Passing the Nineteenth Amendment
Introduce your students to the history of the Nineteenth Amendment which expanded voting rights to women. In this multimedia lesson, your students examine a primary source song and image.
Free Lessons
The Trials of Joan of Arc
Read the story of Joan of Arc, then write questions for interviews with Joan of Arc and a person from the present-day.
Era of Reform
Examine key excerpts from the Declaration of Sentiments and consider how much progress has been made for women.
The Clash Between Traditionalism and Modernism
Discuss three opinions on 1920s social issues from the perspective of either a traditionalist or modernist.
Marie Curie
For Women’s History Month, introduce your students to Nobel-prize-winning-scientist Marie Curie. In this lesson, students learn about Marie Curie’s accomplishments and then design an investigation themselves.
Jane Goodall
Watch a video or read the text to learn about Jane Goodall’s achievements. Students then practice asking questions and write a plan to investigate a question.
Primary Source Activities
These rich Primary Sources come with questions to guide students through analysis and can be used to facilitate classroom discussions.
- Why Was Lady Murasaki an Important Figure in Japan’s History? Examine four primary sources about “Lady Murasaki” and write a claim about why she was an important figure in Japan’s history.
- Native American Women Read passages from two different texts and then explain why community and family are important to Native American tribes.
- Sojourner Truth: One Speech, Two Versions Examine two versions of the speech transcribed by two different people to determine the validity of each version.
- The Declaration of Sentiments Adopted by the Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York (1894) Analyze a speech given in 1894 to understand its content and then reflect on the speech.
Biographies
Learn about six lesser-known women who contributed to their communities. Consider assigning a group to read each and share what they’ve learned.
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Isabella Aiona Abbott (1919-2010)
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Empress Theodora (about 497-548)
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Ruth Ella Moore (1903-1994)
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Deborah Sampson (1760-1827)
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Gloria Steinem (1934-)
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Margaret Thatcher (1924-2013)
Image Credit: Wikimedia
Image Credit: Wikipedia
Image Credit: Library of Congress
Image Credit: Library of Congress