Language Arts / Social Studies
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INFUSING EQUITY BY GENDER INTO THE CLASSROOM:
A Handbook of Classroom Practices

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WOMEN IN RHODE ISLAND HISTORY
By: Catharine A. Fisher, Ph.D.

STANDARD: All students will be able to identify women who are leaders and achievers in the particular core content curriculum area.

GRADE LEVEL: 4-6, Also suitable for student teaching methods courses, practicum and student teaching experiences.

OBJECTIVE(S): Students will be able to identify famous women from Rhode Island’s history.

TIME: 2 or 3 class sessions

MATERIALS:

Women in Rhode Island History: Making a Difference. (March 1994). Providence, RI: The Providence Journal Co.  Reprinted with permission.

PROCEDURES:

  1. Review "How To Do Interviews."
  2. Help students develop a list of questions they might ask in an interview of a famous woman.
  3. Distribute copies of Women in Rhode Island History: Making a Difference (listing 23 women).  Many of these brief biographies have also been placed online by the Providence Journal at www.projo.com/special/women/main.htm
  4. Divide the students into their pairs and then have them choose 2 women from the booklet, until all women are selected. Assign: Silent Reading — 10 minutes.
  5. Have one student role-play a famous woman from R.I. while the other student interviews her and then switch places. Review the interview questions. Provide time to add any additional questions.
  6. For homework, have the students rehearse their roles. Note that each interview will be no more than 7 minutes. The interviews will take a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes if all 23 are done.

EXTENDED ACTIVITIES:

  1. Have the students name more recent women who are making history. Provide suggestions such as political figures or recent sports figures.
  2. Discuss why they are making history.
  3. Using the format of the article used from Women in Rhode Island History, have students (in pairs) write an article for a class publication; such as: Famous Women in 1998, Making a Difference.
  4. This same type of lesson and extended activities could be done with Famous Men in Rhode Island History.

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Language Arts / Social Studies