How To Celebrate Women’s History Month in Science Classes

Women’s History Month is a great time to connect science learning to the real world, especially when students can see women actively shaping STEM today. 

By creating lessons on current events and living scientists, you help students understand that science isn’t just historical, but it’s ongoing, relevant, and inclusive. Our Newsela STEM resources make it easier to build background knowledge, spark discussion, and anchor science in authentic contexts.

Jump to:

• How to celebrate Women’s History Month in science and STEM classes
• Explore women’s contributions across science and STEM fields
• Connect women in STEM to real-world impact and student inspiration

[How to celebrate Women’s History Month in science and STEM classes](id-how)

Key takeaways:

• Highlight current women scientists to help students see STEM careers as relevant and attainable today.
• Use real-world science stories to support content understanding, literacy development, and classroom discussion.
• Newsela STEM resources make it easy to integrate current events into science instruction while building background knowledge and engagement.

Women are leading groundbreaking research, solving global problems, and using science to improve lives right now. When you highlight women scientists making the news, you reinforce that STEM careers are accessible, evolving, and deeply connected to issues students care about.

How are women scientists shaping STEM today?

Show students how women are changing the face of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through current events and real-world problem solving:

• Learn how one teenager used her voice to help people worldwide receive music therapy.
• See how a California teenager embraces her passion for the outdoors and climate change by studying the world’s melting glaciers.
• Read about Sri Lankan marine biologist Asha de Vos and her tips for how students can help save the ocean.

[Explore women’s contributions across science and STEM fields](id-explore)

Key takeaways:

• Teaching about women’s contributions across multiple STEM fields helps students understand the breadth and impact of scientific work.
• Explore both historical pioneers and modern innovators to support deeper connections between science content and real-world applications.
• Integrate representation, background knowledge, and literacy skills into science instruction with Newsela STEM.

Women’s History Month is also an opportunity to help you expand students’ understanding of how science has evolved across disciplines. By exploring women’s contributions in space science, computer science, and other STEM fields, you can help them recognize patterns of innovation, perseverance, and representation.

How are women changing the field of computer science today?

Computer science is one of the fastest-growing STEM fields, and women are actively reshaping it. Exploring women’s computer science stories allows you to address equity and representation while helping students understand how access influences who participates in STEM careers.

Help students learn how the STEM fields are becoming more inclusive for women by exploring articles on topics like:

• How the Battle Born Girls Innovate program promotes esports careers for women.
• How the University of Washington increased the number of women computer science graduates.
• How expanding AP computer science classes at one school helped attract more girls to the subject.

Who are the women exploring space and advancing our understanding of the universe?

From early space programs to modern research on human health in orbit, women have played key roles in expanding our knowledge of space. Teaching these stories helps students understand that space exploration depends on diverse expertise, from engineering and biology to design and problem-solving.

Help students learn about the women braving the final frontier with articles on topics like:

• The history of women at NASA.
• Scientist Lindsay Rizzardi’s research on the long-term effects of space travel on twins.
• How women redesigned NASA’s space suits to make them more inclusive.

Which scientific fields did women shape with their discoveries and leadership?

Women have made foundational contributions across nearly every scientific discipline. Teaching about these pioneers helps students connect modern science to its historical roots. It also reinforces the importance of persistence and inquiry. Some leaders students can meet include:

• Marie Curie, who discovered radium and polonium.
• Maria Mitchell, the first professional woman astronomer in the United States.
• Rosalind Franklin, a DNA researcher.
• Lise Meitner, who helped discover nuclear fission.
• Grace Murray Hopper, a computer scientist who invented the world’s first compiler.

[Connect women in STEM to real-world impact and student inspiration](id-real)

Key takeaways:

• Connect women in STEM to real-world challenges to help students see science as active, applied, and meaningful.
• Provide diverse formats, such as articles, text sets, and videos, to support differentiation and student engagement.
• Newsela STEM resources make it easier to reinforce scientific literacy and inquiry skills.

As you plan how to celebrate Women’s History Month in your science and STEM classes, it’s especially powerful to help students see how scientific knowledge leads to real-world action. When students explore environmental problem-solving and contemporary research, they can understand how STEM connects to their own lives and communities.

How are women scientists working to protect the environment?

Women scientists are addressing some of today’s biggest environmental challenges. Teaching these stories helps students see how scientific practice translates into tangible outcomes. 

To drive these points home, explore resources like:

• A text set with a collection of articles and activities showcasing a day in a glaciologist's life.
• An article about a 10-year-old girl dedicated to cleaning up beaches.
• An article about an 11-year-old student working to improve water testing methods.

Where can students find more articles about women in STEM fields?

Do your students want to learn even more about the ways women are influencing science today? Share current events articles on topics like:

• The early mRNA research that led to COVID-19 vaccines and how it won the Nobel Prize in medicine.
• A plant biologist who turned to TikTok to demonstrate science in action to young people.
• An inclusive coloring book highlighting scientists of all genders, races, and backgrounds.

What can students learn by watching women scientists in action?

Videos provide a way for students to observe how scientists think, work, and collaborate. Seeing women scientists in action helps students humanize STEM careers while reinforcing key concepts through visual storytelling. You can show your students videos of the life and work of some of science’s most influential women, like:

• Environmentalists Rachel Carson and Wangari Maathai.
• Physicist Chien-Shiung Wu.
• Marine educator Symone Barkley.

Go further with your Women’s History Month lessons

We hope these resources make it easier to help you develop relevant, engaging Women’s History Month lessons in your science and STEM classes this March. 

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