Seminar in Teaching American History
Women in Early American History
Dr. Susan Williams, Instructor
Student: Kay Alverson-Hillman
Date: Aug. 22, 2006
Lesson plan
Class: U.S. History I (II)
Unit: The Age of Reform: Progressivism and the New Deal, 1900-1940
Standards: Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, Aug. 2003
• USI.33 Analyze the goals and effect of the antebellum women’s suffrage
movement. (H)
A. the 1848 Seneca Falls convention
B. Susan B. Anthony
C. Margaret Fuller
D. Lucretia Mott
E. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Seminal Primary Documents to be Read: the Seneca Falls Declaration of
Sentiments and Resolutions (1848)
• USII.8 Analyze the origins of Progressivism and important Progressive leaders,
and summarize the major accomplishments of Progressivism. (H, E)
Policies
H. the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920
Topic: Women’s rights in Fitchburg, MA
Statement of purpose: Having researched the role of women in Fitchburg’s history at
the Fitchburg Historical Society (hours: M, T 10:00 – 4:00; W 10:00 – 6:00), I came upon
two reading selections that should interest and inspire students studying the history of
women from the Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester in 1850 to the passage of the
Nineteenth Amendment in1920. The memoirs of the two authors and extended research
should provide substantial information to discuss, analyze, interpret and speculate the
new opportunities and freedoms that women had long been awaiting.
Essential question: What effect does gender have on freedom?
Learning objectives: Students will be able to:
1. identify and define woman suffrage
2. describe and discuss the goals or purpose of the Women’s
Rights Movement
3. identify the ratification of the 19th. Amendment and its
impact
4. analyze the impact the movement had on two Fitchburg
natives, each being females, approximately 100 years apart
5. present a power point presentation on 1 point of personal
interest discovered in the assigned readings and/or research
Time: 6 classes
Materials: copies of Girl from Fitchburg, Bernardine Kielty Scherman, pp. 2-32
Memories of Seventy Years, Maria Mann Woodbury, pp. 3-67
Day 1:
1. On an overhead, display the image below. Class will begin with description and
discussion of the image.
• What is the message of this political cartoon?
• Describe the role of “gender” in the image.
• How does clothing portray gender?
• What time period do you believe this to be?
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?suffrg:1:./temp/~ammem_MdC5::
2. Hand out K-W-L-H graphic organizer for students to respond to the following
prompt questions: What do you know about women’s history?
What is the root word in suffrage?
Can you name some famous women recognized throughout
history, world and/or U.S.?
Students will discuss “What we know.”
Students will continue to add to the chart throughout the week as they research the
Women’s Rights Movement.
http://www.writedesignonline.com/organizers/evaluate.html
K - Recall what you KNOW about women’s history
W - Determine what you WANT to learn.
L - Identify what you LEARNed as you read and researched.
H - HOW you can learn more (NCREL, 1988)
3. The class will be divided into two groups, “TO” and “FROM.” One group will
receive copies of Girl From Fitchburg (“TO”) and Memories of Seventy Years
(“FROM”). A directions sheet, graphic organizer, map of Fitchburg and
package of post-ums will be handed to each student.
¾ Directions: Each member of the group receives a copy of one of two memoirs
written by Fitchburg women. The Memories of Seventy Years, by Maria Mann
Woodbury, follows the life of the daughter of a tavern-keeper who left (“FROM”)
Fitchburg to become a school teacher in the late 19th. Century. The second is Girl
from Fitchburg, by Bernardine Kielty Scherman, daughter of an immigrant who
became a journalist in the 20th. Century and returns (“TO”) Fitchburg.
Each member of the two groups is to complete the reading handed him/her by Day 6.
Each group will decide daily the number of pages to be completed for the next day’s
class. While reading, (s)he is to:
1. fill in the graphic organizer with pertinent historical information as related to
the author and women’s history (role of the woman in society at this time,
names of people associated with the movement, etc.)
2. as they read, they are to locate the places mentioned on the map of Fitchburg
3. they are to begin a record time line of the memories of these women
4. as they read, they will use the post-ums to write their questions, observations,
of the memoirs being read. Their post-ums notes will be used to generate
discussion among the group the following day. They are to daily put the postums in a page of their notebooks for “taking notes” and review purposes.
5. Final project handout
¾ Directions:
1. Point of view comes from gender, occupation, culture, religious affiliation,
purpose for communicating the information, the audience who is being
addressed and social class. The student is to select one aspect researched
in the week’s lesson of the Women’s Rights Movement. That aspect is to
reflect his/her point of view on the essential question: What effect does
gender have on freedom?
2. Selecting 5 images for a power point presentation, (s)he must provide a
thorough and comprehensive pictorial and written report on how his/her
selection has helped to impact the woman’s role in the U.S. today.
6. Assessment:
Graphic organizers (cluster organizer, timeline, Venn diagram) @ 10%
Post-um notes and group discussion notes taken during class @ 20%
Journal responses @ 30%
Power Point project 40%
1.) Name: ____________________________
Date: ________________________
Author: ___________________________
Title: ________________________
Copyright date: ________________
Cluster organizer @ http://www.eduscapes.com/tap/topic73.htm
2.) Map of Fitchburg @ http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=2945.
Go to the “Fitchburg locator map” after which there are hyper links to historical maps.
Day 2: (long block)
1. Students will divide into their two respective groups. Color-coded group
responsibilities’ cards will be handed out: “task master,” “discussion leader,”
“recorder,” and “time keeper.” The students will have 15 minutes to discuss
the reading assignment from the previous night. They should have all their
graphic organizers on their desks for reference and note-taking. Assessment of
reading assignment: completed organizers and post-ums.
2. Four corners: each group will be subdivided into smaller groups to make word
splashes on flip charts of the following as pertaining to their reading:
Fitchburg
Society’s view of women
Discrimination
Youth
Class will summarize the four corners activity.
3. Definition of “suffrage,” “woman’s suffrage On an overhead, display
definition of suffrage with political cartoon. Have a student read the rights
denied on the tape binding the woman.
How do the underlined words in the definition capture the movement?
suf·frage
n.
1.
a. The right or privilege of voting; franchise.
b. The exercise of such a right.
2. A vote cast in deciding a disputed question or in electing a person to office.
3. A short intercessory prayer.
http://www.answers.com/topic/suffrage
4. Hand out copies of “Declaration of Sentiments” and the 19th. Amendment. Divide
documents into sections to be read aloud by students. Have students decide which
sections they consider to be most important.
“Declaration of Sentiments” @ http://www.nps.gov/wori/declaration.htm
19th. Amendment @
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/amendment_19/
5. Hand out the following comment that will serve as a 1 page journal response to be
handed in.
“Consider this for a moment: Women were a poor and disenfranchised class when they
first organized to gain political power in the mid-1800s. Their struggle for the ballot took
over 70 years of constant, determined campaigning, yet it did not take a single life, and
its success has endured. Without firing a shot, throwing a rock, or issuing a personal
threat, women won for themselves rights that men have launched violent rebellions to
achieve. The suffragists' deliberate rejection of violence may be one of the reasons the
movement has not received the attention that is lavished on other, more bloody periods of
American history.”
http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/suffrage.htm
Day 3:
1. Sign-up for computer lab.
2. Class will begin with discussion for 15 minutes of previous night’s reading in
their respective groups, responsibilities cards handed to different members of
group to lead discussion. Each group will be assigned the two respective websites
and activity to research in the computer lab as pertaining to Maria Mann
Woodbury and Bernardine Kielty Scherman.
¾ Directions for the “FROM” group:
1. Go to http://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/about.html
2. Click on “Teaching Timeline.” There are 20 sections of historical
information. Divide them among your group to read and report
back.
3. Click on “Schoolhouse Pioneers.” Read the biographical
information of Catherine Beecher.
4. Answer the following question as a journal response to be
handed in: Why was teaching considered a “safe” and
appropriate occupation for women in the era of Maria Mann
Woodbury?
¾ Directions for the ”TO” group:
1. Go to http://npc.press.org/wpforal/ohhome.htm
2. Click on and read “Interview Preface and Project Description.”
3. Click on “List of Women Interviewed.”
4. Decide among the group to each read a different interview of a woman
journalist to report back to the group.
5. Answer the following question as a journal response to be handed in:
What obstacles and/or hurdles did women encounter on the road to
becoming accepted in the world of journalism?
Day 4:
1. Sign-up for computer lab.
2. Class will begin with discussion for 15 minutes of previous night’s reading in
their respective groups, responsibilities cards handed to different members of
group to lead discussion.
3. Students will research the Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, 1850 @
http://www.wwhp.org/Resources/. They will click on the following links to
read about our local women’s rights movement.:
GENERAL INFORMATION
•
•
•
The "Woman Question"
Woman's Rights in Worcester
Why Worcester?
1850 CONVENTION
•
Members of the 1850 Convention – Students are to research any “locals” in
attendance
OTHER MATERIALS
¾ Directions:
1. Students will select any one article of their choice to
read to respond as a journal entry.
2. They then will go to
http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/vfwhtml/vfwhome.html to
select one image from the collection to accompany their
report of the article chosen to read.
3. They must save the image with their written report to be
handed in.
Day 5:
1. Sign-up for computer lab.
2. Class will begin with discussion for 15 minutes of previous night’s
reading in their respective groups, responsibilities cards handed to
different members of group to lead discussion.
3. Students will research their images to be used in their power point
presentation from suggested websites below:
By Popular Demand: “Votes for Women”
http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/vfwhtml/vfwhome.html
Women Working, 1800-1930
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/photos.html
National Women’s Hall of Fame
http://www.greatwomen.org/
Political Culture and Imagery of American Woman Suffrage
http://www.nmwh.org/exhibits/exhibit_frames.html
National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/
Day 6:
Each student will receive a Venn Diagram to first fill in the section with
information about their author. Each group will confer and “report out” the life of
either Maria Mann Woodbury in Fitchburg in 1900 or Bernardine Kielty
Scherman in Fitchburg in 1964 and what these readings had to do with women’s
rights. While each group is reporting, the other students will fill in the section of
the diagram with information reported about the other author. Upon completion,
each group will address the middle section of the diagram to list any similarities
between the two women.
Question of the day: Did you learn anything new about your home town by
reading these memoirs?
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/hmss05/bke/gfxorganizers/index.html
Day 7:
1. The class will begin with the essential question:
What effect does gender have on freedom?
2. Presentations of the power point projects.
Rubric for assessment:
Name: _______________________
Date: _______________
Topic: _______________________
4
EXCELLENT
GOOD
CRITERIA
Planning and Layout
Subject
Presentation
3
The 5 slides are in
logical order, with
important
information,
colors, fonts, &
graphics indicated.
Subject knowledge
is evident
throughout the
project. All
information is clear
and correct.
Effectively
integrates spoken
and visual
presentation. A
high degree of
organization, eye
appeal, and
effective delivery.
Excellent eye
contact and
knowledge o
subject. Does not
refer to notes very
much
2
1
NEEDS
UNACCEPTABLE
IMPROVEMENT
The 5 slides
are in
sequential
order and are
informative
The slides are not in
logical order & have
incomplete information
Few slides and no
overview of presentation
Knowledge
is evident in
much of the
project.
Most
information
is clear and
correct.
integrates
spoken and
visual
presentation.
Organization
apparent and
appealing.
Maintains
balanced eye
contact
between
audience and
note cards.
Knowledge is evident in
much of the project.
Most information is
clear and correct.
Subject knowledge is not
evident. Information is
confusing, incorrect, and
flawed.
Spoken and visual
presentation not well
integrated. Some
organization is evident.
Some eye contact but
much reading.
Spoken and visual
presentation difficult to
follow and understand.
Little eye contact.
Reads material from
notes
© 2000-2005 TeacherWeb, Inc.
Bibliography
Kielty Schermann, Bernardine. Girl from Fitchburg. New York: Random House, 1964.
Woodbury, Maria Mann. Memories of Seventy Years. Hartford: The Case Lockwood
& Brainard Co., 1900.