Anchor Text and Audience:
Dissent is the continuous theme of the this picture-book biography of Justice Ginsburg, and it’s a tidy way to demonstrate how her fearless objections to the unfair status quo not only led the way to her career as a Supreme Court justice but also contributed to dismantling many of those discriminatory laws that prevented equal treatment. This lively, inviting, and informative biography of a historic woman will empower young ones to bravely voice their opinions, take risks and pursue any career paths they might desire.
Although the reading level of this book is intended for grades 2-3, I believe students in Grades 3-6 would be most suited for content of the story and the complexities of the theme. This book is a great starting point before students embark on the cultural exploration of Women That Shaped History.
Purpose/Essential Question:
The goal of this text set is to shed light on a lesser known female historical figures and how their lives and action helped shape the world we live in today. In these books, videos, films, albums, articles and more students will meet some incredible women and girls who are paving the way towards a world where all girls can reach their full potential. A major intention of this text set is to raise awareness and present clear an unbiased view of not just who women and girls are but whom they can become . It is my hope that the materials included here will broaden the students’ horizons and will help shape their futures as they ask themselves: Who Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up?
Collection of Texts:
In this book, Chelsea Clinton celebrates thirteen American women
who helped shape our country through their tenacity, sometimes through speaking out,
sometimes by staying seated, sometimes by captivating an audience. They all certainly persisted.
This book is a great introduction to major female figures of history written for young readers .
Age Level: 4 - 8 Grade Level: P - 3
This children's book packed with 100 bedtime stories about the life of 100 extraordinary women
from the past and the present, illustrated by 60 female artists from all over the world.
Each woman's story is written in the style of a fairy tale.
Each story has a full page, full color portrait that captures the spirit of the portrayed hero.
The all-female team behind this pioneering new book is confronting the tired,
patriarchal narrative head-on.
It sets out to challenge gender stereotypes and inspire young girls to aim high in their career goals.
Age Level: 3 - 18 Grade Level: P - 12
Women in Science celebrates the achievements of the intrepid women who have paved the way for the next generation of female engineers, biologists, mathematicians, doctors, astronauts, physicists, and more! The women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Full of striking art, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary (Amazon).
This resource can be very helpful to students conducting biographical or informational research. Given the text complexity of this book it best suited for above the grade learners providing them with the just right challenge.
Age Level: 9-14 Grade Level: 5-8
Inspired by real-life makers such as Ada Lovelace and Marie Curie, Ada Twist, Scientist champions girl power and women scientists, and brings welcome diversity to picture books about girls in science. Touching on themes of never giving up and problem solving, Ada comes to learn that her questions might not always lead to answers, but rather to more questions.
Rosie Revere, Engineer is a celebration of creativity and perseverance which is told through rhyming text,momentum and steady pacing to a story, consistent with the celebration of its heroine, Rosie. A historical note at the back of the book connects Rosie to her namesake, Rosie the Riveter, with her slogan, “We can do it!” Young readers will already be convinced.
These books are perfect for interactive read alouds and/or independent pleasure reading.
Age Level: 5 - 7 Grade Level: K - 2
This video can be used to expand and follow up on the topic of Women in Science. Video provides a historical background to the life and accomplishments of Ada Lovelace. This book is a great companion to the book listed above. |
|
These articles are provided by Newsela, where text for each article posted is adaptive and is offered at five different levels to fit the wide range of reading skills on elementary school level. In addition, the content is both engaging and age-appropriate. Provided here, are two collections of articles. Students can browse through them and pick one or two (based on their interests) to read, analyze and then share with a partner or whole group. Teachers also have an option of assigning specific articles to their students. Free registration for educators and students is required for full content access. |
This article, published on NPR’s All Tech considered explores the history of females who pioneered computer programming and the current position of female computer engineers and scientists.
The article is accompanied by the Podcast from the NPR News Morning Edition where the hosts talk to journalist Laura Sydell about her recent interview with the students of Stanford University and author Walter Isaacson. The interview discussed the current role of females in the computer science as well as draws parallels to the historical figures such as Ada Lovelace.
*Move the cursor to the bottom of the image for the live link
This book is a collection of images (photographs) which serve an affirmation of the fact that it’s what’s inside you that counts. This resource can be used in the classroom to convey this powerful message to every girl to help her build strong self esteem as well as to all boys and adults to portray an accurate and real image of a female figure.
Age Level: 8-12 Grade Level: 3-6
This article was originally published by The Washington Post and then adapted
by Newsela staff examines a photo that eventually uncovered a great
historical background that was used as basis for the film (and now a children’s book)
described below.
*Move the cursor to the bottom of the image for the live link
|
HIDDEN FIGURES is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)-brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big (RottenTomatoes.com)
|
The film’s (Hidden Figures) Soundtrack reinforces the theme of perseverance. With some contemporary production touches, everything is based in '60s pop-soul-an unflaggingly upbeat and positive sound with bobbing horn charts, finger snaps, and gospel-style refrains galore. All songs on this soundtrack fit well with the subject matter, but I See A Victory by Pharrell Williams is perhaps most uplifting.
They'll call it a mystery But we're gonna call it victory We'll be writing history It's gonna be victory The song is about the necessity of reminding ourselves that everything's going to be OK. But it also parallels the early '60s with what women are going through to today. The lyrics of the song can be used to study metaphors as well as overall implications of history and how the current generations are affected by it. |
|