Women's History Month

Before the 1970's, the topic of women's history was largely missing from general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a "Women's History Week" celebration in 1978 and chose the week of March 8 to coincide with International Women's Day.

The celebration was met with positive response, and schools began to host their own Women's History Week programs. The next year, leaders from the California group shared their project at a Women's History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. Other participants not only became determined to begin their own local Women's History Week projects but also agreed to support an effort to have Congress declare a national Women's History Week.

In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) cosponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming a "Women's History Week." In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to expand the celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women's History Month Resolution has been approved every year with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

Utah Standards

Library Media/Information Literacy: Standard 4.2 -- Evaluate and select information in terms of authority, completeness, relevance, format, point of view, reliability, and timeliness; 5. Students will organize, synthesize, and present information.

Grade 10 Language Arts -- Writing: Standard 3 -- (Inquiry/Research/Oral Presentation): Students will understand the process of seeking and giving information in conversations, group discussions, written reports, and oral presentations. Grade 6: Objective 6 -- Write in different forms and genres: Produce informational text (e.g., book reports, cause/effect reports, compare/contrast essays, observational/research reports, content area reports, etc).

U.S. History: Standard 3: Students will Investigate reform movements and their prominent leaders. Standard 9: Investigate the fight for political, economic, and social equality of women.

Assign your students to address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add, delete, or substitute others if appropriate). These questions will motivate and guide students to create reports or presentations that integrate original thought and help develop their critical thinking skills. Students should use and cite at least three resources from Researcher in written reports of 150-200 words or presentations of two to three minutes.

• Why were women denied equal rights in the past and still are today?
  
  
• Who were the three most significant leaders of the women's rights movement and why?
  
  
• In what ways did the lack of equal rights and political influence affect the overall progress of our country?
  
  
• What strategies used by women were the most effective in gaining rights and why?
  
  
• What additional rights do women demand today, and do you think they are justified?
  
  
• How do women's rights in the U.S. compare to women's rights in other developed countries of the world?
  
  
• Why does researching the struggle for women's rights have value for all students?

Pathfinder: Type "Women's History" in the Subject Heading search box > Click Search > Select the Women's History link.

Here are some links to new ProQuest models that students can use for their PowerPoint (issues and essential questions) or written reports.

On November 4, 2008, the United States will hold its 55th election for president and vice president. Prior to this date is the primary season, which commenced in early January in Iowa and New Hampshire and culminates in the party conventions in late summer to select each party's nominee for president. The candidates leading in the Democratic race are Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The Republican contenders are former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Senator John McCain.

Researcher has created a special Leading Issue to help teachers and students better understand democracy in action. Just as in all Leading Issues, students are given three phases to support their understanding and develop their critical thinking: Overview, Issues, and My Analysis. My Analysis includes the unique Researcher five-step process that ensures that students address the essential questions for critical thinking in their analysis.

This analysis can integrated into a choice of four productions that are supported by unique models for teachers and students: Research Paper; Mini-Research Paper; PowerPoint Presentation; or a Mini-Debate.

Pathfinder: Click the icon for Election 2008 in the Pro vs. Con section > Click the My Analysis tab > Follow the five-step directions.

Assign your students to address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add, delete, or substitute others if appropriate). These questions will motivate and guide students to create reports or presentations that integrate original thought and help develop their critical thinking skills. Students should use and cite at least two articles and one website in addressing the essential questions. Assign either a written report of about 150 words or an oral report/presentation of about two minutes.

• Why were American women denied equal rights in the past and still are today?
  
  
• Who were the three of the most significant leaders of the women's rights movement and why?
  
  
• What are two additional rights that women demand today, which is the most important, and why?
  
  
• Why does researching the struggle for women's rights have value for all students?

Pathfinder: Select the Subject Headings search option:

• Type "Women's History" and Search
  
  
• Click the link Women, History
  
  
• Note: Results include 15 Articles
  
  
• Click the WebFind Sites tab
  
  
• Note: 30 websites on this topic

Here are some links to new ProQuest models that students can use for their PowerPoint (issues and essential questions) or written reports.

Pathfinder: CultureGrams World Edition

Here are the instructions:

1. Divide the students into groups of two. Assign one to be the group writer and one the group speaker.
   
   
2. Divide the blackboard into the following categories: religious norms, societal norms, personal choice, and family culture.
   
   
3. Discuss how each area can impact relationship choices.
   
   
4. Assign each group in the class five different CultureGrams, each country from a different continent, but each will include India.
   
   
5. Have each group scan the Dating and Marriage and Family sections of their assigned CultureGrams.
   
   
6. Have the students in each group create an informal chart organizing each country according to the categories listed on the board.
   
   
7. Give the students 15-20 minutes to complete this in-class assignment.
   
   
8. Have each of the group speakers come up and explain a bit about their assigned countries.
   
   
9. Have the students list their countries on the board under the category that most influences the natives' dating and relationship choices.
   
   
10. Conduct an in-class discussion about aspects of U.S. American culture regarding dating, marriage, and family life.

Assign the students to answer the following essential questions for critical thinking (add some of your own):

• What differences exist in the expectations for women vs. men in these relationships?
  
  
• What similarities are there to the countries listed on the board? What differences?
  
  
• How does each culture value the rights of women?