Search form

Curriculum Center March Into
Women's History Month

Planning a March project to celebrate Women's History Month? Join us as we explore some of the best Web sites for and about women.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN...

The first Women's Rights Convention, held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, is generally regarded as the beginning of the Women's Rights Movement in the United States. Every year, Women's History Month activities and celebrations continue to educate and inspire men and women, young and old, to appreciate one another, to cooperate, and to achieve together.

Kids and adults across the country have the opportunity to participate in essay and poster contests, in parades and performances, in discussions and debates, honoring women and their contributions to their families, to their countries, and to their world.

To help you extend the educational experiences into your own classroom, Education World has visited a number of Web sites dedicated to Women's History Month and the Women's Rights Movement. We've chosen some of the best to share with you.

WHERE TO START?

"History looks different when the contributions of women are included."
 -- the National Women's History Project

One of the most comprehensive sources of information about the women's movement and Women's History Month can be found at The National Women's History Project. This organized and easy-to-use site includes such general resources as a history of the women's movement, information about historically important women, lists of women's groups and organizations, and a state-by-state guide to activities and celebrations. The site's Resource Center area, "designed to provide information and educational materials about multicultural womens history," includes a Teacher's Lounge and Parents Corner, while the Performers section will help you locate groups in your area who provide free educational programs about women's history. The site's extensive collection of links to other Women's History Month sites makes it a good place to begin your research.

EDUCATE THEM ...

Still looking for curriculum-related activities that connect to Women's History Month? Visit The Women in World History Curriculum Web site. Under Lessons you'll find activities related to women from ancient Rome to Mesopotamia, from the Dark Ages to World War II. This interactive site includes biographies of female heroes, reviews of classroom resources about women, words of wisdom, and links to other resources.

INSPIRE THEM ...

American Women: The Pioneers, an online Time-Life Photo Essay, presents a gallery of women who fought personal battles for gender equality at the turn of the 20th Century. Students can read about the commitment of Susan B. Anthony, the courage of Clara Barton, the tenacity of Belva Lockwood, the conscience of Eleanor Roosevelt, and more.

For more academic inspiration, students can read biographies of more than 125 women scientists at 4000 Years of Women in Science. The list encompasses almost all scientific disciplines and includes inventors, scholars, writers, mathematicians, and astronomers -- most of whom lived and worked prior to the 19th century. Encourage students to test their knowledge by taking an interactive quiz about the history of women in science or, if your browser is equipped with JAVA, to try the online crossword puzzle.

Included at this site are links to additional sites featuring women of science. Students can choose to visit -- and learn more about -- Women of NASA or Biographies of Women Mathematicians.

Finally, check out Distinguished Women of Past and Present. This Web site provides biographies of women in all fields of endeavor from all periods of history. The women featured contributed to society in many different ways and include writers, educators, scientists, politicians, crusaders, artists, and entertainers. Some lived hundreds of years ago, some are living today.

ADDITIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY SITES OF INTEREST

Women's History
About.com and the History Net feature articles on topics relating to women's history and illustrated biographies of historically important women. The articles and biographies focus on the contributions of those women and demonstrate how they helped change the lives of women today.

Celebrate National Women's History Month
Contains links to books and web sites about women's history and women's issues.

Women's History: A Guide to MTSU Library and Internet Resources
Includes references for encyclopedias, bibliographies, and multimedia resources about women and women's issues.

NOW Key Issues
The National Organization for Women's (NOW) site offers information on a variety of women's issues, including abortion, violence, affirmative action, and the workplace. The site might be a good resource for teachers looking for issues to discuss with older students.

Martha's Gender Equity in Education
"These pages contain hundreds of links to information for everyone who cares about the education of all children. The site was constructed to promote a heightened awareness of the need for gender equity in education for both girls and boys."

Take Our Daughters to Work Day
Visit the Ms. Foundation for Women's site to learn about this year's event.

The Congressional Resolution
Read the resolution declaring March Women's History Month.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The State of Women in the World Atlas, new edition, Joni Seager, Penguin Books, New York, 1997. This atlas provides maps of the world that illustrate statistics about women's lives in different parts of the world, allowing students to chart similarities and differences among those women. Statistics are provided on such topics as marriage and divorce rates, size of family households, percentages of families living in poverty, women athletes, types of work, status of pay, migrant workers, property ownership, and political.

The International Dictionary of Women's Biography, Jennifer S. Uglow, Compiler and Editor, Continuum, New York, 1982. This reference work features more than 1,500 biographies of women from many different historical periods. The subjects include national heroines, soldiers and spies, pioneers, and pirates.

The World's Women 1995, The Trends and Statistics, U.N. Publications, 2 United Nations Plaza, NY, NY. This publication includes statistics that provide a description of women's economic, political and social conditions worldwide over the last 20 years and show where women have improved and where they have not.


Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2006 Education World

Originally published 03/01/2002
Updated 03/04/2013