1998 marked the 150th Anniversary of a movement by women to achieve
full civil rights in the United States. Over the past seven generations,
dramatic social and legal changes have been accomplished that are now
so widely accepted that they go unnoticed by people whose lives they
have changed. Many people who have lived through the recent decades
of this process have come to blithely accept what has transpired. Moreover,
younger people, for the most part, can hardly believe life was ever
otherwise.
This was not so in South Africa, a country that was ruled until 1990
by apartheid. Not only did laws separate whites and blacks, but men
and women were also separated by both political and ethical beliefs.
Since the end of apartheid in 1990, many things have changed in South
Africa for both Black South Africans as well as women.
In this lesson, students will explore how famous women helped pave the
way for progress in many areas of our everyday lives. At the same time,
they will see that despite what happens in this country, women in many
other countries are still breaking down barriers whose absence we here
in the United States have come to accept as the norm. Through the use
video and the Internet, students will explore and research various famous
women, then collaboratively construct animated storybooks about these
women and their contributions to society. This "hands-on"
activity allows students to choose from several famous women in all
fields from medicine to sports and write about them and their accomplishments.
Students will be able to:
- Analyze the changing roles of African women in the post apartheid
world of South Africa.
- Research famous women from around the world, particularly those
who helped advance woman's place in society. Using the World Wide
Web, students will identify a famous woman and complete a short Web
quest about the women they selected.
- Evaluate and disseminate the information they have obtained during
their research into a short story about their selected famous figure.
- Apply critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving skill
as they construct their animated storybooks.
- Write a clear, concise, and organized story about their selected
famous figure.
- Explain how women from the past and present have helped contribute
to the advancement of society in general, as well as to the advancement
of women's roles in the world as a whole.
- Design and create their own animated storybook using spatial relationships
as related to basic geometric shapes.
New York State Learning Standards for Social Studies
http://www.nysatl.nysed.gov/ssstand.html
Standard 1
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning
points in the history of the United States and New York.
Standard 5
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental
system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution;
the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles,
rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.
New York State Learning Standards for English Language Arts
http://www.nysatl.nysed.gov/engstand.html
Standard 1
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding.
As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas;
discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge
generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers
and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the
accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply,
and transmit information.
New York State Learning Standards for the Arts
http://www.nysatl.nysed.gov/artstand.html
Standard 1
Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation
and performance in the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) and
participate in various roles in the arts.
Standard 2
Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and
resources available for participation in the arts in various roles.
National Council for the Social Studies Standards for Grades 5-12
http://www.educationworld.com/standards/national/soc_sci/index.shtml
NSS-USH.5-12.9
Students understand the economic boom and social transformation of the
postwar United States and understand the struggles for racial and gender
equality and the extension of civil liberties.
National Council of Teacher of English Standards for grades K-12
http://www.educationworld.com/standards/national/arts/visual_arts/9_12.shtml
NL-ENG.K-12.1
Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding
of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and
the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands
of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment.
NL-ENG.K-12.4
Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate
effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
NL-ENG.K-12.6
Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions,
media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, analyze, and
discuss print and non-print texts.
Video:
Africa # 8: Southern Treasure
Web sites:
Distinguished
Women of the Past
http://www.netsrq.com/~dbois/
This site has biographies of women who contributed to our culture in
many different ways. There are writers, educators, scientists, heads
of state, politicians, civil rights crusaders, artists, entertainers,
and others. Some were alive hundreds of years ago, and some are living
today.
National
Women's Hall of Fame
http://www.greatwomen.org/home.php
In 1969, a group of women and men in Seneca Falls created the National
Women's Hall of Fame, believing that the contribution of American women
deserved a permanent home in the small village where it all began. The
Web site has been a catalyst in the expansion of knowledge, appreciation,
and understanding of women's contributions to the development of our
nation.
Art
Attacks
http://www.artattack.co.uk/menu_artattacks.html
From the UK, this site features Neil Buchanan, the colorful, talented
host and artistic creator of the well-known TV show that is also shown
in Canada. There are lots of interactive arts and crafts as well as
games that children can discover on this site.
Pop-Ups
http://www.makersgallery.com/joanirvine/howto.html
Joan Irvine, the author of How to Make Pop-Ups has created this page
to help children make animated pop-ups. These step-by-step instructions
are just one style of animated pop-up pages that students can create
in their books.
Per student:
- 1 Pencil
- 1 Famous Women Internet Scavenger Hunt/Web Quest Sheet
- 1 Focus for Media Interaction Worksheet
- Introductory Activity Materials: Famous Faces
Per group of 3-4 students:
- 1 Set of Famous Faces pictures/names
- 1 Set of Famous Faces descriptors
- Culminating Activity Materials: Famous Women Animated Story Book
- 3 Animated Storybook Student Design Guides and Research Organizers
- 1 Pack of Construction Paper (assorted colors)
- 1 Pair of Scissors
- 1 Bottle of Glue/Glue Stick
- 1 Set of Crayons/Markers/Colored Pencils (with a minimum of 16 colors)
- 1 Computer with Internet Access
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