Women Throughout the Centuries - The Triumphs and the Struggles by Grace Williams

Essential Question #1: How have the goals of the feminist movement shifted over time?

will1409 — 2025-05-11 05:05:44 UTC

Essential Question #2: Are there voices in the female community that are louder than others in the media? How does that show privilege within womanhood? What voices should be amplified that are not?

will1409 — 2025-05-11 05:05:53 UTC

Essential Question #3: Do the different kinds of texts you're looking at (ie. novels, poems, movies, research papers) change/affect the message being shared about women?

will1409 — 2025-05-11 05:06:02 UTC

So Many Beginnings - Bethany C. Morrow

will1409 — 2025-05-11 05:12:24 UTC

This 2021 novel reimagines Alcott's novel Little Women by centering the story around four Black sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) who learn lessons about independence, family, resilience, and love while building a new life as emancipated slaves during the Civil War. This novel considers how different aspects of the March sister's experiences coming of age would be affected by being Black in nineteenth century America. This text will help students explore diverse voices as they compare it to the Little Women movie which is also in this LTS.

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents - Julia Alvarez

will1409 — 2025-05-11 05:13:10 UTC

This novel published in 1991 tells the story of four sisters as they navigate their new lives as immigrants in New York after fleeing from their home country of the Dominican Republic, exploring themes of identity, culture, and loss of heritage. This text explores how being an immigrant affects the female experience, showing the intersectionality between sexism and racism. This text can be compared to Little Women (movie) and So Many Beginnings (novel) to discuss how race and ethnicity affects a woman's experience as she grows up in America.

Little Women (2019)

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:21:14 UTC

This movie follows the lives of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, as they come of age in 19th-century Massachusetts and forge their own paths into womanhood. This is a classic story of womanhood, and I think viewing the movie provides an interesting perspective as students can watch the movie, learn about female director Greta Gerwig, and compare it to the remixed novel also in this LTS.

Ms. Marvel - G. Willow Wilson

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:24:56 UTC

This comic series follows a Pakistani-American teenager Kamala Khan. Kamala is a superhero in her own right, but she is also heavily inspired on her journey by her hero Captain Marvel. This story shows how strong women can empower other women, uplifting girls all over the world. This modern graphic novel with fantastical elements will connect well with the theme of female empowerment through the ages while also enticing students with its exciting images and entertaining plot.

My Life In Transition - Julia Kaye

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:26:55 UTC

This graphic memoir chronicles the first six months of this author's life as an out trans woman. This story explores love, heartbreak, dysphoria, family challenges, and the healing power of chosen community. This story provides a look into the experience of a community within the female community which is not often viewed or discussed as heavily as others, allowing students the opportunity to see new perspectives in this unit.

Red Rosa - Kate Evans

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:27:33 UTC

This graphic novel depicts the life and death of German activist, revolutionist, and creative Rosa Luxemburg. Her story takes place in the twentieth century, allowing students to view an inspiring revolutionary woman who brought about political reform in an earlier time. This can be compared to the Kamala Harris picture book to see strong-willed women in different centuries both bringing about political change.

Movies that Pass the Bechdel Test

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:29:04 UTC

The Bechdel Test is a method used to analyze positive gender representation in movies. A movie that passes the test must have two named female characters who have a conversation with each other which is not primarily focused on men or relationships with men. This website identifies the movies which have and have not passed the Bechdel Test since 1874.

"Visualizing the data: Women’s representation in society" - UN Women

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:29:49 UTC

This 2020 study showcases how the gaps between men and women in many different areas of society have changed over the years. The graphics in this article provide an easily understood visual of the progress women have made as well as the space we still need to close. This would be a helpful introduction to the gaps in different fields when starting a unit with students about the struggles and triumphs of women.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:33:50 UTC

This popular television show from the 90s and early 2000s is an iconic example of female empowerment in modern media. Buffy Summers is the Slayer, the one woman born to every generation who has the power to defeat monsters. Buffy consistently showcases both physical and mental strength, showing young viewers that girls are capable of great things. This television show is fun to watch while also being a good example of female empowerment in popular media. Students can watch clips from this show in class.

Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice - Nikki Grimes

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:35:06 UTC

This children's picture book biography tells the story of former Vice President, Senator, and presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Kamala is an inspiration to women everywhere as she, the child of immigrants, worked her way to becoming the first female Vice President in America. This book can be paired with the Rosa Luxemburg graphic novel to see strong-willed women in different centuries both bringing about political change.

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre - Anika Aldamuy Denise

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:36:27 UTC

This picture book tells the story of Pura Belpre, storyteller, puppeteer, and New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, who championed bilingual literature. This shows how women can use their creativity and strength to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves, creating a better world with their passion. This story can be combined with Kamala Harris's picture book and Rosa Luxemburg's graphic novel to see how a woman from another decade and from a different minority group can bring about change.

Hidden Figures (2016)

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:42:18 UTC

In ths popular 2016 film, three female African-American mathematicians play a pivotal role in astronaut John Glenn's launch into orbit while dealing with racial and gender discrimination. This film can be combined with the double-pronged bias research paper.

Mulan (1998)

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:42:41 UTC

In this 1998 Disney animated film, a young Chinese woman disguises herself as a man to take her father's place in the army, ultimately proving her worth as a warrior and saving her country from invaders. This movie showcases how powerful women can be even when they are operating under a sexist regime. It also provides a new perspective for students as it features a Chinese woman as the main character.

Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" performed by Kerry Washington

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:46:25 UTC

This speech, originally given by civil rights activist Sojourner Truth in 1851 at a Women's Rights Convention in Ohio, asks women to look deeper into how Black women are silenced in the women's rights conversation. Given by Kerry Washington, a political activist in the twenty first century, this speech begs the question, "How are certain people still silenced in equality conversations today?"

Respect (1967) - Aretha Franklin

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:48:59 UTC

"Respect" by Aretha Franklin is a powerful song demanding dignity, recognition, and equal treatment for women. This song is still an anthem for female empowerment today, showing students that women who use their creative outlets to share messages about equality can still make an impact even 60 years later.

Lady Lazarus - Sylvia Plath

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:56:35 UTC

This poem by well-known woman writer Sylvia Plath is a dark, defiant poem in which the speaker likens her repeated resurrections from death to a theatrical performance, using vivid, Holocaust-inflected imagery to confront themes of trauma, identity, and female rage. Plath brings a darker perspective to the discussion of the female experience, allowing students to see how sexism can affect one's mental health in negative ways. This poem would help students answer Essential Question #3.

She's Beautiful When She's Angry (2014)

will1409 — 2025-05-11 06:58:18 UTC

This documentary chronicles the passionate and transformative efforts of the women's liberation movement in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s, highlighting both its achievements and ongoing relevance. In answering Essential Question #1, we must discuss many different eras of the feminist movement, so this insight into the women who shaped feminist history in the 60s and 70s is helpful in highlighting an important time period in our history.

Miss Representation (2011)

will1409 — 2025-05-11 07:01:19 UTC

This 2011 documentary explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, and challenges the media's limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman. This documentary can be used in tandem with the UN Women study to see how representation has changed from 2011-2020 as per the documentary depiction and the visuals.

Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth (2013)

will1409 — 2025-05-11 07:02:14 UTC

This 2013 biographical film tells the story of Black activist and author Alice Walker. Born in 1944, Walker became a world famous authorin the midst of violent racism and poverty during some of the most turbulent years of social/political changes in the U.S. Her story can be inspiring for students as they learn more about the intersectionality of racism and sexism. This can be combined with multiple works in this unit, including the research on double-pronged bias and the Little Women remixed book.

"Most Americans say being a man helps a person get ahead in the U.S." - PEW Research Center

will1409 — 2025-05-11 07:04:49 UTC

This 2023 PEW Research Center study views whether Americans believe that men or women are more likely to "get ahead" in America. The overwhelming difference between people's belief in men and women showcases both sexism in America and the fact that many people have lost hope in whether equality exists in America. This would be a positive study to view to have students discuss what can be done to help women get ahead in America, too.

"Double-pronged bias against black women: Sexism and racism" - American Psychological Association

will1409 — 2025-05-11 07:07:11 UTC

This article discusses how racism and sexism create deeper, intersectional biases against black women. This can help students answer Essential Question #2 and help teachers explain intersectionality to students while exploring critical feminist studies.

"The feminist movement has changed drastically. Here’s what the movement looks like today" - ABC News

will1409 — 2025-05-11 15:57:36 UTC

This article from ABC News provides a look at how the feminist movement has changed over time. This article would help students answer one of the essential questions of our unit.