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Regina Marcia Benjamin was born in Mobile, Alabama on October 26, 1956. She grew up in rural Alabama, where poverty was the norm. After her parents divorced, her mother worked as a waitress and a maid to support the family, and Benjamin has said she never saw an African American doctor growing up.

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Mildred Zaharias, former Babe Didrikson, of Los Angeles, who is credited with hitting a golf ball farther than any other woman golfer, on the links at Milwaukee as she won her semi-final match in the Women's Western Golf Tournament. She'll meet Mrs. Russell Mann of this city in the final match. First female sports star

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Mildred Zaharias, former Babe Didrikson, of Los Angeles, who is credited with hitting a golf ball farther than any other woman golfer, on the links at Milwaukee as she won her semi-final match in the Women's Western Golf Tournament. She'll meet Mrs. Russell Mann of this city in the final match. First female sports star

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If you defend human rights, you defend women’s’ rights.

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Across the globe, many women and girls still face discrimination because of their sex and gender.

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Harriet tubman was important she save slaves from her home town and she made the underground rolled, and other women order their man what to do and they can be fear they are the most important in the human life's

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Resources to look at:

American Experience:  “She Resisted”

Explore Where Women Made History

Smithsonian Learning Lab

Library of Congress Virtual Exhibit:  Women Fight for the Vote

Internet Scavenger Hunt

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In 1981, Congress established Women's History Week to be celebrated annually in the second week of March.

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Free Posters Celebrating Women Role Models

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Free Posters Celebrating Women Role Models

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In 2020, the United States commemorated the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, providing an important opportunity to celebrate the place of women in American history. While history, of course, is complicated, and voting rights for many women continued to be denied because of discriminatory practices, we at the National Trust wanted to tell the full history-to uncover and uplift women across the centuries whose vision, passion, and determination have shaped the country we are today.

When we started the crowdsourcing push in January 2020 as part of our Where Women Made History campaign, our initial goal was to discover 1,000 places connected to women's history, and elevate their stories for everyone to learn and celebrate. Thanks to your incredible contributions, we reached that milestone on none other than Women's Equality Day (August 26, 2020) ... and we kept going for the rest of the year to ultimately reach more than 1,200 entries.

Now we encourage you to explore these fascinating stories and continue encountering where women made history, in places famous or unknown, protected or threatened, existing or lost. No matter their condition or status, these places matter, and you helped share them with the world.

Thank you for helping us tell the full American story!

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Discover 1,000+ places where American women made history. | National Trust for Historic Preservation

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In 2020, the United States commemorated the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, providing an important opportunity to celebrate the place of women in American history.

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Videos from women across the world in the field of STEM - who they are, their job, and what they LOVE about STEM.

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Flipgrid is where social and emotional learning happens! The leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families.

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PBS NewsHour: Women's History Month Collection

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PBS NewsHour: Women's History Month Collection

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Women's History Month | Lesson Plan | PBS NewsHour Extra

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This lesson explores the careers of 19 great female scientists, the challenges they overcame and whether those challenges are still present in students' lives.

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International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month Challenge

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International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month Challenge

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A different trailblazing woman for every school day in March. The women chosen are from both history and today, and from a wide range of fields.

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An interactive audio/visual experience that explores the wide range of strategies employed by suffragists in their quest for the right to vote.

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See the strategies of women's suffrage brought to life-in full color.

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Women's History Month Listening Calendar

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Women's History Month Listening Calendar

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Explore all of the resources the National Women’s History Museum has created.  There are lesson plans, biographies, posters, primary sources, and more. You can search by topic, theme, or resource type.

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Explore all of the resources the National Women’s History Museum has created. There are lesson plans, biographies, posters, primary sources, and more. You can search by topic, theme, or resource type.

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Library of Congress Virtual Exhibit: Women Fight for the Vote

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Library of Congress Virtual Exhibit: Women Fight for the Vote

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We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal. . . . In entering upon the great work before us, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object.-Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Declaration of Sentiments, 1848

The campaign for women's voting rights lasted more than seven decades. Considered the largest reform movement in United States history, its participants believed that securing the vote was essential to achieving women's economic, social, and political equality. Culminating 100 years ago in the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the fight for women's suffrage was not for the fainthearted. Determined women organized, lobbied, paraded, petitioned, lectured, and picketed for years. Suffragists were ridiculed, patronized, and dismissed by opponents, yet they persisted. Some were assaulted and endured the harsh confines of prison for daring to claim rights equal to men, but they would not be denied.

The movement questioned the country's commitment to democracy, exposed the nation's longstanding class, regional, and racial divides, and challenged existing gender stereotypes. Arguments and strategies for and against women's suffrage varied over time and place. Proponents forged uneasy alliances and overcame countless controversies. Although few of the women who began the suffrage campaign before the Civil War lived long enough to witness its final victory in August 1920, their work was carried on by their daughters, granddaughters, and other women whom they had inspired, nurtured, and taught. Their collective story is one of courage, perseverance, savvy, creativity, and hope that continues to inspire women today. #ShallNotBeDenied

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Explore | Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote | Exhibitions at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress

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We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal. . . . In entering upon the great work before us, we anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object.

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DocsTeach: Primary sources and Teaching Activities for Women's Rights

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DocsTeach: Primary sources and Teaching Activities for Women's Rights

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DocsTeach is a product of the National Archives education division. Our mission is to engage, educate, and inspire all learners to discover and explore the records of the American people preserved by the National Archives. The National Archives and Records Administration is the nation's record keeper.

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Smithsonian Learning Lab Women's History

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Smithsonian Learning Lab Women's History

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Sixty-three collections of digitized objects related to women's history add a rich context to the written word. The Learning Lab is a free, interactive platform allowing educators and other users to find digital resources and create content with online tools.

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Search | Everything | Smithsonian Learning Lab

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Women of Accomplishment: Internet Scavenger Hunt

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Women of Accomplishment: Internet Scavenger Hunt

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Google Arts and Culture: Rightfully Hers

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Google Arts and Culture: Rightfully Hers

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Seven online exhibitions from the National Archives investigate topics such as "Who decides who votes?" and "What voting rights struggles persist?" Digitized original documents and photos featured.

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Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

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Lesson Plan, Grades 6-12

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Learning for Justice provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school.

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Lesson Plan, Grades 6-12

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This lesson is the fourth in a series called Expanding Voting Rights. The overall goal of the series is for students to explore the complicated history of voting rights in the United States. Two characteristics of that history stand out: First, in fits and starts, more and more Americans have gained the right to vote. Second, over time, the federal government's role in securing these rights has expanded considerably.
Please note this lesson was originally written to be used with NBC Learn videos, but those videos are no longer available. The transcripts to those videos are linked in the materials list.
Framework

This lesson has students explore how women succeeded in gaining the right to vote in this country. Until 1920, most states limited the right to vote to men (and in many states only white men). Over a period of about 75 years, a movement of American women used nonviolent tactics at both the state and federal levels to demand their right to vote. The outcome was the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920.

Vocabulary

suffrage [ suhf-rij] ( noun) the right to vote

suffragist [ suhf- r uh-jist] ( noun) someone who wants to extend the right to vote; frequently used to refer to women

Activities

1. For some background information, read Why Women Couldn't Vote. It explains that in the early 1900s, the United States lacked a coherent national policy guaranteeing women the right to vote. This reading will prepare you for a more in-depth look at the women's suffrage movement.

2. Different groups of women used different strategies to gain the right to vote. Read Suffragists Change Tactics from the NBC Learn archives.What are the three different phases of the suffrage movement identified by historian Sarah Chinn in the video? (Note: Moral persuasion, state-by-state and federal amendment. Have students write each one on chart paper and post each chart in a different corner of the room.)

3. ( Note: Have students count off by threes.) Students who are "ones" go to the corner with moral persuasion sign, the "twos" go to the state-by-state sign and the "threes" to the federal amendment sign.(Note: Give each group the Strategy Card that corresponds to the strategy identified in their corner. If you have enough computers in the classroom for each group to work on one, have groups work where they are. If you don't, print a copy of the appropriate documents/transcripts ahead of time and give it to the group.) Read your group's strategy card and discuss it together to see if you understand it. To get more information, view/read any sources identified on your group's card, and do any additional research you need so that you have a solid understanding of your group's beliefs and actions. Create a presentation for the class showing how your group went about trying to win votes for women. Which group might picket, march or chant in public places to draw attention to their cause? What would other groups do? Keep in mind that you want the rest of the class to understand the answers to these two questions: 1) What arguments did your group make about why women should have the right to vote? 2) How did they present those arguments?

4. Form groups of three, with each group having a representative from each of the three strategies (that is, one person from a moral persuasion group, one from a federal amendment group and one from a state-by-state group). Staying in character, discuss your group's position on women's suffrage and strategies. Make a three-way Venn diagram to clarify what you have in common and how you differ. Study the diagram together. Have each person take a turn explaining why she either would or would not be willing to work with the other two groups to gain the right to vote. Tell the rest of the class about your group's decision and how you reached it.

5. Read the Nineteenth Amendment. Plan a celebration of its ratification, with each of the three groups contributing. Be creative with your contributions! They might include, for example, decorations, a speech, a song or costumes.

6. Finally, after the festivities, write an essay or prepare a presentation that addresses this question: Do you think women would have gotten the right to vote if the federal government had not proposed a constitutional amendment? Why or why not?
Activities and embedded assessments address the following standards from Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

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This lesson is the fourth in a series called Expanding Voting Rights. The overall goal of the series is for students to explore the complicated history of voting rights in the United States. Two characteristics of that history stand out: First, in fits and starts, more and more Americans have gained the right to vote.

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An Education World WebQuest
Just in time for Women's History Month! Education World offers a Women's History WebQuest. Challenge students to make use of bookshelf and online resources to create an Included: Ideas for adapting the WebQuest across the grades Encyclopedia of Notable Women. plus a simple rubric for grading students' efforts and a database of online resources.
This week, Education World celebrates Women's History Month with a WebQuest for students across the grades. We also provide ideas for adapting this WebQuest for use with younger and older students.

Propose to students to following scenario:

You have just accepted a job as one of the editors of a new encyclopedia that will highlight the greatest women in history. You need to research potential candidates for recognition in your field of specialty -- the arts, medicine, politics, science, or sports -- and select the women who are most deserving of inclusion in the Encyclopedia of Notable Women.

Start this WebQuest with a classroom brainstorm. Ask students, "What names come to mind when you think of the greatest women in history?" As the students respond, write the names they share on a board or chart. After students have listed 20 to 25 names, ask them to group the names into the following categories.

Arts and Humanities (for younger students, Artists and Writers)

Health and Medicine

Politics and Government

The Sciences (Science and Math)

Sports

After they develop a list, students should use a biographical dictionary to confirm that each woman listed lived during the past century. This list will serve students as a starting point for the WebQuest task. Teachers might print out the list so each group has a copy of it.

TASK

Groups of students will be assigned as "editors" of one of the sections of the encyclopedia (in the bulleted list above). Each person in the group will contribute an article to the section. Then each group will select one woman and create a class presentation.

Teachers might choose to adapt the task.

Add sections to the encyclopedia. For example, add a section called "Women of Diversity" or one called "Heroic Women." You might adjust the size of the groups to accommodate those sections, or each group might contribute an entry to the new section(s).

Tired of the "same old biographies"? Older students might create an Encyclopedia of Unsung Women. To select women for "unsung" status, a teacher might give a quick matching quiz. Ask students to match a list of women's names to major accomplishments. A woman will qualify for inclusion if fewer than 50 percent of students correctly identify her.

Teachers might adapt this activity for any century or for a more specific time period. Examples: Great Women of the Civil War or Great Women of the '90s.

PROCESS

1. Assign editorships. Arrange students into groups. Four to six make a good-sized group -- not too big, not too small. Each group will be "experts" in a field, or one of the five sections of the encyclopedia -- Arts and Humanities, Health and Medicine, Politics and Government, the Sciences, or Sports.
Option for creating groups: A teacher might assign a spot in the classroom for each of the sections of the encyclopedia. Students will then be asked to go to the spot assigned to the section that most interests them. If the groups are of uneven size, the teacher will need to reassign students, using a "guess the number I've written" game or some other approach.

2. Research. Students will conduct Internet and library research in their field of specialty. (See The National Women's Hall of Fame Resources below.) As students' research uncovers the names of women whose accomplishments fall into an assigned field, students will add those names to the list from the brainstorm activity in the Introduction section.

3. Editorial meeting. Groups will meet to share research results and create final lists of accomplished women. They will discuss the accomplishments of each woman and reach consensus about which women to include in the encyclopedia. Remember: The number of women chosen should correspond to the number of students in the group; each student will write an encyclopedia article about one woman. Before group members compile final lists, they should first establish criteria for inclusion. The teacher might provide the following questions or let students determine which questions will guide them as they make their decisions.

What makes the woman outstanding in her field?

What outstanding personal characteristics did/does the woman possess?

How did her accomplishments affect the world?

Will her accomplishments stand the test of time? Will people still consider her outstanding in her field 100 years from now?

Why include her rather than someone else?

If the class encyclopedia will include sections about Women of Diversity or Heroic Women, then students must also make sure their choices include one woman who will fit into those extra sections.

4. Writing. Each student should choose a woman from the final list, do additional research on that woman, and prepare a one or two page report about her. That report should provide paragraphs that summarize the following:

Background (the "growing up" years)

Education

Greatest accomplishments

Rationale (why the woman deserves inclusion in the encyclopedia more than other women in the same category do)

5. Editing. The groups meet to share the first drafts of their work. Each person shares his or her report informally. Encourage members of the groups to make suggestions that might help the student improve the report. The students incorporate comments into their second drafts. After they complete second drafts, group members gather again. Sitting in a circle, students pass their reports to the right. That "editor" does a final edit of the report, then returns it with notes to the writer so the writer can prepare a final draft.

6. Oral presentation. When the final drafts are complete, each group meets so individuals can share their articles and decide which of the women would make the most interesting subject for a class presentation. (Remember, however, that all of the woman on whom the group has reported will be included in the encyclopedia.)

Each group's presentation must include student-made artifacts related to the person's life; a map, chart, or graph; and a fact sheet that highlights five of the most interesting things about the woman that others might not know.

Each presentation should address each topic covered in the written encyclopedia article -- background, education, major accomplishments and, most important, the reasons that woman's story was included in the encyclopedia.

Group members can divide the presentation in any way as long as each person plays an equal role.

OPTIONAL TECHNOLOGY ACTIVITIES

Students might create encyclopedia entries as Web pages and use the collection to create an Encyclopedia of Notable Women Web site.

Students might create their oral presentations as PowerPoint or Hyperstudio projects.

RESOURCES

Younger students will be able to make use of the general Internet resources listed below. They can also use a variety of print and online resources. School libraries or media centers and the children's sections of local libraries usually have a good selection of popular biographies that can serve as valuable resources too.

Older students will be able to use the general Internet resources below. Many of those general resources will link students to more detailed or specific online resources. In addition, older students might be asked to read a full-length biography of the individual they choose to write about. Option: Each student might read two biographies about the same person; that will provide opportunities for students to explore different perspectives and contradictory information about individuals. Among the best of the general biographical resources we've uncovered on the Internet are the following:

The National Women's Hall of Fame
Click on The Women of The Hall to find biographies of dozens of women who have been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Women's History in America
The Women's International Center supplies this alphabetical listing of famous women.

Distinguished Women of Past and Present
Check this site's alphabetical listing for biographical information about almost any famous woman Click on Search by Name.

EVALUATION

Education World has created a simple rubric to help students and teachers assess student and group effort on this WebQuest.

Group Work -- Each student is graded by the group.
1 point -- Student did not participate.
2 points -- Student participated to a small degree.
3 points -- Student offered a few helpful thoughts and ideas.
4 points -- Student offered opinions and ideas that helped others a great deal.

Research (to be graded by teacher and student together)
1 point -- Student used one or two resources.
2 points -- Student used a few resources, including bookshelf and online resources.
3 points -- Student used a variety of bookshelf and online resources.
4 points -- Student went out of the way to gather resources.

Written Encyclopedia Entries (to be graded by teacher)
1 point -- Student made minimal effort, copied much material from sources.
2 points -- Student made an effort to put material into his or her own words. 3 points -- Student had original thoughts and took the time to organize material.
4 points -- Student wrote and organized the article, drawing on many resources.

Oral Presentation (a consensus grade for each group from classmates and teacher)
1 point -- Student put in little preparation, stumbled over material.
2 points -- Student did a good job but did not make extra effort.
3 points -- Student presented informative and well-planned material.
4 points -- Student's and group's extra effort was obvious to all.

CONCLUSION

Ask students to reflect on the characters of the women the groups selected for their presentations. Following are two possible questions to ask:

What characteristics did the women have in common? Responses might include characteristics such as perseverance, courage, intelligence, optimism, dedication, or idealism.

What factors, do you think, were most responsible for the women's successes -- their backgrounds, educations, character, personality, luck, or some other factors?

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World Editor-in-Chief
Copyright © 2009, 2017 Education World

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Just in time for Women's History Month! Education World offers a Women's History WebQuest. Challenge students to make use of bookshelf and online resources to create an Included: Ideas for adapting the WebQuest across the grades Encyclopedia of Notable Women. plus a simple rubric for grading students' efforts and a database of online resources.

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A WebQuest for Grades 3-8

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A WebQuest for Grades 3-8

INTRODUCTION

Many people in the United States think a new federal holiday should be added to the federal holidays already observed in the United States. Some members of Congress agree, but only if that holiday honors an important woman. No one can decide, however, who that woman should be. That's where you come in! You and your classmates must nominate a woman you think is important enough to have a federal holiday named after her.

You will work in groups to investigate some federal holidays and learn why those holidays are observed. Then your group will choose a woman it thinks should be honored with a federal holiday, and create a presentation to convince your classmates to nominate that woman.

Step 1: Working individually, investigate the federal holiday assigned to your group and complete a Federal Holiday Investigation work sheet about that holiday. Be sure to include on your work sheet the sources of your information.

Step 2: Meet with your group to discuss what each of you found. Select the best information from all the work sheets, and then have one member of the group combine that information into a single written report.

Step 3: Ask one member of your group to present the report to the class.

Step 4: When all the reports have been presented, discuss as a class what criteria might have been used to choose people or events honored on federal holidays.

Step 5: Working individually, visit the National Women's Hall of Fame and explore the Women of the Hall. Choose a woman you think deserves to be honored with a federal holiday. Make a list of five reasons you think that woman deserves the honor.

Step 6: Meet with your group to discuss your individual choices. Select one woman your group will nominate, and complete The Case For A New Federal Holiday work sheet about that woman. Work individually or as a group to find any additional information you need to complete the worksheet. Be sure to include on your work sheet the sources of your information.

Step 7: Plan a PowerPoint slide show about the woman you have chosen, and complete a PPT Storyboard work sheet for each slide. Your PowerPoint slide show should include:

a title slide.

a slide giving the name of the holiday and the name of the woman the day will honor.

a slide giving the date of the holiday and explaining why that date was selected.

five slides describing the woman's accomplishments or contributions.

two or three slides describing how the holiday will be celebrated.

a summary slide.

a slide listing the sources of your information.

a slide listing the names of all the students in the group and the date of the presentation.

Step 8: Present the slide show to your classmates.

Step 9: After all the presentations are done, vote for the woman you think should be nominated for a federal holiday.

Federal Holiday Resources

Women's History Resources

Writing Resources

Congressional Resources

EVALUATION

Your grade will reflect:

the accuracy of your research as demonstrated by your Federal Holiday Investigation work sheet and your The Case For A New Federal Holiday work sheet (25 percent)

your group's choice of a nominee (5 percent)

the overall quality technical quality of your group's PowerPoint presentation. (15 percent)

your technical competency as demonstrated by your group's PowerPoint presentation. (15 percent)

the persuasiveness of your PowerPoint presentation. (10 percent)

your contribution to the group process (20 percent)

your writing skill as demonstrated in your persuasive letter (10 percent)

CONCLUSION

Although three federal holidays (Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, and Columbus Day) specifically recognize men who have made significant contributions to the United States, no federal holiday recognizes a woman who is important in U.S. history. Why do you think that's true? Write a persuasive letter to your representatives in Congress pointing out that fact and urging them to consider designating a holiday for the woman you have chosen.

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © Education World

Links last updated 02/17/2017

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WebQuest: Female History-Makers | Education World

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A WebQuest for Grades 3-8 INTRODUCTION Many people in the United States think a new federal holiday should be added to the federal holidays already observed in the United States. Some members of Congress agree, but only if that holiday honors an important woman. No one can decide, however, who that woman should be.

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Lesson Plan, Grades 6-12

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This lesson introduces students to the life and work of the labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers .

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Lesson Plan, Grades K-12

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Students create a time line of their lives from the perspective of 50 years in the future.

Objectives

Students will

explore a time line of American women,

explore their own dreams and goals,

create a time line of their lives from the perspective of 50 years in the future.

women's history, United States, current events, trivia, biography, women, game

Materials Needed

computer with Internet access (optional)

Groundbreaking Women; if students are not able to view this website on their own computers, the teacher might use a projector to project the pages on a screen, print out selected time line pages to use as a student handout, create overhead transparencies of selected pages, or share other time line teaching materials

print or online biographies of a famous American woman; some online resources include those found at National Women's Hall of Fame, Honor Roll of Notable Women, or The First Ladies Gallery

large sheets of drawing paper

crayons or markers, pens

Lesson Plan

Explore with older students the Groundbreaking Women time line from Encyclopedia Britannica or other time line resources. Discuss the purpose of time lines: to highlight significant events in chronological order.

With younger students or students without Internet access, read aloud a biography of a remarkable American woman and create on the chalkboard a time line of that woman's life. (See biography resources in the Materials section above.)

Invite students to create a time line of their own lives and to extend that time line 50 years into the future. Explain that the time line should depict their lives as they want them to be.

Encourage students to explore their talents, goals, and dreams before creating the time line. They might visit such Web sites as Choosing a College Major: How to Chart Your Ideal Path, The Key to Choosing the Right Career, Deciding Your Goals, and so on, before creating their time lines.

Encourage students to use their own time lines to develop plans for reaching future goals.

Assessment

not applicable

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Linda Starr

Return to the Women's History lesson plan page.

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Students create a time line of their lives from the perspective of 50 years in the future. Objectives Students will explore a time line of American women, explore their own dreams and goals, create a time line of their lives from the perspective of 50 years in the future.

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Lesson Plan, Grades 3-12

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Students research remarkable women of today, write a biography about one of those women, and create a trivia game using facts from the women's lives.

Objectives

Students will

search online/print newspapers and magazines for the names of women in the news today,

research one of those women and write a biography about her,

write trivia questions based on her accomplishments.

women's history, United States, current events, trivia, biography, women, game

Materials Needed

computer or print newspapers and news magazines

online/print biographical resources

index cards

Lesson Plan

Provide students with a list of reputable online news websites or print newspapers and news magazines and ask them to find the names of women making news today. Encourage students to continue and extend their search at home.

Have each student select one of those woman newsmakers, research her life using print and/or online resources, and write a brief biography about her.

Tell students that as they do the research for their biographies, they should also write on index cards one sentence about a few of that woman's most noteworthy accomplishments. Tell them to be sure to write the name of the woman (and their own initials) on the back of each card.

Collect the cards and use them to conduct a women's history bee. Read to the class the accomplishment cited on each index card and challenge students to identify the woman connected with each accomplishment. (Students cannot answer questions about the woman whose biography they selected!) Award a predetermined number of points to students who identify a woman and to those whose index cards stump their classmates.

Assessment

Evaluated students on their class participation, their biographies, and the appropriateness of their trivia questions.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Linda Starr

Return to the Women's History lesson plan page.

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Students research remarkable women of today, write a biography about one of those women, and create a trivia game using facts from the women's lives. Objectives Students will search online/print newspapers and magazines for the names of women in the news today, research one of those women and write a biography about her, write trivia questions based on her accomplishments.

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Lesson Plan, Grades 6-12

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Women’s History Lesson: Closing the Salary Gap | Education World

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Students explore careers in their community and calculate the average salaries for men and women working in those careers.

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Lesson Plan, Grades 3-8

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Students learn about the roles women played during World War II and design a recruiting poster telling women of the ways in which they can serve their country today.

Objectives

Students will

study the role of women in World War II,

design a recruiting poster telling women of the ways in which they can serve their country today.

women, World War II, recruitment, military, war, history

Materials Needed

Lesson Plan

Explain to students that they are going to learn about women's roles during World War II and their possible roles today.

Ask students to use print and/or online resources to research the roles of American women during WWII.

Brainstorm with students a list of the ways in which women supported their country during WWII. Ask: What roles did women play at home and abroad during WWII? How did the roles of women in the United States change before, during, and after that war?

Brainstorm with students a list of the ways in which women support their country today. Compare the two lists. Ask: What roles do women play at home and abroad today? How are those roles different from the roles women played during WWII? What impact do you think WWII had on the lives of women today?

Ask students to create a poster encouraging women to support their country today. Invite them to present their posters to the class and to discuss why they chose the messages their posters represent.

Assessment

Evaluate students on their awareness of the roles played by women during World War II and today as demonstrated in class discussions and their posters.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Linda Starr

Return to the Women's History lesson plan page.

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Students learn about the roles women played during World War II and design a recruiting poster telling women of the ways in which they can serve their country today. Objectives Students will study the role of women in World War II, design a recruiting poster telling women of the ways in which they can serve their country today.

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Edsitement: Teacher's Guide to Women's History in the United States

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Edsitement: Teacher's Guide to Women's History in the United States

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How have debates over women's rights shaped U.S. politics and culture?

What role does media play in the ongoing debate over gender roles?

Who's missing from the popular stories included within women's history?

How have major events in U.S. history transformed the status and rights of women in society?

How have women contributed to U.S. cultural institutions and practices?

The above video from the National Women's History Museum provides an overview of how International Women's Day became a week and then an entire month in the United States.

The movement to expand the franchise to women built momentum during the 19th century, achieved part of its goal with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, and continues to press on to ensure protection of voting rights for all. This section provides compelling questions for teaching about the long road to women's suffrage rights and activity ideas for teaching about this topic across U.S. history. A collection of lesson plans can be found at the bottom of the page.

Compelling Questions

To what extent did the strategies of the Suffrage Movement change between Seneca Falls (1848) and ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920?

Who did the Suffragettes represent?

Why was there resistance to granting women the right to vote?

To what extent was passage of the 19th Amendment a turning point in U.S. history?

Why were the Suffragettes finally successful in achieving the right to vote?

How have women participated in elections since 1920?

To what extent do issues raised by 19th and 20th century Suffragettes remain?

Student Activities

In the interest of fostering inquiry-based teaching and learning that utilizes primary source materials and offers students space for creative application, consider the following strategies when engaging students in research on the 19th Amendment and women's history across your curriculum:

Construct a digital timeline that centers on women's writings, speeches, publications, artistic creations, and performances to avoid limiting discussion to an era or topic of study. Combined with storyboard software, students can record voice overs and use images to construct a response to a compelling question while addressing change over time analysis.

Create a digital or hard copy commonplace book when reading biographies, literature, poetry, reviewing art, films, or other multimedia produced by women across U.S. history. From time to time students can be asked to synthesize what they record around themes, concepts, topics of study, and the inquiry questions they have designed.

Use digital mapping software in combination with EDSITEment's Chronicling America to plot stories and connections within and across time and place on topics chosen by students (i.e. Suffragette meetings, women's organizations, education, sports, fashion, entertainment, the travels of characters in a novel or short story, historic homes, etc.).

Create a short documentary film using storyboard software and primary sources, including audio-visual resources, on a theme or concept that spans beyond a single unit or era.

Women in Literature and the Arts

This section is dedicated to authors, poets, playwrights, and other literary icons. Lesson plans, resources, videos of readings and performances, and other materials are included.

Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God: In tribute to Hurston's fusion of social science and authorial craft, this lesson plan focuses on the way Hurston incorporates, adapts, transforms, and comments on black folklife in Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Maya Angelou: Phenomenal Woman: Our Teacher's Guide provides some of Dr. Angelou's works, along with commentary and other classroom ready materials o this great American poet, orator, actress, activist, professor, writer, and singer.

The Letters and Poems of Emily Dickinson: In this curriculum unit, students will explore Dickinson's poetry as well as her letters to Higginson and her sister-in-law Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson.

Sor Juana the Nun and Writer: Las Redondillas and The Reply: This lesson (also available in Spanish) looks at the life and literary contributions of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the first great Latin American poet, who is considered to be one of the most important literary figures of the American Hemisphere, and one of the first feminist writers.

Introducing Jane Eyre: An Unlikely Victorian Heroine: Contemplating Brontë's position and desire for literary achievement in that context, students will compare Jane Eyre to other literary heroines and discuss her social class in relation to other characters.

Toni Morrison's Beloved: For Sixty Million and More: The close reading and reflective activities included in this lesson are intended to guide thoughtful inquiry into the novel and its major themes, while also providing teachers and students with creative outlets for making connections with one of the great novels of the twentieth century.

"Remember" by Joy Harjo: In her poem "Remember," Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, reminds us to pay attention to who we are and how we're connected to the world around us.

"A Raisin in the Sun": Whose American Dream?: This interdisciplinary lesson includes a critical reading and analysis of Lorraine Hansberry's play, along with close examination of biographical and historical documents produced at different times during the long civil rights movement.

Women and the Revolution: In the Time of the Butterflies: In this lesson, students undertake a careful analysis of the main characters to see how each individually demonstrates courage in the course of her family's turbulent life events.

Esperanza Rising: Learning Not to Be Afraid to Start Over: In this lesson (also available in Spanish), students will look behind the story at the historical, social, and cultural circumstances that shape the narrative throughout Esperanza Rising.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wall-paper" & the "New Woman": With this lesson plan, the first part of a two-part lesson, students will examine primary source documents to gain an understanding of the roles of American middle-class women in the mid- to late-1800s.

Kate Chopin's The Awakening: In this curriculum unit, students will explore how Chopin stages the possible roles for women in Edna's time and culture through the examples of other characters in the novella.

Women, Landmarks, and History

The nation's commemorative landscape is ladened with over 5,000 public statues honoring historic figures and their accomplishments. However, recent estimates suggest that fewer than 400 of these public works of art recognize women from lived history. This disparity is evident in major cities such as Washington, D.C. and New York City. In Washington, D.C. there are only seven public statues, outside of the National Statuary Hall Collection, honoring specific women from history: Joan of Arc, Queen Isabella I of Castille, Olive Risley Seward, Mary McLeod Bethune, Jane A. Delano, Crown Princess Märtha of Sweden, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Until the addition of the Women's Rights Pioneers Monument on August 26, 2020, New York City had only five statues of female historical figures: Joan of Arc, Golda Meir, Gertrude Stein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harriet Tubman.

Many of the memorials and monuments erected during the 19th and 20th century that include women depict them as nameless fictional, mythical or emblematic figures and use them as a vehicle to honor a man, abstract idea, or historical theme. The representations of women solely in an artistic and often objectified nature removes them from contemporary conversations about the past. Commemorative sites continue to influence and shape our perception of history and the absence of public statues dedicated to female historic figures promulgates a narrow historical narrative that elevates the experiences and accomplishments of white men. Our Landmarks of American History and Culture Teacher's Guide includes more information on the power of commemorative spaces.

Compelling Questions

What emotions do statues of a historical figure evoke for you?

To what extent does representation in the form of public art matter?

What are the long-term consequences of the gender disparity in public statues?

Are there any public statues dedicated to female historical figures women in your community?

What historical or contemporary women should be honored with a public statue and why?

How can a public statue be used to address contemporary issues?

A few examples of memorials, monuments, or statues dedicated to historic women include:

Using EDSITEment's Investigating Local History Teacher's Guide and the links above, students can make connections between the accomplishments of women at the national level with local history. Additionally, using the above questions and those they design on their own, students can investigate who has been honored with monuments and memorials in their town, city, and state, while also considering who has not and why, perhaps, others should be similarly honored.

Media Resources for Women's History

This collection of NEH-funded media projects includes podcasts, films, and databases for researching and learning about Women's history in the United States.

This episode of Hidden Figures: The People Behind the Story You Know: BackStory features an interview with Margot Lee Shetterly, the author of the book on which the movie Hidden Figures is based. Shetterly's book, and the movie, recount the lives and work of the African American women who worked for NASA and played critical roles in the U.S. space program despite facing constant racism.

Picturing America: Cassatt and Sargent: This video from the Picturing America project includes discussion of Mary Cassatt, an artist noted for her paintings of mothers and children that echo traditional Madonna and child paintings but with a new, feminist edge.

Picturing America: Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother": This Picturing America video focuses on the famous picture taken by Dorothea Lange, as well as the less well-known woman in it: Florence Owens Thompson, a Cherokee woman active in labor struggles in the 1930s.

NEH Connections & Related Resources

Women in World History: This collection of primary sources created by the Center for History and New Media opens students to the roles women have played in the world across time.

"How Black Suffragists Fought for the Right to Vote and a Modicum of Respect: Hallie Quinn Brown and Other "Homespun Heroines"" by Martha S. Jones, HUMANITIES, Summer 2019, Volume 40, Number 3.

"Winning the Vote: A divided movement brought about the Nineteenth Amendment" by Lisa Tetrault, HUMANITIES, Summer 2019, Volume 40, Number 3.

"The Forgotten Suffragists: How the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment is being remembered and how, for decades, it was not" by Kimberly A. Hamlin, May 31, 2019.

" Old Friends Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Made History Together: In their last days, the suffragist pioneers look back" by Katy June-Friesen, HUMANITIES, July/August 2014, Volume 35, Number 4.

Additional Resources

The Library of Congress provides access to a Women's History Month site that includes a collection of resources created by the LOC, NEH, National Archive and Records Administration, the National Gallery of Art, the National Park Service, the Smithsonian Institution, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Library of Congress also provides access to Shall Not Be Denied, a digital exhibit on the suffrage movement.

Monumental Women provides a collection of biographies on suffragists and templates for students to create their own statues of historic women.

The National Park Service provides a variety of digital resources, articles, videos, and lesson plans about the suffrage movement.

The National Women's History Museum provides access to digital classroom resources, biographies, oral histories, and articles about women in American history.

The New York Historical Society offers a collection of ten units, organized thematically and chronologically, that explore the lives and experiences of women throughout American history.

Unladylike 2020: This collection of 26 short films and a one-hour documentary, created by PBS American Masters with support from the NEH, highlights the lives of little-known women in American history.

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How have debates over women's rights shaped U.S. politics and culture? What role does media play in the ongoing debate over gender roles? Who's missing from the popular stories included within women's history? How have major events in U.S. history transformed the status and rights of women in society?

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Organized by grade level, these lesson plans examine women's history through the lens of feminism, politics, careers, sports, and civil rights.

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You will find unique content in each chapter's timeline.

Place the cursor over the timeline to scroll up and down within the timeline itself. If you place the cursor anywhere else on the page, you can scroll up and down in the whole page - but the timeline won't scroll.

To see what's in the timeline beyond the top or bottom of the window, use the white "dragger" located on the right edge of the timeline. (It looks like a small white disk with an up-arrow and a down-arrow attached to it.) If you click on the dragger, you can move the whole timeline up or down, so you can see more of it. If the dragger won't move any further, then you've reached one end of the timeline.

Click on one of the timeline entries and it will display a short description of the subject. It may also include an image, a video, or a link to more information within our website or on another website.

Our timelines are also available in our Resource Library in non-interactive format.
Timeline Legend

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You will find unique content in each chapter's timeline. Place the cursor over the timeline to scroll up and down within the timeline itself. If you place the cursor anywhere else on the page, you can scroll up and down in the whole page - but the timeline won't scroll.

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Lesson Plan, Grades 9-12

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Back to lesson plans archive

"Well-behaved women seldom make history" - Lesson Plan

Introduction

Since Harvard professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich coined the phrase, "Well-behaved women seldom make history" in the 1970s, those words have become a slogan for girls hoping to break the mold. This lesson plan challenges students to identify negative stereotypes about women and men, introduces students to Anne Bonny (a woman who breaks traditional gender stereotypes) and gives them the opportunity to use creative writing skills to create their own profile on one of four other "rule-breaking" women in history.

It should be noted that there are many myths and legends about the unconventional women chosen for this exercise, so students should be mindful of which resources they choose to use during their research and how they present their information.

Subjects

Social studies, English

Estimated Time

Thirty-minutes in-class, one-hour for homework

Grade Level

High school

Materials

Warm Up Activity

Stereotypes

Ask students what they think the word stereotype means. After taking some answers pass out "Introduction to gender stereotypes" and read through it with students.

Watch Dr. Carol Gilligan on Cultural Stereotypes of Men and Women

Main Activity

Women in history who broke stereotypes

Now explain to students that they are going to learn about Anne Bonny - a woman who defied the stereotypes of women of her time. First play the short video (4:44) from the History Channel about Bonny. Then pass out the "Anne Bonny profile example" and read through it with students.

Then explain to students that they are going to get to choose their own woman who defies stereotypes and write a creative narrative about them. Pass out theand "Fact sheet pages" to students and help them examine the process of moving from the fact sheet to a creative writing piece. Encourage students to use the "Fact sheets", the video links and their own original research to help them learn more about the woman they chose. For homework, have students complete the writing assignment.

A very special thanks to Psych Alive and Dr. Lisa Firestone for their contribution to this lesson plan.
By Katie Gould and Elizabeth Jones

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"Well-behaved women seldom make history" - Lesson Plan | Lesson Plan | PBS NewsHour Extra

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This lesson plan challenges students to identify negative stereotypes about women and men, introduces students to Anne Bonny (a woman who breaks traditional gender stereotypes) and gives them the opportunity to use creative writing skills to create their own profile on one of four other "rule-breaking" women in history.

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The Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and Today

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The Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and Today

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Lesson Plan, Grade 6, Grades 9-12

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This lesson asks students to examine the arguments for and against the Equal Rights Amendment. If you are a School Violence Prevention teacher, you will recognize the use of intellectual tools from the Justice section of Foundations of Democracy to examine how each side, in the 1970s, perceived American women's need, capacity, and desert of this Constitutional amendment. Then they will decide whether or not the amendment is necessary and relevant today.

Enjoy this lesson on the Equal Rights Amendment?

Check out more free resources in the following Share My Lesson collections: 19th Amendment: Free Resources on Women's Suffrage and Constitution Day.

Excellent lesson and activities for teaching about the Equal Rights Amendment. Includes pre-lesson information sheet on different types of justice, procedures, speech, pamphlets, graphic organizers, links to videos and other resources.

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The Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and Today

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This lesson asks students to examine the arguments for and against the Equal Rights Amendment. If you are a School Violence Prevention teacher, you will recognize the use of intellectual tools from the Justice section of Foundations of Democracy to examine how each side, in the 1970s, perceived American women's need, capacity, and desert of this Constitutional amendment.

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Lesson Plan, Grades 9-12

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Students learn about the the role of women in the history of aeronautics, the barriers they faced, & the scientific advances they made despite the obstacles