Use the following prompts and lesson plans to examine and learn more about Women’s History Month and/or prominent women in your content area.

WHM Film Lesson Plans 

• PBS Lesson Plan on life of Grace Abbott: Social Work Pioneer & Champion of Children, Immigrant, and Women’s Rights / 1878-1939
• PBS Lesson Plan on life of Zitkála-Šá/Gertrude Simmons Bonnin: Composer, Author & Indigenous Rights Activist / 1876-1938 
• PBS Lesson Plan on life of Margaret Chung: First American-Born Chinese Female Doctor / 1889-1959 
• PBS Lesson Plan on life of Gertrude Ederle: First Woman to Swim the English Channel / 1905-2003 
• PBS Lesson Plan on life of Meta Warrick Fuller: Trailblazing Sculptor & First African American Woman Recipient of Federal Art Commission / 1877-1968 
• PBS Lesson Plan on life of Queen Lili‘uokalani: First Sovereign Queen and Last Monarch of Hawai‘i / 1838-1917 
• PBS Lesson Plan on life of Jeannette Rankin: Suffragist, Peace Activist & First Woman Member of Congress / 1880-1973 
• PBS Lesson Plan on life of Maggie Lena Walker: Entrepreneur & First African American Woman Bank President / 1864-1934 

WHM Activities 

• Women of Accomplishment: An Internet Scavenger Hunt: Fun activity for WHM
• Why not a Woman?: Nominate a Woman for a National Holiday. 
• Bring Women’s History to Life in the Classroom: WHM Activities in various content areas. 
• BrainPop Women’s History Unit: Select a woman and learn about her! 
• Studying Female Poets to Understand History: Use poetry to learn about prominent woman poets. 
• The Untold History of Women in Strength Sports: Use this article to learn how women participated in strength sports in the 19th century. 

WHM Short Reflection Papers 

Use the following prompts to help guide your students 

1. Do we need a ‘Women’s History Month’? Why or why not?
2. Have women’s roles in society really changed over the last 100 years? If yes, discuss how and why. If no, explain why not. 
3. Which woman from this list do you think has most affected social change? Discuss why you think this. 
4. Which woman from this list do you think has most affected your subject area? Discuss why you think this. 
5. Which woman from this list do you think has most affected your own personal life? Discuss why you think this. 
6. What information would you like to see on this list that is not currently on this list? Why do you think this information is important? 
7. After attending an event for Women’s History Month (either in-person or via streaming or Zoom), discuss your reaction to that event using some of the concepts you’ve learned in your class(es). 
   • To illustrate, one WHM event featured a documentary about Patsy Mink, who led the reform movement to redefine gender equality in education via Title IX. After we screened the documentary about Patsy Mink, students in a sociology class wrote reaction papers where they applied theories of social movements to the life story of Patsy Mink. Having such a clear and powerful example of a person engaging in real-life social change allowed students to understand the theories at a much deeper level. 
8. What specific event or speaker would you like to see during Women’s History Month at WCC? Why do you think this would be important to include?