The role of women in the early film industry, both on screen and behind the scenes, is the focus of a resource that asks class members to analyze movie posters and DVD covers from the 1910s and 1920s. Using examples drawn from the National Women's History Museum's online exhibit Women in Early Film, pupils consider how societal attitudes toward gender, race, and sex influenced impacted the roles women played.

Concepts

famous women, women's history, film, women's history month

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

social studies

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• If all class members have access to the Internet, flip the lesson having learners read the articles out of class before returning for discussion
• Create a list of other early female directors (i.e., Vera Chytilova, Lina Wertmuller, Agnes Vardo, Ida Lupino, etc.) for individuals to research

Classroom Considerations

• Links are provided for browsers that do not support the plugins
• Expand the lesson to three days if reading the articles in class

Pros

• The resource includes background articles, images, film clips, and a project worksheet

Cons

• No rubric for the poster project is included

Common Core

RI.9-10.1 RI.11-12.1