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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS – PATHWAYS
LESSON MODULE
Amanda Schwendinger, Alexis Meyer,
Sara Fisher, Naomi Urban, Chelsea Kluesner
College of Education
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls IA
Title: Women’s Roles in World War II
Theme: American Diversity
Historical Period: World War II 1929­1945
Lesson Module Overview: Students will actively learn about women's role during World War II
through analyzing posters from the World War II era. Students will be engaged in activities
pertaining to Women on the Homefront, Rosie the Riveter, Political and Military Leadership, as
well as women’s roles in the armed forces. Students will create their own stories based on
pictures of women working. Students will write their own song and a presentation poster as well
as a powerpoint. Throughout these lessons, students will investigate the role of women during
World War II and the significance of women’s roles throughout the war.
Grade Range: Intermediate Level (3rd­5th)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lesson Module Day One:
3
Title: Women on the Homefront
Lesson Module Day Two:
7
Title: Rosie the Riveter
Lesson Module Day Three:
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Title: Women’s role in the military
Lesson Module Day Four:
Title: Women in Political and Military Leadership
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Appendix I: Images and Graphic Materials
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Appendix II: Bibliography and Webography
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LESSON MODULE
DAY 1
Title: Women on the Homefront
Learning Goals:
Knowledge
● Students will develop an understanding of the responsibilities women took on at the
homefront during World War II.
● Students will understand the expected role women played in the household and make
comparison to the new roles developed.
● Students will reinforce prior knowledge of ‘typical’ jobs women pursued in this time
period.
● Students will analyze the emotional change and challenges of women during this time
period.
Skills
● Students will create a narration based on an image to reinforce knowledge of women on
the homefront during WWII.
● Students will demonstrate understanding by creating a voicethread and presenting it to
the class.
● Students will practice 21st century skills by working collaboratively on a research project.
Dispositions
● Students will begin to investigate the perspectives of women on the homefront by
practicing critical thinking process and reflecting to make real life connections.
National Council for the Social Studies Themes:
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands
Culture: Social studies programs should integrate experience, observation, reflection, and
identify elements of culture as well as similarities and differences across time and place.
Time, Continuity, and Change: Social studies programs should reflect historical experiences
of societies, peoples, and nations revealing patterns of continuity and change.
Civics Ideals and Practices: Social studies programs should include application of civic ideals
as a part of citizenship and practice the exercise of democratic freedoms and the pursuit of the
common good.
Materials Needed:
● Access to technology (computers or IPads)
● Internet access
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●
Prepared list of feasible tasks for the simulation
Lesson Procedures:
Introduction
Simulation: Throughout the school day add tedious tasks onto the student’s normal work starting
from morning until the time this lesson will be taught. Expect students to continue to do their daily
work but incorporate a list of miscellaneous chores that must be completed before this lesson.
For example: classroom chores (sorting books, handing back papers, cleaning, organizing, etc.)
This simulation will be used later on as a reflection to discuss how women on the homefront felt
during WWII when they were expected to maintain a family, household responsibilities, and work
the job force as well.
1. Using 2 pictures (#1, #2, Appendix I ) have students describe the pictures by
answering 3 questions relating to what they see and recording their answers.
1. What do you think is happening in this picture?
2. What year do you think this picture was taken?
3. Why did you choose the answers you gave for questions 1 and 2?
2. After time is given for students to answer the questions, as a class begin to share and
discuss answers. Prompt students to include reasoning behind thoughts. When discussion is
finished, explain to students that over this unit we are going to be exploring the role of women
during WWII. “For today’s lesson, we are going to be investigating the roles of women on the
homefront.”
3. Start by asking basic questions and concepts about WWII (i.e. What was home like? How
was daily life? What kind of jobs did women do during this time period? etc.) Get students
thinking.
○ This will give an insight as to what prior knowledge students have about women
during this time period and their concepts in relation to WWII.
4. In collaborative teams, allow students to use technology to research the role of women on the
homefront during WWII. Have them record and gather information to refer to throughout lesson.
Development
1. After intensive researching, students will be working in their collaborative groups to select a
picture of a woman working a ‘mans’ job during WWII back at the homefront. (#1­10, Appendix I).
They will then use their new knowledge and apply this by creating a narration of what is
happening in the picture. Encourage students to be creative and apply their research.
2. Pictures and student narrations will be uploaded to a website https://voicethread.com/ This
website allows students to upload a picture and create a voice recording to narrate the picture
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how they choose.
3. Each student should participate in recording. (1­2 sentence per student)
4. Provide guidelines on what to include in narration and which pictures to choose.
5. The objective is to have students create a profile of who this person is, their background, their
role during WWII, etc.
Guidelines
● Create a description for this photo
● Audio must be at least 2 minutes in length and must not exceed 5 minutes
● Each group member must participate in narration
● Must include an appropriate name, date, and location
● Be creative and proficient to demonstrate understanding
“This is a picture of Lucille Stinson. Her husband was deployed to war and she was held
responsible to take on his factory job at a farming implement. Lucy has 4 children under the age
of 10 years old and lives on a farm outside of Cedar Falls, IA. Before her husband’s deployment
in World War II, Lucy was a caretaker of her children and the household. Lucy is working to gain
skills in order to keep her position as a factory worker. She is struggling to juggle her household
responsibilities, children, and her husband’s position….”
(This passage is an example of a voice narration underneath a designated picture on
voicethread.)
Culmination
1. Allow students class time to work in their collaborative groups to finish this project.
● Time should be given for intensive research in regards to women on the
homefront.
● Time should be given for the selection of an image and to write the narration.
● Time should be given for groups to upload and record narration onto website.
● Make sure students have played their voicethread to make sure it runs smoothly.
2. Groups will take turn sharing their voicethreads with their classmates. (allow 3­5 minutes per
group)
3. Voicethread is a public site that allows anyone to view photos and listen to narrations, so at
any given time down the road these projects will be accessible.
Assessment
1. Wrap up voicethread presentations with a short discussion. Encourage students to point out
ideas and narrations they liked and found accurate.
2. Have students get out a sheet of notebook paper and either write the following questions on
the board or orally explain them. (This will be collected by you for assessment)
● How do you think women on the homefront felt during World War II? Provide 3­4
sentences on why you feel this way.
● Reflect. Today you may have noticed that there were extra tasks and chores
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●
●
incorporated into our day. How did it make you feel when you were expected to
pursue daily activities and yet find time to do other work?
Can you make any connections to how that made you feel in comparison or
contrast to how women back home felt when they took on the jobs of their
deployed men?
Wrap up. Provide an overall summary of what you have learned from our lesson
“Women on the Homefront.” and how it helped shaped the way society began to
look at women after the war ended. (at least 3­4 sentences)
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LESSON MODULE
DAY 2
Title: Rosie the Riveter
Learning Goals:
Knowledge
● Students will understand the purpose of advertising.
● Students will understand the development of Rosie the Riveter and how she affected the
homefront during WWII.
Skills
● Students will participate in discussions about Rosie the Riveter and their understanding
of her.
● Students will create a song displaying their understanding of Rosie the Riveter.
Dispositions
● Students will develop the ability to see different perspectives through class discussion.
National Council for the Social Studies Themes:
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands
Culture: Social studies programs should integrate experience, observation, reflection, and
identify elements of culture as well as similarities and difference across time and place.
People, Places, and Environments: Social studies programs should include experiences that
provide for the study of people, places, and environments.
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: Social studies programs should include experiences
that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions.
Civic Ideals and Practices: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide
for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.
Materials Needed:
Current Ads
Image of Rosie the Riveter ad (# 11 ­ Appendix I)
Image of Rosie the Riveter on a building (#12 ­ Appendix I)
Rosie the Riveter Song (Appendix II)
Rosie the Riveter by Christine Petersen (Appendix II)
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Lesson Procedure:
Introduction
1. Hook the students by looking at current ads that influence us.
2. Have students turn to a partner and discuss on of the ads shown.
3. Discuss as a whole group how the ads hooked them and made them want to buy their
product with questions.
● What made you want to buy the product?
● Do you think the person in the picture really uses the product?
● What tactics do you think the producers of your ad used to hook people?
4. Then show the Rosie the Riveter ad (Images 11 and 12 in Appendix A).
5. Have students tell what they think about the ad to their partner.
6. Ask students questions about this ad do discuss as a whole group.
● What do you think this ad is trying to do?
● What do you think the context of this ad is?
● Do any of you know the women in this ad?
Development
1. Read Rosie the Riveter by Christine Petersen (Appendix B).
2. Discuss with the students
● How Rosie the Riveter had an impact on women at home during WWII.
● Who Rosie the Riveter was.
● What Rosie the Riveter symbolized.
● What jobs women had in the workforce.
3. Ask: Considering the simulation from yesterday and reading about Rosie the Riveter today,
what would you do if you were a women at home during WWII. Discuss with a partner first, and
then as a whole group.
Culmination
1. Listen to Rosie the Riveter by The Four Vagabonds (Appendix B).
2. Have students respond to the song by writing a paragraph of what they thought of the song.
3. Have students get into groups, and have them create a Rosie the Riveter song incorporating
everything they have learned about her. This can be done on a computer program, or by writing
the lyrics on paper depending on the time allotted to this project.
Assessment
1. Students create a Rosie the Riveter song in groups.
2. Students will then share their song to the class. Depending on how the students made the
song, they will play their version off the computer or sing the song to the class.
3. The song will then be graded by a predetermined rubric based on content.
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LESSON MODULE
DAY 3
Title: Women’s role in the military WAC, WAVE, WASPS
Learning Goals:
Knowledge
● Students will classify what the WAC, WAVE, and WASPS roles in the army were
● Students will recall how the army recruited men and women
● Students will discover how the women in the army changed during this time
Skills
● Students will compare photos and documents
● Students will create posters or Powerpoints
● Students will research pictures and use critical thinking to analyze them
Dispositions
● Students will appreciate the role women had in the military and through learning about
this time period appreciate what these women did for us today
National Council for the Social Studies Themes:
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands
Time, Continuity, and Change: Social studies programs should include experiences that
provide for the study of the past and its legacy.
People, Places, and Environment: Social studies programs should include experiences that
provide for the study of people, places, and environments.
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: Social studies programs should include experiences
that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions.
Materials Needed:
Access to technology, a computer or IPad for each group
Pictures from the library of congress­ Images 15, 16, and 17 in Appendix I
Websites for students to use to find their information
Poster board, other material for creating posters
Access to a printer
Overhead projector of some kind for presentations
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Lesson Procedure:
Introduction
1. Start with reviewing how many women served at home
a. Ask what they remember about Rosie the Riveter
b. Have them brainstorm some of the ways women served at home, in pairs
coming up with at least 1 specific example
2. Hook for this lesson by saying that many women also served in the war itself
3. Go over the three areas that women served, WACS, WAVES, and WASPS­ have
students first try to guess what they might stand for.
a. With pictures of posters from each, explain each acronym:
i.
WACS: Women's Army Corps
ii.
WAVES: Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service
iii.
WASPS: Women Airforce Service Pilots
Development
1. To develop what the students know about WACS, WAVES, and WASPS, split the
class into 3 or 6 six groups of students, depending on what is comfortable for the
class size and the amount of access to computers.
2. For each group, assign which branch of the army the group will research­ give
each group a list of websites they may use for their project.
3. Using the posters you provided (Appendix 15, 16, 17) and other online sources,
each group is to compile the information they learn in either a power point, a
poster, or a short paper that will be presented to the class.
4. The students are to have 2 or 3 class periods to work on the group assignment.
5. If needed, the teacher can help students brainstorm ideas and provide resources
that will help the students find information if they are struggling in that area.
Culmination
1. When each group is done, use the next class time to have each group present what they
learned about the branches of military the women served in.
2. Have a question time after each presentation, encouraging the students to ask each
other for more information on their topic and to clarify anything that was confusing to
them.
3. After each group has presented their information, have a whole group discussion about
how the women serving in the war helped end it sooner and who those women served as
a starting point for women in the military.
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Assessment
1. Using a rubric, each group will be assessed by the information they gather and their
group’s presentation. They will know what is on the rubric and what is expected of them.
2. They will all also be able to fill out individual assessments for each team member in order
to ensure that each member contributed equally.
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LESSON MODULE
DAY 4
Title: Women in Political and Military Leadership
Learning Goals:
Knowledge
● Students will discover that important women both on the homefront and warfront
impacted lives.
● Students will learn about important women leaders during WW.
Skills
● Students will research information about women leaders.
● Students will gather information and create a poster using this information.
● Students will give a presentation to the class about the women leader.
Dispositions
● Students will begin to recognize how other people can influence people’s lives.
● Students will examine that life was different for women and men back then. Not
everybody had the same rights as we do now.
● Students will look at other time periods in history and recognize influences of other
leaders.
National Council for the Social Studies Themes:
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands
Culture: Social studies programs should integrate experience, observation, reflection, and
identify elements of culture as well as similarities and difference across time and place.
Time, Continuity, and Change: Social studies programs should reflect historical experiences
of societies, peoples and nations reveal patterns of continuity and change.
Civics Ideals and Practices: Social studies programs should include application of civic ideals
as a part of citizenship and practice the exercise of democratic freedoms and the pursuit of the
common good.
Materials Needed:
Partners (4 students in each group)
Computer
Resource Materials
Poster
Images 13, 14
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Other materials students might need for poster and presentation
Lesson Procedure:
Introduction
1. Review information about how women’s lives were impacted during WWII.
2. Talk about how women's lives changed, what jobs they had and Rosie the Riveter.
3. Talk about how certain women stood out. Ask students if they remember any important
women from previous lesson of WACs, WASP and WAVES.
4. “I remember one important woman from our readings, Eleanor Roosevelt.”
Development
1. Show students pictures of Eleanor Roosevelt. Discuss with students about what she is
doing and how that could have impacted the war.
2. Talk about how Eleanor helped women during this time. What impact did she make on
women and men during WWII.
3. Explain to students that during this time many women made an impact, but some made
even more of an impact than others.
4. Explain to students that we are going to do a project.
5. Have students pair up with a computer and poster.
6. Have students research a women leader during WWII.
7. Have students research information and put it on the poster.
8. After 1 week of work time, students will share poster and information they found to the
class.
Culmination
1. Explain to students that we are going to do a project.
2. Have students pair up with a computer and poster.
3. Have students research a women leader during WWII.
4. Have students research information and put it on the poster.
5. After 1 week of work time, students will share poster and information they found to the
class.
Assessment
1. I will assess students using a rubric
2. They will be graded on the information shared, resources, presentation, and how well
they worked together.
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Appendix 1:
Images and Graphic Materials
from the Library of Congress
Image 1: Women work on a C­47 Douglas cargo transport at Douglas Aircraft Company in Long
Beach, California. Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 2: Mrs. Virginia Young (right) whose husband was a casualty of World War 2, acts as
supervisor in the Assembly and Repairs Department of the Naval Air Base in 1942. She helps
find living quarters for women workers from out of state, including Ethel Mann (pictured at left).
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 3: Frances Eggleston, 23, works on a pilot's window at Consolidated Aircraft Corp. in Fort
Worth, Texas. Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 4: A riveter works on a bomber at Consolidated Aircraft Corp. in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo
Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 5: Navy wives Eva Herzberg and Elve Burnham assemble bands for blood transfusion
bottles at Baxter Laboratories. Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 6: Agnes Cliemka, 23, checks the gasoline hose of a trailer before it's turned over to the
Air Force. Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 7: Gist inspector Mary Betchner inspects one of the 25 cutters for burrs before inserting it
into a howitzer at the Chain Belt Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 8: A woman does electrical assembly and installation work at Douglas Aircraft Company
in Long Beach, California. Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 9: A woman works on a motor at Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California.
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 10: Two women work on a bomber at Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach,
California. Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 11: Rosie the Riveter ad currently being used by feminist groups around the world.
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 12: “Rosie the Riveter mural on an abandoned building in Sacramento, California.”
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 13: Eleanor Roosevelt talking to a soldier on the goodwill tour in Great Britain during
World War II. Photo Credit: Library of Congress
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Image 14: Eleanor Roosevelt on goodwill tour in Great Britain during World War II. Photo
Credit:Library of Congress
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Image 15: A World War II recruiting poster for the Women’s Army Corp (WAC). Photo Credit:
Library of Congress
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Image 16: WWII waves poster painting. Photo credit: Library of congress.
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Image 17: Shirley Slade, WASP trainee Life magazine feature story. Photo Credit: Library of
Congress
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Appendix II:
Bibliography and Webligraphy
of Resources for Students and Teachers
Bibliography of Children’s literature
Adams, S. (2000). World War II. New York: Dorling Kindersley.
Adler A, D. (1991). A Picture Book of Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Holiday
House.
Atwood, K J. (2011). Women Heroes of World War II: 26 Stories of Espionage,
Sabotage, Resistance, and Rescue. Chicago: Chicago Review Press.
Colman, P. (1995). Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the homefront in World
War II. New York: Crown Publishers.
Cooney, B. (1999). Eleanor. Penguin Publisher
Freedman, R. (1997). Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery. New York: Clarion
Books.
Jack, J.(2009). Science on the homefront: American women scientists in World
War II. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Petersen, C. (2005). Rosie the Riveter. New York: Children's Press.
Price, S. (2009). Rosie the Riveter: Women in World War II. Chicago, Ill.:
Raintree/Fusion.
Thompson, G. (2004). Who was Eleanor Roosevelt?. Penguin Publisher
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Webliography of Supporting Online Resources for Students
Library of Congress­ Women Come to the Front
This site focuses on war, women, and opportunity during World War II and provides
additional links and sources to research.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0002.html
American Women in World War II: On the H
omefront and Beyond
This site provides a background on the important roles women played both on the
homefront and in uniform during WWII.
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for­students/ww2­history/at­a­gl
ance/women­in­ww2.html
Women Memories and History
This website can be used by students for information about women leaders that can
be used to complete the poster and presentation in Lesson 4.
http://ww2memories.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/women­leaders­in­ww2/
Library of Congress: Experiencing War
This a collection of pictures from the library of congress that can be used by
students when looking for pictures of women in WWII. It can be used by students
during lesson 3 to complete their posters, powerpoints, and papers.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp­stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.00146/album
Webliography of Supporting Online Resources for Teachers
National Women’s History Museum­Partners in Winning the War: American
Women in WWII
This website shares information from an exhibit at the National Women’s History
Museum. This information can be useful for teachers because it gives general
information about women’s roles in WWII. This is important to make sure teachers
are sharing the right information with the students.
https://www.nwhm.org/online­exhibits/partners/exhibitentrance.html
Aerofiles: WAACs, WACs, WAFs, and WASPs
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This article goes into detailed description of the women in the air force throughout
WWII. It can be helpful for teachers looking for specific dates and training of the
women who served and how many there where at each point in time. It also talks
about the recruiting.
http://www.aerofiles.com/wafs.html
World War II era WAVES: Overview and Special Image Selection
This is an article in the Naval History and Heritage Command website which details who
women came into the navy, the role they played in WWII, and a selection of images that
go along with this topic.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/prs­tpic/females/wave­ww2.htm
Women’s History Lesson Plans­ Scholastic
This website provides a brief summary of women and WWII and provides a list of
questions to ask student’s along with an assortment of activity ideas to teach this
lesson.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/womww2.htm
Women and World War II: Women in the Government
This website provides a list and information of women leaders in government in
WWII. This can be used by teachers to provide a list of leaders for the students.
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/warwwii/a/government.htm
Rosie the Riveter by The Four Vagabonds
This is a Youtube video with a song about Rosie the Riveter. This song can be used
in lessons to inform students about Rosie the Riveter. It is also an example of what
women did while working on the homefront.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CQ0M0wx00s
Rosie the Riveter: Women Working During World War II
This is a website that provided information about women working during World War
II, and talks about Rosie the Riveter as a symbol for women in the workforce.
Teachers can use this website to inform themselves about working women in WWII
and Rosie the Riveter’s role.
http://www.nps.gov/pwro/collection/website/rosie.htm
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Rosie the Riveter
This website provides in depth information about Rosie the Riveter, and her role as
a symbol in World War II. The website also informs about women workers in World
War II. Teachers can use this website to get information in order to teach lessons
about women in WWII and Rosie the Riveter.
http://www.u­s­history.com/pages/h1656.html