This lesson is designed for the girls in your class. No boys allowed! It features helping girls learn about and consider careers in IT and engineering.

The lesson will take about two 50-minute class periods.

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• To introduce information on technology-related careers
• To encourage girls to consider careers in technology
• To encourage girls to take courses that will prepare them for careers in math, science, and technology

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The lesson covers many of the International Society for Technology in Education Standards. ISTE Standards and Performance Indicators includes a list of standards addressed and related Performance Indicators.

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Your students should complete the Penny's Search game and lesson and the Career Capture game before you begin this lesson.

They will need to be able to go online to find information about IT and engineering careers. The lesson works best with students working individually, but if there aren't enough computers, you might have your students work in groups.

Much of the lesson, including the Sounds Like Me ( DOC - 13KB) activity, the Career Path ( DOC - 33KB), and the Penny Web Links can be done using computers rather than printing the activities. If you don't have the resources to use computers, all of the activities except Penny's Web Links may be completed in print format.

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Review with your students the careers they learned about in the Penny's Search and Career Capture games. Ask them how these careers relate to use of technology.

Discuss with them their visions of their futures. Which careers do they think would be interesting and appropriate for them? Ask if they've thought about their skills, interests, and talents and how these might help them decide upon and succeed in a career.

Introduce IT and engineering careers by asking them what they think information technology specialists and engineers actually do. Have them write their ideas on a chalkboard, whiteboard, or poster board, or perhaps enter them into a computer and project them on the classroom wall or screen. Ask about fields of interest they think would employ engineers and IT specialists. Would they be found in fields such as architecture, medicine, and music, for example? Let them brainstorm ideas.

Explain that today they are going to consider a career path to their future and that you'll give them the materials to help them along the path. Tell them that they should work individually on their path. Remind them of your timeframe for the lesson. For example, you might have them complete most of the work during this period, but let them know that you'll give them part of the next day's period to make the finishing touches on their projects and to prepare for a career path discussion.

Direct the students to the Career Path ( DOC - 33KB) document. Instruct them to follow it carefully and to type their answers into the document. To complete the activity, they'll need to link to the documents Sounds Like Me ( DOC - 13KB) and Penny Web Links.

Let the girls work on their own using the computer for assistance as they complete their career paths. Be there to help and provide guidance as needed, especially to any girls who don't think they could possibly find careers that interest them in these fields.

When your students have completed their Career Path projects, bring them together to have a discussion about their findings. Here are a few questions to help you with the discussion:

1. What do engineers and IT specialists do?
2. What qualities do engineers and IT specialist need? Do you have any of these qualities?
3. Why are these people found in so many different career fields?
4. What engineer and IT careers did you find that were of interest to you?
5. If you were an engineer or IT specialist, what types of problems would you like to solve?
6. What are the advantages of going into a career in engineering and IT?
7. If you'd like to consider a career in engineering or IT, what should you do to prepare yourself for your future?
8. Even if you're not interested in a future in IT or engineering, how will you use technology in your career choice?

Instruct the girls to e-mail you their Career Path documents.

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If you have time, you might want to try some of the following activities:

1. Have your girls create a newsletter featuring the information they learned in this lesson. The newsletter could be distributed to other girls in the community or school.
2. Let your girls modify the Sounds Like Me quiz so that it will be appropriate for younger girls. Then have them try it out with some of the younger students in your school.
3. Invite a woman in your community who works in engineering or IT to visit with your girls and describe her career.
4. Ask your girls to write an essay titled, "My Future".
5. Sometimes girls see engineering and IT as careers only for boys and nerds. Ask your girls to think of ways to change the perception of these careers. After all, shouldn't girls look to careers that are exciting and pay well, too? Have them create slideshows, posters, or other products that are designed to encourage girls to consider careers in engineering and IT.
6. Plan a live, online conference with a woman who is an engineer or who works in IT.
7. Divide your girls into groups and have each group work together to help plan the career future of each group member. What path will need to be followed to that future career? Your girls will have a great time in this career-planning effort.
8. Have your girls create a teen magazine advertisement that encourages girls to consider Cool Careers. When the ads are complete, send them to your local newspapers and also to several teen magazines.

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Great Links for Girls:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics Career Information
  Provides career information for students, based on their interests
• CyberCareers for the Net Generation: Girls' Site
  Site dedicated to building young women’s awareness of careers in the computer industry.
• National Academy of Engineering: Engineer Girl
  Features fun facts, great engineering achievements, and profiles of female engineers
• Get Tech
  Fun multimedia site that helps students plan for a career in technology
• GirlGeeks
  Online community that provides career, training, and mentoring resources for women and girls in technology
• Girl Scouts: Girls Go Tech
  Engaging activities that teach girls about careers in math, science, and technology
• Girl Power: Cool Science and Technology Jobs
  Information about interesting career opportunities for girls
• Girlstart: Smart from the start!
  Math, science, games, and more for girls only
• Kidz Online: Streaming Futures
  Online video interviews with career professionals from different industries, including IT professionals

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Evaluation of work on this lesson is probably best done by watching the girls as they work on their career paths. Although they will e-mail their career path assignment to you, there are no right or wrong answers here. You should check to see if they've taken the assignment seriously and completed the work as expected.

It's okay if they claim not to be interested in engineering and IT careers. The goal of the lesson and the game is to acquaint them with possibilities for their future and how technology might be used in their careers.

You can also assess student knowledge through the discussion at the end of the lesson, and if you wish, instead of the discussion, you can use some or all of the questions to make up an essay test.

If you have the girls complete any of the additional activities that include the creation of a product, these might also be used for evaluation. Here are some sample criteria for evaluation of each product:

• Features information on IT and engineering careers
• Demonstrates student understanding of IT and engineering careers
• Follows the guidelines specified by you
• Shows evidence of adequate planning, creation, and editing
• Shows evidence of creative thinking
• Demonstrates that the student or group understands that IT and engineering can be valuable career choices for girls.

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