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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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.

Introduce IT and engineering careers by asking them what they think Information Technology specialists and engineers actually do. Have them write their ideas on the chalkboard, whiteboard, or poster board, or perhaps type them into a computer and project them on the classroom wall or screen. Ask them what 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 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 on their path 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 path and to prepare for a career path discussion.

Have them go to the Career Path ( DOC - 47KB) 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 - 23KB) and Penny's Web Links.

Let the girls work on their own using the computer as their assistant as they complete their career path. Be there to help and give guidance as needed, especially to any girls who don't think they could possibly find a career that interests them in these fields.

When your girls have completed their Career Path, bring them together to have a discussion about their findings. Here are a few questions that might 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. What engineer and IT careers did you find that were of interest to you?
4. If you were an engineer or IT specialist, what type of problems would you like to solve?
5. What are the advantages of going into a career in engineering and IT?
6. If you'd like to consider a career in engineering or IT, what should you do to prepare yourself for your future?

Have your girls email you their Career Path documents.

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If you have time, you might want to try some of these:

1. Have your girls create a poster featuring the information they learned in this lesson.
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 talk to them about 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 some other product that is designed to encourage girls to consider engineer and IT as careers.

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• Bureau of Labor Statistics Career Information
  Provides career information for young students, organized as "Jobs for kids who like..."
• Engineer Girl
  Features fun facts, great engineering achievements, & profiles of female engineers
• Get Tech
  Nice site that promotes tech careers
• GirlGeeks
  Career, training, and mentoring community for women and girls in technology
• Girls Go Tech
  Information on girls and technologies.
• Girl Power—Cool Tech Jobs
  Interesting career opportunities for girls.
• Girlstart—Smart from the start!
  A fun site for girls interested in math, science, engineering, and technology
• Girl Scouts: Girls Go Tech
  Provides career information in math, science, and technology, highlighting the diverse opportunities
• My Future
  Provides career information

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Evaluation of work on this lesson is probably best done by watching the girls as they work on their career path. Although they will email 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 acquaint to 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 the products:

• Product features information on IT and engineering careers.
• Product demonstrates student understanding of IT and engineering careers.
• Product follows the guidelines specified by you.
• Product shows evidence of adequate planning, creation, and editing.
• Product shows evidence of creative thinking.
• Product demonstrates that the student or student group understand that IT and engineering can be possible and valuable career choices for girls.

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