GSEM Gold Award Project Catalog

Agriculture in the Classroom

Gold Award Girl Scout: Scarlett G., Troop 2624

Issue: Students in urban areas are not educated on agriculture in lower elementary grade classrooms. Root Cause: Teachers do not have resources they can use to teach students about agriculture. Measurability: Surveys and feedback collected from turn-and-talks were Scarlett’s way of obtaining feedback. Sustainability: Mrs. Noelle, the STEM teacher, has agreed to continue the unit through the years she is teaching. Issue: There was a lack of role models for girls in the STEM field. Root Cause: Industries related to STEM are primarily viewed as being male dominated. Measurability: Olivia used a survey to see if the girls’ opinions of STEM changed, as well as a challenge course to see if their STEM abilities improved. Sustainability: Volunteers from the event will continue to share STEM ideas with young girls in the community.

Project Details: Scarlett’s Gold Award project provided much-needed opportunities for elementary school students in urban areas to learn more about agriculture. She created three lesson units for first grade elementary school teachers to use with their students, helping them discover more about the world of agriculture and where their food comes from. Scarlett presented the units to students at Nance Elementary School. During her lessons, she covered topics such as different types of farms, agriculture vocabulary and various livestock found on farms. She made her project accessible on a website she created, complete with slides and lesson plans for teachers to follow.

Getting Girls Involved in STEM

Gold Award Girl Scout: Olivia J., Troop 3523

Project Details: After recognizing the need to introduce girls to STEM at a young age, Olivia organized an all-girl STEM event to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Olivia led a team of volunteers to instruct 60 elementary school girls as they built and designed a series of boats, met with local female engineers, and learned about different robotics programs. Each attendee received an engineering notebook to continue working on their boat designs. Olivia worked with the Kirkwood School District Foundation to receive a grant to purchase event supplies still needed after collecting donations from her church.