Between juggling lesson plans, grading, and figuring out how yet another lab report ended up covered in mystery goo, finding time to find women in science activities to celebrate Women’s History Month might feel like just another task on your never-ending to-do list. But here’s the thing—women in science have been changing the world for centuries, even when history conveniently forgot to give them credit. This Women’s History Month, bring their stories to life with these women in science activities that get students researching, thinking critically, and realizing that, yes, women have always been rocking the science world—lab coats and all.
Research Meets Creativity: Women in Science Activities
One of the best ways to honor female scientists in the classroom is through hands-on research and creative projects. My Women in Science Graphic Organizers are a fantastic way for students to explore the lives and work of twelve remarkable female scientists while engaging in an interactive research and coloring activity.
How These Women in Science Activities Work:
Students will research a women in science figure and complete a structured graphic organizer style worksheet that includes:
✔ Birth date and place of birth
✔ Type of scientist
✔ Famous quote
✔ Major contributions to science
✔ Fun facts
✔ Why they admire the scientist
✔ Draw and color something related to the scientist
✔ Decorate the page with science-themed illustrations
Once students complete their research, these visually engaging worksheets make great Women’s History Month bulletin board displays, showcasing the women in science activities in an exciting and educational way.
Featured Scientists in the Activity:
- Rosalind Franklin (Pioneer of DNA structure discovery)
- Rachel Carson (Silent Spring and environmental science)
- Shirley Ann Jackson (Innovations in physics and telecommunications)
- Katherine Johnson (NASA mathematician and space race contributor)
- Hedy Lamarr (Inventor of early wireless communication technology)
- Sau Lan Wu (Particle physicist known for Higgs boson research)
- Vera Rubin (Dark matter researcher)
- Marie Curie (First woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry)
- Ada Lovelace (Founder of computer programming concepts)
- Lise Meitner (Co-discoverer of nuclear fission)
- Hypatia (Mathematician and astronomer from ancient times)
- Wang Zhenyi (Chinese astronomer and mathematician)
- Blank Template (For students to research their own female scientist)
Ways to Use These Women in Science Activities in the Classroom:
- Assign each student a different scientist to research.
- Allow students to choose their own scientist from history.
- Have the entire class work together on the same scientist for a collaborative project.
These women in science activities are perfect for Women’s History Month, back-to-school lessons, and even as emergency sub-plans for substitute teachers!
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Women in Science Activities
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Additional Women in Science Activities for the Classroom
If you’re looking to expand beyond the graphic organizer activity, here are other women in science activities to engage your students:
1. Women in Science Research
Guide students through online research to explore the achievements of female scientists. These websites are great reference sites for the women in science activities listed above.
2. Women in Science Video Resources
Incorporate educational videos such as:
- TED-Ed’s “The Genius of Marie Curie”
- Ted-Ed’s “Rosalind Franklin: DNA’s unsung hero” This Rosalind Franklin reading comprehension activity is perfect to use after viewing this amazing video.
These videos make great discussion starters about the role of women in science throughout history. You could always go with my favorite movie Hidden Figures. Here is a free Hidden Figures movie activity from Ward’s World Science.
3. Women in STEM Classroom Discussions
Engage students with thought-provoking questions:
- Why have women in science faced challenges in the past?
- How has female representation in STEM fields changed over time?
- What contributions by women in science have had the biggest impact on the world?
Here is a great website by Girls Who Code to get you started with some free STEM and coding activities for women in STEM.
4. Hands-On STEM Activities Inspired by Female Scientists
Bring science to life by recreating famous experiments inspired by women in STEM:
- Marie Curie → Explore radiation and fluorescence with safe classroom demos.
- Rachel Carson → Conduct a biomagnification lab.
- Ada Lovelace → Introduce coding concepts with fun logic puzzles.
Celebrate Women in Science in Your Classroom!
Highlighting the achievements of women in science is an engaging way to celebrate Women’s History Month while encouraging students to explore the impact of female scientists. Whether through research projects, bulletin board displays, STEM experiments, or discussions, these women in science activities will help your students recognize and appreciate the vital role of women in science throughout history.
Which female scientist inspires you the most? Share in the comments below!
