The guide "Empowering girls through STEAM: cultivating curiosity and creating opportunities" " is an introductory resource focused on fostering curiosity and creating opportunities for girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). It provides a comprehensive understanding of the STEAM approach and the use of storytelling in STEAM education, highlighting its importance and the benefits for girls. The guide delves into the barriers faced by girls in STEAM, both external and internal, and offers strategies for empowering educators, cultivating curiosity in girls through storytelling and hands-on learning for developing critical skills. Additionally, it outlines practical strategies for inclusive curriculum design, the role of parents and teachers, and promoting participation in STEAM activities to inspire and advocate for gender equality in these fields.
STEAM Tales Assessment Protocol to help teachers choose lesson plans
The STEAM Tales Assessment Protocol is a tool that supports teachers in selecting the most suitable story and lesson plan for their classroom by taking into account the curriculum, children's perceptions of gender stereotypes and their interest in STEM fields. To guide this choice, a table containing information about the female STEAM role models has been created. This includes the role models' names, years of birth (and death, if applicable), nationalities, time periods, STEM fields and specific disciplines, as well as the topics covered by the lesson plans. Finally, the name of the story and the lesson plan are presented.
A questionnaire is also available to evaluate children’s perceptions of gender representation in STEAM fields, their implicit or explicit associations between gender and different skills, and their knowledge of and interest in STEAM. This will help teachers explore children's perceptions of gender and STEAM in their classroom and choose a suitable lesson plan based on this information.
12 stories of inspiring women in STEAM
Here you can find a collection of 12 biographical stories of amazing and inspiring women who have worked or are working in the STEMfield. Stories are based on biographical facts that are arranged following Joseph Campbell’s monomythic model of storytelling. Special attention has been paid tomaking sure that the stories are engaging and relatable for the target audience, which is children, especially girls between 6 and 9 years. The stories follow women from their young age to successful careers with all obstacles and successes along the way and are accompanied by inviting designs and illustrations. We included women from different countries, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds.
The STEAM pedagogical lesson plans
Here you can find a collection of
12 downloadable booklets
that we carefully selected and prepared to meet the needs of
teachers
as well as
pupils between the ages of 6 and 9.
Each booklet contains
two lesson plans
that are connected to each of the role models that were introduced through
12 stories
of inspiring women in STEAM.
The core of each lesson plan is an exciting hands-on experiment that children can perform themselves, but it is not just that; lesson plans are designed to guide teachers on how to engage and inspire pupils. They include sections on:
- how to introduce the lesson,
- how to perform and direct the experiment,
- how to explain the experiment, and
- how each experiment connects to the female role model.
Each lesson plan concludes with a scientific background section, aimed at supporting teachers in deepening their understanding of the activity.
Here are our heroines:
Making slime (STEAM Fields S, A): Create slime using everyday ingredients, learning about chemical mixtures and measurements.
Solving dried markers (STEAM Field S): Compare the effectiveness of water and alcohol in reviving dried markers, exploring solvents and chemical properties.
Exploring geometry and architecture (STEAM Fields E, A, M): Build towers using spaghetti and clay, exploring geometric stability and architectural design.
Lung model (STEAM Fields S, E): Construct a working lung model to understand respiratory system functions.
Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian
Home-made microscope (STEAM Fields S, E): Build a simple microscope using household items to explore microscopic structures.
Five senses exploration kit
(STEAM Field S): Discover the five senses by collecting and analysing objects related to touch, smell, sight, and sound.
Why do stars twinkle (STEAM Field S):Simulate atmospheric conditions to explore why stars appear to twinkle in the night sky.
Visible light: rainbow & reverse rainbow (STEAM Fields S, E, A): Explore the nature of visible light through prisms and Newton's disk experiments.
Angular momentum with a gyroscope (STEAM Fields S, M): Investigate gyroscopic motion and conservation of angular momentum using a spinning wheel.
Bernoulli principle (STEAM Fields S, E): Discover how airflow affects objects, exploring the physics behind airplane wings.
Emotional recognition (STEAM Fields S, T, A): Explore how AI recognises emotions through facial expressions and human subjectivity in emotional interpretation.
The World Wide Web game (STEAM Field T): Learn how information is structured in a semantic web by connecting related concepts in an interactive way.
Cleaning an oil spill (STEAM Fields S, E): Experiment with different materials to clean oil from water, learning about environmental engineering.
How flowers absorb water
(STEAM Field S): Observe how plants absorb water through colored water experiments with flowers.
Fruit battery (STEAM Fields S, E): Learn how a lemon can generate electrical energy through a simple electrochemical reaction.
The power of chemicals
(STEAM Field S):Using vinegar and salt to generate electricity and understand chemical reactions in batteries.
Make a space rocket (STEAM Fields S, E, M): Design, build, and test rockets to see which ones fly the highest and farthest.
Exploring the solar system (STEAM Field S): Explore planets through visual and interactive activities to understand their properties.
Asta Hampe, German
Static electricity balloon (STEAM Fields S, E): Explore static electricity properties by using a balloon and various materials.
Building the electromagnet (STEAM Field S, E, M): Create an electromagnet using wire and a battery, learning how electric currents generate magnetic fields.
Flexible geometry (STEAM Fields E, A, M): Explore hands-on geometric properties using playdough and sticks to build and analyse shapes.
Mathematic mosaic (STEAM Field M): Create colourful mosaics to explore symmetry, patterns, and geometric relationships.
Find a meteorite (STEAM Field S): Search for micrometeorites in the schoolyard using magnets, learning about space dust, magnetism, and the origins of meteorites.
Meteorite impact on Earth (STEAM Field S): Simulate asteroid impacts using household materials to understand crater formation.
Here are our heroines:
Making slime (STEAM Fields S, A): Create slime using everyday ingredients, learning about chemical mixtures and measurements.
Solving dried markers (STEAM Field S): Compare the effectiveness of water and alcohol in reviving dried markers, exploring solvents and chemical properties.
Exploring geometry and architecture (STEAM Fields E, A, M): Build towers using spaghetti and clay, exploring geometric stability and architectural design.
Lung model (STEAM Fields S, E): Construct a working lung model to understand respiratory system functions.
Home-made microscope (STEAM Fields S, E): Build a simple microscope using household items to explore microscopic structures.
Five senses exploration kit
(STEAM Field S): Discover the five senses by collecting and analyzing objects related to touch, smell, sight, and sound.
Why do stars twinkle (STEAM Field S):Simulate atmospheric conditions to explore why stars appear to twinkle in the night sky.
Visible light: rainbow & reverse rainbow (STEAM Fields S, E, A): Explore the nature of visible light through prisms and Newton's disk experiments.
Angular momentum with a gyroscope (STEAM Fields S, M ): Investigate gyroscopic motion and conservation of angular momentum using a spinning wheel.
Bernoulli principle (STEAM Fields S, E ): Discover how airflow affects objects, exploring the physics behind airplane wings.
Emotional recognition (STEAM Fields S, T, A): Explore how AI recognizes emotions through facial expressions and human subjectivity in emotional interpretation.
The WWW game (STEAM Field T): Learn how information is structured in a semantic web by connecting related concepts in an interactive way.
Cleaning an oil spill (STEAM Fields S, E): Experiment with different materials to clean oil from water, learning about environmental engineering.
How flowers absorb water
(STEAM Field S): Observe how plants absorb water through colored water experiments with flowers.
Fruit battery (STEAM Fields S, E): Learn how a lemon can generate electrical energy through a simple electrochemical reaction.
The power of chemicals
(STEAM Field S):Using vinegar and salt to generate electricity and understand chemical reactions in batteries.
Make a space rocket (STEAM Fields S, E, M): Design, build, and test rockets to see which ones fly the highest and farthest.
Exploring the solar system (STEAM Field S): Explore planets through visual and interactive activities to understand their properties.
Static electricity balloon (STEAM Fields S, E): Explore static electricity properties by using a balloon and various materials.
Exploring electromagnetism with a DIY magnet (STEAM Field N): Create an electromagnet using wire and a battery, learning how electric currents generate magnetic fields.
Flexible geometry (STEAM Fields E, A, M): AExplore hands-on geometric properties using playdough and sticks to build and analyze shapes.
Mathematic mosaic (STEAM Field M): Create colorful mosaics to explore symmetry, patterns, and geometric relationships.
Find a meteorite (STEAM Field S): Search for micrometeorites in the schoolyard using magnets, learning about space dust, magnetism, and the origins of meteorites.
Meteorite impact on Earth (STEAM Field S): Simulate asteroid impacts using household materials to understand crater formation.
STEAM Tales Pedagogical guide: How to use storyteling to improve children´s learning process
This practical guide equips educators with inclusive storytelling techniques and implementation strategies to engage girls aged 6 to 9 in STEAM. Building on the project's introductory guide and accompanying the use of the role model stories and related lesson plans, it offers tools, tips and resources to challenge stereotypes and foster curiosity, critical thinking, confidence and engagement through narrative-based learning and hands-on experimentation. Designed to support primary school teachers, the guide includes storytelling and content creation tips, activity ideas, best practices and implementation methods to make STEAM subjects more relatable and inspiring.
As the final resource of the project, this guide will help you efficiently exploit our other results and create a learning environment where all learners can feel seen, capable, and encouraged to dream big and explore the world of STEAM!
The STEAM pedagogical lesson plans
Here you can find a collection of
12 downloadable booklets that we carefully selected and prepared to meet the needs of
teachers as well as pupils between the ages of 6 and 9.
Each booklet contains
two lesson plans that are connected to each of the role models that were introduced through
12 stories of inspiring women in STEAM.
The core of each lesson plan is an exciting hands-on experiment that children can perform themselves, but it is not just that; lesson plans are designed to guide teachers on how to engage and inspire pupils. They include sections on:
- how to introduce the lesson,
- how to perform and direct the experiment,
- how to explain the experiment, and
- how each experiment connects to the female role model.
Each lesson plan concludes with a scientific background section, aimed at supporting teachers in deepening their understanding of the activity.
Lesson plans: Domitila de Carvalho, Samatha Cristoforetti, Rose Dieng-Kuntz, Elvira Fortunato, Andreja Gomboc, Asta Hampe, Rita Levi-Montalcini, Zita Martins, Ana Mayer-Kansky, Maryam Mirzakhani, Emmy Noether, Ángela Piskernik.
The STEAM pedagogical lesson plans
Here you can find a collection of
12 downloadable booklets
that we carefully selected and prepared to meet the needs of
teachers
as well as
pupils between the ages of 6 and 9.
Each booklet contains
two lesson plans
that are connected to each of the role models that were introduced through
12 stories
of inspiring women in STEAM.
The core of each lesson plan is an exciting hands-on experiment that children can perform themselves, but it is not just that; lesson plans are designed to guide teachers on how to engage and inspire pupils. They include sections on:
- how to introduce the lesson,
- how to perform and direct the experiment,
- how to explain the experiment, and
- how each experiment connects to the female role model.
Each lesson plan concludes with a scientific background section, aimed at supporting teachers in deepening their understanding of the activity.
Here are our heroines:
Making slime (STEAM Fields S, A): Create slime using everyday ingredients, learning about chemical mixtures and measurements.
Solving dried markers (STEAM Field S): Compare the effectiveness of water and alcohol in reviving dried markers, exploring solvents and chemical properties.
Exploring geometry and architecture (STEAM Fields E, A, M): Build towers using spaghetti and clay, exploring geometric stability and architectural design.
Lung model (STEAM Fields S, E): Construct a working lung model to understand respiratory system functions.
Home-made microscope (STEAM Fields S, E): Build a simple microscope using household items to explore microscopic structures.
Five senses exploration kit
(STEAM Field S): Discover the five senses by collecting and analysing objects related to touch, smell, sight, and sound.
Why do stars twinkle (STEAM Field S): Simulate atmospheric conditions to explore why stars appear to twinkle in the night sky.
Visible light: rainbow & reverse rainbow (STEAM Fields S, E, A): Explore the nature of visible light through prisms and Newton's disk experiments.
Angular momentum with a gyroscope (STEAM Fields S, M ): Investigate gyroscopic motion and conservation of angular momentum using a spinning wheel.
Bernoulli principle (STEAM Fields S, E ): Discover how airflow affects objects, exploring the physics behind airplane wings.
Emotional recognition (STEAM Fields S, T, A): Explore how AI recognises emotions through facial expressions and human subjectivity in emotional interpretation.
The World Wide Web game (STEAM Field T): Learn how information is structured in a semantic web by connecting related concepts in an interactive way.
Cleaning an oil spill (STEAM Fields S, E): Experiment with different materials to clean oil from water, learning about environmental engineering.
How flowers absorb water
(STEAM Field S): Observe how plants absorb water through colored water experiments with flowers.
Fruit battery (STEAM Fields S, E): Learn how a lemon can generate electrical energy through a simple electrochemical reaction.
The power of chemicals
(STEAM Field S):Using vinegar and salt to generate electricity and understand chemical reactions in batteries.
Make a space rocket (STEAM Fields S, E, M): Design, build, and test rockets to see which ones fly the highest and farthest.
Exploring the solar system (STEAM Field S): Explore planets through visual and interactive activities to understand their properties.
Asta Hampe, German
Static electricity balloon (STEAM Fields S, E): Explore static electricity properties by using a balloon and various materials.
Building the electromagnet (STEAM Field S, E, M): Create an electromagnet using wire and a battery, learning how electric currents generate magnetic fields.
Flexible geometry (STEAM Fields E, A, M): Explore hands-on geometric properties using playdough and sticks to build and analyse shapes.
Mathematic mosaic (STEAM Field M): Create colourful mosaics to explore symmetry, patterns, and geometric relationships.
Find a meteorite (STEAM Field S): Search for micrometeorites in the schoolyard using magnets, learning about space dust, magnetism, and the origins of meteorites.
Meteorite impact on Earth (STEAM Field S): Simulate asteroid impacts using household materials to understand crater formation.
STEAM Tales Pedagogical guide: How to use storyteling to improve children´s learning process
This practical guide equips educators with inclusive storytelling techniques and implementation strategies to engage girls aged 6 to 9 in STEAM. Building on the project's introductory guide and accompanying the use of the role model stories and related lesson plans, it offers tools, tips and resources to challenge stereotypes and foster curiosity, critical thinking, confidence and engagement through narrative-based learning and hands-on experimentation. Designed to support primary school teachers, the guide includes storytelling and content creation tips, activity ideas, best practices and implementation methods to make STEAM subjects more relatable and inspiring.
As the final resource of the project, this guide will help you efficiently exploit our other results and create a learning environment where all learners can feel seen, capable, and encouraged to dream big and explore the world of STEAM!
STEAM Tales Pedagogical guide: How to use storyteling to improve children´s learning process
This practical guide equips educators with inclusive storytelling techniques and implementation strategies to engage girls aged 6 to 9 in STEAM. Building on the project's introductory guide and accompanying the use of the role model stories and related lesson plans, it offers tools, tips and resources to challenge stereotypes and foster curiosity, critical thinking, confidence and engagement through narrative-based learning and hands-on experimentation. Designed to support primary school teachers, the guide includes storytelling and content creation tips, activity ideas, best practices and implementation methods to make STEAM subjects more relatable and inspiring.
As the final resource of the project, this guide will help you efficiently exploit our other results and create a learning environment where all learners can feel seen, capable, and encouraged to dream big and explore the world of STEAM!
STEAM Tales Introductory Guide: Empowering girls through STEAM: cultivating curiosity and creating opportunities
The guide "Empowering girls through STEAM: cultivating curiosity and creating opportunities" " is an introductory resource focused on fostering curiosity and creating opportunities for girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM). It provides a comprehensive understanding of the STEAM approach and the use of storytelling in STEAM education, highlighting its importance and the benefits for girls. The guide delves into the barriers faced by girls in STEAM, both external and internal, and offers strategies for empowering educators, cultivating curiosity in girls through storytelling and hands-on learning for developing critical skills. Additionally, it outlines practical strategies for inclusive curriculum design, the role of parents and teachers, and promoting participation in STEAM activities to inspire and advocate for gender equality in these fields.
STEAM Tales Assessment Protocol to help teachers choose lesson plans
The STEAM Tales Assessment Protocol is a tool that supports teachers in selecting the most suitable story and lesson plan for their classroom by taking into account the curriculum, children's perceptions of gender stereotypes and their interest in STEM fields. To guide this choice, a table containing information about the female STEAM role models has been created. This includes the role models' names, years of birth (and death, if applicable), nationalities, time periods, STEM fields and specific disciplines, as well as the topics covered by the lesson plans. Finally, the name of the story and the lesson plan are presented.
A questionnaire is also available to evaluate children’s perceptions of gender representation in STEAM fields, their implicit or explicit associations between gender and different skills, and their knowledge of and interest in STEAM. This will help teachers explore children's perceptions of gender and STEAM in their classroom and choose a suitable lesson plan based on this information.
comming soon
12 stories of inspiring women in STEAM
Here you can find a collection of 12 biographical stories of amazing and inspiring women who have worked or are working in the STEMfield. Stories are based on biographical facts that are arranged following Joseph Campbell’s monomythic model of storytelling. Special attention has been paid tomaking sure that the stories are engaging and relatable for the target audience, which is children, especially girls between 6 and 9 years. The stories follow women from their young age to successful careers with all obstacles and successes along the way and are accompanied by inviting designs and illustrations. We included women from different countries, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds.
The STEAM pedagogical lesson plans
Here you can find a collection of
12 downloadable booklets
that we carefully selected and prepared to meet the needs of
teachers
as well as
pupils between the ages of 6 and 9.
Each booklet contains
two lesson plans
that are connected to each of the role models that were introduced through
12 stories
of inspiring women in STEAM.
The core of each lesson plan is an exciting hands-on experiment that children can perform themselves, but it is not just that; lesson plans are designed to guide teachers on how to engage and inspire pupils. They include sections on:
- how to introduce the lesson,
- how to perform and direct the experiment,
- how to explain the experiment, and
- how each experiment connects to the female role model.
Each lesson plan concludes with a scientific background section, aimed at supporting teachers in deepening their understanding of the activity.
Here are our heroines:
Making slime (STEAM Fields S, A): Create slime using everyday ingredients, learning about chemical mixtures and measurements.
Solving dried markers
(STEAM Field
S): Compare the effectiveness of water and alcohol in reviving dried markers, exploring solvents and chemical properties.
Why do stars twinkle (STEAM Field S):Simulate atmospheric conditions to explore why stars appear to twinkle in the night sky.
Visible light: rainbow & reverse rainbow (STEAM Fields S, E, A): Explore the nature of visible light through prisms and Newton's disk experiments.
Cleaning an oil spill (STEAM Fields S, E): Experiment with different materials to clean oil from water, learning about environmental engineering.
How flowers absorb water
(STEAM Field S): Observe how plants absorb water through colored water experiments with flowers.
Asta Hampe, German
Static electricity balloon (STEAM Fields S, E): Explore static electricity properties by using a balloon and various materials.
Building the electromagnet
(STEAM Field S, E, M): Create an electromagnet using wire and a battery, learning how electric currents generate magnetic fields.
Exploring geometry and architecture (STEAM Fields E, A, M): Build towers using spaghetti and clay, exploring geometric stability and architectural design.
Lung model
(STEAM Fields S, E): Construct a working lung model to understand respiratory system functions.
Angular momentum with a gyroscope (STEAM Fields S, M): Investigate gyroscopic motion and conservation of angular momentum using a spinning wheel.
Bernoulli principle (STEAM Fields S, E): Discover how airflow affects objects, exploring the physics behind airplane wings.
Fruit battery (STEAM Fields S, E): Learn how a lemon can generate electrical energy through a simple electrochemical reaction.
The power of chemicals
(STEAM Field S):Using vinegar and salt to generate electricity and understand chemical reactions in batteries.
Flexible geometry (STEAM Fields E, A, M): Explore hands-on geometric properties using playdough and sticks to build and analyse shapes.
Mathematic mosaic
(STEAM Field M): Create colourful mosaics to explore symmetry, patterns, and geometric relationships.
Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian
Home-made microscope (STEAM Fields S, E): Build a simple microscope using household items to explore microscopic structures.
Five senses exploration kit
(STEAM Field S): Discover the five senses by collecting and analysing objects related to touch, smell, sight, and sound.
Emotional recognition (STEAM Fields S, T, A): Explore how AI recognises emotions through facial expressions and human subjectivity in emotional interpretation.
The World Wide Web game (STEAM Field T): Learn how information is structured in a semantic web by connecting related concepts in an interactive way.
Make a space rocket (STEAM Fields S, E, M): Design, build, and test rockets to see which ones fly the highest and farthest.
Exploring the solar system (STEAM Field S): Explore planets through visual and interactive activities to understand their properties.
Find a meteorite (STEAM Field S): Search for micrometeorites in the schoolyard using magnets, learning about space dust, magnetism, and the origins of meteorites.
Meteorite impact on Earth (STEAM Field S): Simulate asteroid impacts using household materials to understand crater formation.
STEAM Tales Pedagogical guide: How to use storyteling to improve children´s learning process
This practical guide equips educators with inclusive storytelling techniques and implementation strategies to engage girls aged 6 to 9 in STEAM. Building on the project's introductory guide and accompanying the use of the role model stories and related lesson plans, it offers tools, tips and resources to challenge stereotypes and foster curiosity, critical thinking, confidence and engagement through narrative-based learning and hands-on experimentation. Designed to support primary school teachers, the guide includes storytelling and content creation tips, activity ideas, best practices and implementation methods to make STEAM subjects more relatable and inspiring.
As the final resource of the project, this guide will help you efficiently exploit our other results and create a learning environment where all learners can feel seen, capable, and encouraged to dream big and explore the world of STEAM!
