Honoring an Important Woman

A WebQuest for Grades 3-8
 

INTRODUCTION

Many people in the United States think a new federal holiday should be added to the federal holidays already observed in the United States. Some members of Congress agree, but only if that holiday honors an important woman. No one can decide, however, who that woman should be. That's where you come in! You and your classmates must nominate a woman you think is important enough to have a federal holiday named after her.

TASK

You will work in groups to investigate some federal holidays and learn why those holidays are observed. Then your group will choose a woman it thinks should be honored with a federal holiday, and create a presentation to convince your classmates to nominate that woman.

PROCESS

• Step 1: Working individually, investigate the federal holiday assigned to your group and complete a Federal Holiday Investigation work sheet about that holiday. Be sure to include on your work sheet the sources of your information.
• Step 2: Meet with your group to discuss what each of you found. Select the best information from all the work sheets, and then have one member of the group combine that information into a single written report.
• Step 3: Ask one member of your group to present the report to the class.
• Step 4: When all the reports have been presented, discuss as a class what criteria might have been used to choose people or events honored on federal holidays.
• Step 5: Working individually, visit the National Women's Hall of Fame and explore the Women of the Hall. Choose a woman you think deserves to be honored with a federal holiday. Make a list of five reasons you think that woman deserves the honor.
• Step 6: Meet with your group to discuss your individual choices. Select one woman your group will nominate, and complete The Case For A New Federal Holiday work sheet about that woman. Work individually or as a group to find any additional information you need to complete the worksheet. Be sure to include on your work sheet the sources of your information.
• Step 7: Plan a PowerPoint slide show about the woman you have chosen, and complete a PPT Storyboard work sheet for each slide. Your PowerPoint slide show should include:
  • a title slide.
  • a slide giving the name of the holiday and the name of the woman the day will honor.
  • a slide giving the date of the holiday and explaining why that date was selected.
  • five slides describing the woman's accomplishments or contributions.
  • two or three slides describing how the holiday will be celebrated.
  • a summary slide.
  • a slide listing the sources of your information.
  • a slide listing the names of all the students in the group and the date of the presentation.
• Step 8: Present the slide show to your classmates.
• Step 9: After all the presentations are done, vote for the woman you think should be nominated for a federal holiday.

RESOURCES

Federal Holiday Resources

• Federal Holidays
• About Federal Holidays
• American Holidays
• Holidays: Religious and Secular

Women's History Resources

• National Women's Hall of Fame
• 300 Women that Changed the World
• Women's International Center Biographies
• Distinguished Women of Past and Present

Writing Resources

• Friendly Letter Writing Unit
• Persuasive Writing Checklist
• Persuasive Writing Workshop
• Friendly and Business Letter Formats

Congressional Resources

• Congress

EVALUATION

Your grade will reflect:

• the accuracy of your research as demonstrated by your Federal Holiday Investigation work sheet and your The Case For A New Federal Holiday work sheet (25 percent)
• your group's choice of a nominee (5 percent)
• the overall quality technical quality of your group's PowerPoint presentation. (15 percent)
• your technical competency as demonstrated by your group's PowerPoint presentation. (15 percent)
• the persuasiveness of your PowerPoint presentation. (10 percent)
• your contribution to the group process (20 percent)
• your writing skill as demonstrated in your persuasive letter (10 percent)

CONCLUSION

Although three federal holidays (Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, and Columbus Day) specifically recognize men who have made significant contributions to the United States, no federal holiday recognizes a woman who is important in U.S. history. Why do you think that's true? Write a persuasive letter to your representatives in Congress pointing out that fact and urging them to consider designating a holiday for the woman you have chosen.

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
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