representation are motivating and remind all young scientists that data representation comes in many forms.
  • Collaboration: Working together with peers and/or adults is often motivating to young female scientists, and it can demonstrate that scientific work benefits from multiple perspectives.
  • Visible Female Participation: When you choose a volunteer in class, select girls just as often as (or more often than) boys. Make sure to engage volunteers in meaningful academic efforts, not simply serving as the scribe at the whiteboard.
  • Encouragement: Praise girls for their intellectual contributions—not solely their nice coloring, handwriting, or timeliness.
  • Positive Representation: Have many discussions about how and where scientists really work—collaboratively in all kinds of settings!