Teacher assisting student in class

Teachers

Career Girls makes it easy to integrate access to role models for girls into everyday classroom experiences. Career Girls is a no-cost, high-quality platform that introduces girls to hundreds of inspiring role models and their careers. The Career Girls website is ad-free, keeping the focus on connecting girls with role models who can help them realize their potential, aim high, and discover their own path to empowerment.

With more than 600 role models working in hundreds of different careers, you may be wondering where to begin. There is lots to explore, and no one right way to use Career Girls. But a great place to start is with the Empowerment Lessons.

Teaching With the Empowerment Lessons

Career Girls has developed a special series of videos and educational resources called Empowerment Lessons. They are designed to support teachers in integrating lessons that encourage college and career readiness. Career-Based Empowerment Lessons are centered around career exploration, and Skill-Based Empowerment Lessons focus on key topics such as teamwork, confidence, communication, leadership, financial literacy, and the importance of integrity.

Each lesson centers around a short video clip that features real-world role models who share straight-to-the-point career insights and advice, making the lessons an ideal jumping-off point for meaningful and lasting learning experiences. These videos are paired with ready-to-use educational resources that build on essential concepts.

Empowerment Lessons are easy to use with the whole class, small groups, and individual students. To get started, just follow a few simple steps:

  1. Choose an Empowerment Lesson. Each Career Girls Empowerment Lesson video is about two minutes and focuses on a different topic. Review the video descriptions (or preview the videos). You can use the Empowerment Lessons in any order that best meets your students' needs.
  2. Download the Corresponding Resources. Each Empowerment Lesson has a corresponding Classroom Lesson Plan (see example), Independent Learning Guide (see example), and Fun Page Activity (see example).
  3. View the Video with Students. Use the Classroom Lesson Plan to introduce the video and guide a "before, during, and after" learning experience with students. Or, use the Independent Learning Guide for students who are working independently. (Note that this guide also works well to jumpstart lively discussions about the lesson topic with small groups or the whole class.) Have students complete the Fun Page Activity to connect what they're learning to their own lives.

For additional motivation use the "Positively Empowered!" Certificate. Pre-fill the printable Certificate with 10 Empowerment topics you'll be teaching, then print a copy for each student. Students can use the certificate to track their progress. You might plan a simple ceremony to award the certificates upon completion.

Teaching With the Career Exploration Tools

Along with ready-to-use Empowerment Lessons, Career Girls offers built-in career exploration tools to engage students in exploring careers, imagining the possibilities, and taking important steps to plan for their futures.

The free Career Quiz is a fun place to start. This quick and easy quiz helps girls discover careers that may be a match for their skills and interests, with links to role models who can help them learn more. Girls who are natural problem-solvers, for example, can meet Makeda Keegan, an IT Systems Manager. Makeda encourages girls not to be afraid of software and coding. More important than being good at math, she explains, is being "curious, enthusiastic, and thorough."

Your students can also explore by Career Clusters, such as STEM, Health Sciences, and Finance. Or, they can jump right into an A to Z tour of Careers and the Role Models who work in them — from an Accountant to a Zoologist.

College Majors are a great place to explore which courses might be required for degrees like Forensic Science, Film and Media, or Electrical Engineering. Each major is linked to related careers and each career is also linked back to related college majors.

Make sure your students are aware of our Student Resources. The printable resources promote independence, giving students tools they can use to set career exploration goals, examine careers more closely, and track their progress.

Use Our Teacher Resources

Use the Resources module below to find these additional teacher resources:

Resources

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  • career connections certificate

    Career Connections Certificate

    Explore 10 different careers to complete this certificate. Decorate a star for each career area you explore.

    Keywords: printable, printables, certificates
    (37.63 KB, pdf)
  • Career Exploration 101 icon

    Career Exploration 101 – Classroom Lesson Plan

    This guide facilitates whole-class and small-group learning with the Career Exploration 101 Empowerment Video. Keywords: classroom lesson plans, videos, career-based, career based, CLP, explore
    (264.23 KB, pdf)
  • Explore Careers 101 FPA icon

    Career Exploration 101 – Fun Page Activity

    Use this activity page with students in conjunction with the Career Exploration 101 Empowerment Video. Keywords: fun page activities, FPA, videos, career-based, career based, explore, careers
    (25.11 KB, pdf)
  • Explore Careers 101 ILG icon

    Career Exploration 101 – Independent Learning Guide

    This guide is designed to support quick start discussion-based group learning and students who are independently exploring the Career Exploration 101 Empowerment Video. Keywords: independent learning guides, ILG, videos, career-based, career based, explore
    (203.64 KB, pdf)
  • Career exploration certificate of completion

    Career Exploration Certificate of Completion

    Decorate a star for each career area you explore. This certificate is useful for Empowerment Workshops and other programs.

    Keywords: printable, printables, certificates
    (37.87 KB, pdf)
  • Career Exploration Record

    Career Exploration Record

    Setting college and career goals can motivate students to improve their academic performance. Make copies of this record sheet and have students keep track of career videos they view as well as an overview of each career. This visual record will remind students of the active role they…

    (12.08 KB, pdf)
  • Career Girls Journal - Careers

    Career Girls Journal: Careers I’m Exploring

    Use this activity page and the questions that follow to examine careers more closely and build connections. What are the important things to know about this career? What questions do I have about this career? What steps can I take to prepare for a career in ____________? Is this the…
    (24.74 KB, pdf)
  • College Majors Journal

    Career Girls Journal: College Majors I’m Exploring

    Use this activity page and the questions that follow to examine college majors more closely and build connections. What are the important things to know about this college major? What questions do I have about this college major? What steps can I take to prepare for this college major? Is…
    (25.13 KB, pdf)
  • Career Girls Journal Colleges

    Career Girls Journal: Colleges I’m Exploring

    Use this activity page and the questions that follow to examine colleges more closely and build connections. What are the important things to know about this college? What questions do I have about this college? What steps can I take to prepare for this college? Is this the college for…
    (25.13 KB, pdf)
  • Career Tracker

    Career Tracker

    This chart helps keep track of careers explored. (Print multiple copies of this page.)

    Keywords: printable, printables
    (19.28 KB, pdf)
  • Career tracker for Empowerment Workshops

    Career Tracker – For Empowerment Workshops

    Use this record sheet to keep track of each career explored. This version of the Career Tracker is useful for Empowerment Workshops and other programs where students are asked to explore a minimum number of careers in order to earn a completion certificate.

    Keywords: printable, printables, certificates
    (16.51 KB, pdf)
  • Career Words Comics 1

    Career Words Comics 1

    This comic strip format builds word-picture associations to support students’ acquisition of key vocabulary. The fun, accessible format combines dialogue and context to actively reinforce vocabulary students encounter in the videos and in the corresponding classroom lessons.

    Keywords: printable, printables, comic strip
    (18.02 KB, pdf)
  • Career Words Comics

    Career Words Comics 2

    This comic strip format builds word-picture associations to support students’ acquisition of key vocabulary. The fun, accessible format combines dialogue and context to actively reinforce vocabulary students encounter in the videos and in the corresponding classroom lessons.

    Keywords: printable, printables, comic strip
    (17.54 KB, pdf)

  • Choose Your Road

    Yvonne Spicer, Museum Educator VP: Choose your road and walk it with pride. Download and print this free motivational 8" x 8" 300 dpi mini-poster. Keywords: inspiration
    (2.23 MB, pdf)
  • Friends CLP icon

    Choosing Friends – Classroom Lesson Plan

    This guide facilitates whole-class and small-group learning with the Choosing Friends Empowerment Video. Keywords: classroom lesson plans, CLP, videos, soft skills, skill-based, skill based, friend, friendship, choose
    (300.76 KB, pdf)
  • Friends FPA icon

    Choosing Friends – Fun Page Activity

    Use this activity page with students in conjunction with the Choosing Friends Empowerment Video. Keywords: fun page activities, FPA, videos, soft skills, skill-based, skill based, friendship
    (22.42 KB, pdf)
  • Friends ILG icon

    Choosing Friends – Independent Learning Guide

    This guide is designed to support quick start discussion-based group learning and students who are independently exploring the Choosing Friends Empowerment Video. Keywords: independent learning guides, ILG, videos, soft skills, skill-based, skill based, friend, friendship, friendships
    (331.56 KB, pdf)
  • Friends 2 CLP icon

    Choosing the Right Friends – Classroom Lesson Plan

    This guide facilitates whole-class and small-group learning with the Choosing the Right Friends Empowerment Video. Keywords: classroom lesson plans, CLP, videos, soft skills, skill-based, skill based, choosing, friends, friendship
    (258.24 KB, pdf)
  • Friends 2 FPA icon

    Choosing the Right Friends – Fun Page Activity

    Use this activity page with students in conjunction with the Choosing the Right Friends Empowerment Video. Keywords: fun page activities, FPA, videos, soft skills, skill-based, skill based, leadership
    (27.12 KB, pdf)
  • Friends 2 ILG icon

    Choosing the Right Friends – Independent Learning Guide

    This guide is designed to support quick start discussion-based group learning and students who are independently exploring the Choosing the Right Friends Empowerment Video. Keywords: independent learning guides, ILG, videos, soft skills, skill-based, skill based, choosing, friends, friendship
    (221.69 KB, pdf)

We know that one of your many goals as an educator is to guide students on the path to a successful future. In support of this, research shows that women role models have a powerful and positive impact on girls, including their attitudes toward STEM fields. Wondering how to fit one more thing into a busy day? Career Girls can help.