Celebrating Women's Contributions Across Disciplines
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Celebrating Women's Contributions Across Disciplines

Grade 5Social StudiesEnglishArtMusicSociology5 days
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4.0 (1 rating)
This project, aimed at 5th-grade students, explores the diverse contributions of women in history through subjects like social studies, English, art, music, and sociology. Through engaging entry events, students conduct research, participate in creative portfolio activities, and learn about influential women who shaped society despite overcoming significant challenges. They analyze how women's roles are reflected in art, music, and literature, and create projects celebrating their achievements, thereby fostering an understanding of women's impact on both past and contemporary society.
Women's HistorySocietal ChangeArtistic ExpressionEqualityCultural LegacyInfluential Women
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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How have women from diverse backgrounds throughout history used their voices, art, and actions to shape society and overcome challenges, and how can learning about their contributions inspire us to celebrate and continue their legacy today?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • How have women contributed to societal changes throughout history?
  • What obstacles have women faced and overcome in their pursuit of equality?
  • How can we celebrate and remember the achievements of women from diverse backgrounds?
  • Why is it important to learn about women's history and its impact on contemporary society?
  • How do artistic expressions (art, music, literature) reflect and influence women's roles in society?
  • What role does culture and society play in shaping women's history?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Students will research and identify key contributions of women from diverse cultural backgrounds throughout history.
  • Students will understand the obstacles women have faced in their pursuit of equality and how they have worked to overcome them.
  • Students will analyze how art, music, and literature reflect and influence women's roles and contributions in society.
  • Students will evaluate the importance of women's history in shaping contemporary society and inspiring future generations.
  • Students will create a participatory project to celebrate and remember the achievements of women from various backgrounds.
  • Students will articulate their understanding of the role of culture and society in shaping women's history through group discussions and presentations.

Common Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1
Primary
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.Reason: Students will research and present information about women's contributions, quoting accurately from sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.7
Primary
Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.Reason: Students will conduct research about women in history using multiple sources as a key component of the project.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.4
Primary
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.Reason: Students will present their findings in group presentations, thus needing to speak clearly and use descriptive details.

National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies

NCSS.D2.His.2.3-5
Secondary
Compare life in specific historical time periods to life today.Reason: Students will compare the roles and contributions of women from different eras to today's context.
NCSS.D2.Soc.6.3-5
Secondary
Identify and explain the roles of individuals as members of social groups, such as a family, peer group, community, or school.Reason: Focuses on the societal roles women have played in history and their impact on communities.

National Standards for Arts Education

NA-VA.5-8.1
Supporting
Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes.Reason: Students may use art to express or celebrate women's achievements, thus applying different media, techniques, and processes.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Women Who Rock Music Festival

Kick-off with a themed music festival celebrating women in music history, with performances across multiple genres. From Billie Holiday to Taylor Swift, students explore how these artists influenced both the music industry and societal norms, inspiring questions around cultural evolution and artistic expression.

HerStory Radio Podcast

Students are introduced to a fictional podcast series, "HerStory Radio," where each episode covers groundbreaking women throughout history. The entry event includes a mysterious voice recording from a long-lost episode that has missing pieces students need to investigate and reconstruct, sparking curiosity about influential women they're yet to discover.
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Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.
Activity 1

Inspirational Collage Creations

Students learn about key women figures in history and create collages that symbolize their contributions and legacy in both artistic and social contexts.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Research about one influential woman in history, focusing on her achievements and impact.
2. Collect images, quotes, and relevant symbols that represent her contributions.
3. Create a collage using the collected materials, integrating artistic elements such as color schemes and textures that symbolize her legacy.
4. Write a short explanatory paragraph describing the chosen symbols and artistic choices.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA visual collage accompanied by an explanatory paragraph that encapsulates the legacy of a notable woman in history.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with NA-VA.5-8.1 (Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes) as students use art to express and celebrate women's achievements.
Activity 2

HerStory Radio Research Team

Students form investigative teams to reconstruct a missing podcast episode based on determined research and scripting about a groundbreaking woman in history.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Select a woman from history who has made a significant societal impact.
2. Conduct research using at least three different sources to gather detailed information about her contributions.
3. Organize the information and decide on key points to highlight in the reconstructed podcast episode.
4. Write a script for the podcast episode based on the organized information.
5. Record the podcast episode and integrate appropriate sound effects and musical elements to enhance storytelling.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA fully produced podcast episode reconstructing the missing story of a groundbreaking woman in history.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.7 (Conduct research using multiple sources) and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.4 (Clear and descriptive presentations).
Activity 3

Women Who Rock: Music Analysis

Students analyze and present how the music of influential women in history reflects societal norms and cultural evolution.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Choose a female music artist from history whose work reflects societal changes.
2. Study her musical style, lyrics, and historical context to understand her influence.
3. Prepare a presentation with audio clips, visual elements, and descriptive details about her music's impact on society.
4. Present the findings in class, emphasizing descriptive details about her contributions.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA multimedia presentation outlining the impact of a female artist's music on social norms and culture.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.4 (Report on a topic with descriptive details) and NCSS.D2.Soc.6.3-5 (Explain roles in social groups).
Activity 4

Voices of Change Poetry Anthology

Students explore how women have used poetry as a form of expression to influence and inspire change, creating their poems that reflect these themes.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Read selected poems written by women who advocated for change and equality.
2. Analyze the themes, language, and emotional impact of these poetic works.
3. Reflect on how these poems relate to societal challenges and cultural transformations.
4. Write an original poem inspired by the themes studied, focusing on women's contributions to society.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityAn anthology of original poems inspired by influential female poets' themes of change and societal contributions.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1 (Quoting from texts and drawing inferences) as students use poetic analysis as a form of inference from texts.
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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Women's History Month Portfolio Evaluation

Category 1

Research & Critical Thinking

Evaluates the student's ability to gather, analyze, and synthesize information from multiple sources to construct a well-informed project.
Criterion 1

Source Usage & Research Quality

Quality and diversity of sources used and how effectively they are integrated into the work.

Exemplary
4 Points

Utilizes a wide variety of high-quality sources. Demonstrates exceptional integration of information into the project with clear citation and insightful analysis.

Proficient
3 Points

Uses multiple quality sources. Effectively incorporates information into the project and includes citations.

Developing
2 Points

Relies on a limited number of sources with varying quality. Information integration into the project is attempted but lacks depth.

Beginning
1 Points

Uses few and/or low-quality sources. Struggles with integration and analysis of information.

Criterion 2

Analysis & Interpretation

The student’s ability to interpret and analyze the contributions of women in history critically.

Exemplary
4 Points

Displays sophisticated analysis and interpretation. Provides comprehensive insights into women's historical contributions and societal impact.

Proficient
3 Points

Shows thorough analysis and interpretation. Provides clear insights into women's contributions and their societal influence.

Developing
2 Points

Offers basic analysis and interpretation with limited insights into women's historical contributions.

Beginning
1 Points

Provides minimal analysis with superficial understanding of women's historical roles.

Category 2

Creativity & Artistic Expression

Assesses the student's creativity in using artistic elements to convey the themes of women’s contributions and achievements.
Criterion 1

Artistic Technique & Innovation

The use of artistic techniques and originality in the creation of visual or multimedia projects.

Exemplary
4 Points

Demonstrates exceptional creativity and innovation with a sophisticated application of artistic techniques that enhance the theme.

Proficient
3 Points

Shows strong creativity with effective application of artistic techniques that supports the theme.

Developing
2 Points

Displays moderate creativity with basic use of artistic techniques that may not fully support the theme.

Beginning
1 Points

Shows limited creativity and struggles to apply artistic techniques effectively.

Criterion 2

Symbolism & Thematic Representation

How well the project symbolizes and communicates the themes related to women’s history and contributions.

Exemplary
4 Points

Excellent use of symbolism and thematic elements that are deeply connected to women’s history.

Proficient
3 Points

Good use of symbolism that reasonably conveys themes related to women’s contributions.

Developing
2 Points

Basic attempt at symbolism with limited thematic connection.

Beginning
1 Points

Little to no use of symbolism or thematic representation.

Category 3

Communication & Presentation Skills

Measures the effectiveness of the student's communication skills in both oral and written formats.
Criterion 1

Clarity & Coherence in Writing

Evaluates the clarity and coherence of written explanations and scripts used within projects.

Exemplary
4 Points

Writing is exceptionally clear, coherent, and engaging. Descriptive details enhance readability and understanding.

Proficient
3 Points

Writing is clear with logical coherence. Provides relevant details.

Developing
2 Points

Writing shows some clarity but lacks strong coherence and descriptive detail.

Beginning
1 Points

Written work is unclear and lacks coherence, with minimal detail.

Criterion 2

Oral Presentation & Engagement

The effectiveness and enthusiasm displayed in oral presentations, including the use of audio or multimedia elements.

Exemplary
4 Points

Presentation is highly engaging, with excellent use of audio/multimedia. Clear and confident delivery.

Proficient
3 Points

Presentation is engaging with good use of audio/multimedia elements. Delivered clearly.

Developing
2 Points

Presentation is somewhat engaging but lacks strong use of multimedia. Delivery needs improvement.

Beginning
1 Points

Presentation is minimally engaging, with ineffective use of multimedia and unclear delivery.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning
Question 1

Reflect on how learning about women's contributions throughout history has changed your perspective on their roles in shaping society. What did you find most surprising or inspiring?

Text
Required
Question 2

On a scale from 1 to 5, how much do you feel your understanding of women's history and their societal contributions has improved?

Scale
Required
Question 3

Which activity or project helped you the most in understanding the importance of women's roles in society?

Multiple choice
Required
Options
Inspirational Collage Creations
HerStory Radio Research Team
Women Who Rock: Music Analysis
Voices of Change Poetry Anthology
Question 4

Why is it important to continue learning and educating others about women's contributions to society?

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Required
Question 5

Reflect on the obstacles women have faced throughout history. How can learning about these challenges help us address current societal issues?

Text
Required