Grade Level 7-12
Time for Activity: 1-2 hours

Objective
Students shall be able to do the following:

1. analyze important dates of women in history;
2. organize important dates of women in history;
3. interpret important dates of women in history; and
4. debate what event(s) they feel were most important for women in history.

TEACHER BACKGROUND
In the last 150 years, women have made impressive strides in all aspects of American society. Whether it be business, politics, athletics, science and technology, or societal reform, the accomplishments of women rank as some of the most important benchmarks in recent American history. It is important for these events to be recognized and analyzed to have a better understanding of their contribution to the culture in which we know and live.

PROCEDURE

1. Teacher hands out worksheet (that follows) detailing 61 events in women’s history.
2. Students (individually or in groups) will categorize/organize these 61 events into three categories: Women in Baseball, Women Changing Society and Women Breaking Barriers.
3. Students will decide which ten events from each category they feel are the most impressive.
4. Students will then create three different timelines (one for each category), inserting the ten events they previously chosen into their timelines. [Optional—timelines could be placed parallel from each other on banner paper or blackboard by several groups, or combined into one large timeline, to be analyzed by the class.]
5. Teacher should lead discussion comparing and contrasting events, their significance, and place in time. Teacher should encourage students to look for patterns of change, periods of rapid advancement, and possible setbacks for women.

Evaluation
Teacher may choose to grade individual components of the lesson or finished product as a whole, as well as classroom participation and discussion.

EXTENSIONS
Students may select one event or person and write a more-detailed account of the event or biography of the person.

NATIONAL STANDARDS

US History

1. Understands the extension, restriction, and reorganization of political democracy after 1800.
2. Understands the sources and character of cultural, religious, and social reform movements in the antebellum period.
3. Understands the causes and course of World War II, the character of the war at home and abroad, and its reshaping of the U.S. role in world affairs.
4. Understands domestic policies after World War II.
5. Understands the struggle for racial and gender equality and the extension of civil liberties.
6. Understands economic, social, and cultural developments in contemporary United States.

Language Arts

1. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
2. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
3. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
4. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).