Has life changed for American women in the last century, or are there common themes between the lives of 21st century women and the struggle of suffragettes from the 1910s? Explore the ways media reflects the position of women in the United States with a lesson plan from the National Women's History Museum. Learners view an online exhibit on women's suffrage before perusing modern magazines to compare the themes of both groups' dreams, goals, and realities.

Concepts

suffrage, women's suffrage, voting rights, women's rights

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Use in a journalism class when discussing the representation of women in the media
• Create a connection between social studies and language arts during a unit on women's suffrage or Women's History Month

Classroom Considerations

• Lesson was published in 2008, but the topic and instruction is relevant to the current year as well
• Requires covers of modern women's magazines; ask class members to collect magazines they have at home, or ask publication companies to donate copies of previous issues
• Prepare for a discussion of topics that one might find in a modern-day women's magazine

Pros

• Promotes critical thinking and comparison skills
• Applicable to many topics related to women's rights
• Includes a link to the museum's exhibit on suffragettes as well as the necessary graphic organizer

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.6-8.1 RH.9-10.1 RH.11-12.1