Bring a Museum Educator into your classroom and offer your students a glimpse into how museums bring history to life. The National Women’s History Museum is offering free 30 minute electronic field trips for 4th through 11th grade classes and extracurricular groups on a variety of topics this fall. Sign up at the bottom of the page. 

Standing Up for Change: African American Women and the Civil Rights Movement

In the 20th century, African American women formed the backbone of the modern Civil Rights Movement. They were the critical mass, the grassroots leaders challenging America to embrace justice and equality for all. This program discusses women’s critical roles in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Little Rock’s Central High School integration, and the little-known women behind the scenes of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Join us to explore the Civil Rights Movement through the perspectives of its women leaders.

Taking a Stand: Woman Suffrage and Protest at the White House

Though the woman suffrage movement started in 1848, by the early 20^th century women had yet to achieve the vote nationally. A group of women, adopting radical tactics from their British counterparts, brought their protests to Washington, DC and the White House fence. Learn how Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) drew public attention to their cause and became a model for peaceful public protest.

Women Pioneers of Computer Programming

In 1943 the US Army hired six women mathematicians to set up and operate the Army’s newest top secret weapon in World War II. The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was the first electronic, digital computer. These unsung heroes figured out how to wire the electrical connections that enabled ENIAC to complete 300 multiplications per second. This field trip incorporates math and science content including electronic circuits and geometry.

Katherine Johnson and the Mathematics of the Space Race (available Spring 2018)

Getting astronauts to space and back involves more than rockets and hardware. During America’s space race in the 1950s and 60s, mathematicians performed calculations that determined the geometry for space orbit. Women “computers”, including National Women’s History Museum’s Women Making History honoree Katherine Johnson, were integral members of NASA’s teams. Join us to learn the mathematical concepts behind space orbit and the women who sent America’s astronauts into space.

Building it Better: Women and Engineering (available Spring 2018)

Engineers design, build, or maintain engines, machines, or public works. They are problem solvers at heart. Join us to learn about women engineers whose contributions have improved modern life. In addition to profiling historic women in engineering, the field trip will cover simple machines and include engineering problems students can solve with materials available in the classroom.

Women and the History of Science (available Spring 2018)

Women’s contributions to scientific fields are impressive, though not generally well known. Women’s work in many disciplines from physics, to chemistry, to biology have been critically important to advancing our system of knowledge as well as benefiting the lives of everyday people. Join us to learn about women scientists and explore their experiments with your class.