Let’s teach girls about women in math and science, and let’s go ahead and begin with our littlest learners. Learning the stories of amazing women who came before us is not only important, but inspiring. This is especially true for girls who are interested in fields and causes where women are typically underrepresented, such as math and science.
From a young age, girls need to hear the message that the opportunities are for everyone. In this way, they can begin developing their own identities as they explore all that’s out there for them.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS ABOUT WOMEN IN MATH AND SCIENCE
I am a total geek about children’s books, and I have a bunch of Ikea bookshelves to prove it. Other than socks and scarves, it’s just about the only thing I collect. Every month, I make a short pilgrimage to Barnes and Noble to see what’s new. And every month, I come home with bags of books. It’s what I do.
Back in the spring of 2020, I developed a small obsession for books about women’s history. One, I had NO idea there were so many picture books on the topic. And two, I couldn’t get enough of them. I read familiar stories and I learned about women I had never heard of before… incredible stories about incredible women.
Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World by Vashti Harrison is one of the books I picked up on that trip. The level of text difficulty makes it too challenging for most 1st and 2nd graders, but each woman’s story is one page in length, so they’re perfect for teacher read-alouds.
Not only is the book packed with stories about women in math and science, but the author also introduces us to a:
- poet
- costume designer
- astronomer
- art collector
- painter
- choreographer
- physical therapist
- actress
- journalist
- musician
- filmmaker
- inventor
- environmentalist
- architect
- sculptor
…and so many more! It’s a very thorough collection, one in which most girls would be able to say, “Oh! I am interested in that just like she was! I would love to do something like that too!”
THINKERS WHO TINKER
I don’t think it’s very surprising that Amelia Earhart had a mechanical mind. Her most famous childhood creation was a roller coaster. The track was made of boards greased with lard and the car was an empty wooden crate. When she launched herself down the track, she told her sister, “It’s just like flying!”
Related Blog Posts:
👉 FAMOUS INVENTORS: BIOGRAPHIES FOR KIDS
👉 MAE AMONG THE STARS
CLASSROOM POSTERS
I’m very visual and so are most of the children I know. Posters like these help me start conversations about what it means to be a mathematician or a scientist… plus, they’re girls.😊
The images and the text are so kid-friendly, they’re perfect for children in the primary grades, K-2. The POSTER SETÂ includes both boys and girls for each topic and features kids with multiple skin tones and hair colors. The hope is that even our youngest students can find themselves somewhere in this set.
RECOMMENDED BOOK LIST
Your local librarian or school’s media specialist can help you put together a great stack of books on this topic, particularly for the grade level you teach. These are some of my favorite books about women in math and science. Due to text length, I use each of them as a read-aloud. Even though my students would be challenged to read them independently, they’re easily able to understand the stories and be inspired by the life lessons.
- When Amelia Earhart Built a Roller Coaster by Mark Weakland
- Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World by Vashti Harrison
- Shark Lady by Jess Keating
- The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter
- Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
- Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helanie Becker
Happy teaching!
