This multimedia lesson plan features women heroes as a launchpad for discussing women's history and women's rights. A discussion guide and learning outcomes are provided. Students are invited to share their own stories, artwork, and short films about their woman heroes.
These three winning films from our International Film Festival will take no more than 30 minutes to watch
The Story of Judge Songhai Armstead - an animated film chronicling the story of social justice warrior Songhai Armstead. (6 mins)
PASSWORD: Education1961 High-school student Gwendolyn researches civil rights activist and renowned journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault. (9 mins)
Animated film about Holocaust survivor Eva Brettler – a child facing brutality and profound loss who finds sustenance in faith and her own dreams for the future. (10 mins)
Want more information? Read these short stories about the heroes depicted in the films:
Learn about the extraordinary life of Holocaust survivor Eva Brettler.
Watch this two minute film made by an elementary school student and read all about the unsung hero Joy Buolamwini
UNLADYLIKE2020 SERIES: Recommended for sixth grade and older students.
Bessie Coleman wanted to become an aviator. Rejected from every U.S. aviation school for being a woman and black, she refused to take no for an answer. (9 min. runtime)
Margaret Chung was the only woman in her med school class. She advanced women's ability to serve in the armed forces. (10 min. runtime)
Botanist Ynes Mexia enrolled in college at the age of 51. She led expeditions, including in the Amazon rainforest, discovering 500 new species of plants. (9:10 min runtime)
UNLADYLIKE2020’s innovative digital content is an exciting way to engage middle and high school classrooms in U.S. history and women’s history. Lesson plans aligned with state and national standards for grades 6-12 are published on PBS LearningMedia, public television’s educational platform.
Short Films Recommended for Middle and High School Students
The following program of short films celebrate women trailblazers and show the kinds of obstacles these women faced, as well as common threads between their stories. Celebrate the empowerment of women across many cultures!
RBG [Trailer] (2:36)
At the age of 84, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon.
Daga- A Woman's Fight to Empower Girls in her Village (10:44)
This documentary is focused on Rosie Parks' 40 years of community service in the city of Detroit.
Dorothy Cotton (6:35)
Inez Milholland ~ Forward into Light (13:28)
Awindow into the Women's Suffrage Movement through the sacrifice of an American Amazon who will inspire today’s woman as much as she did 100 years ago.
Women Transforming Media: Gabrielle Gorman (9:37)
Filmmaker Gabrielle Gorman's poetic filmmaking confronts issues like identity, racism, and self-love. Her goal is to make art for social change.
My Family Journey: Pathway to Empowering Hispanic Women (5:43)
Angelina Pendleton-Mendez interviews Maria Mendez, her paternal grandmother about her family and their journey.
Looking After Our Spirit (4:59)
Dr. Anne Poelina speaks out about the social, human, cultural and environmental values that has built the community spirit of Broome.
Yasmine Sherif Global Educator Award Winner (2:16)
Congratulations to Yasmine Sherif, the Director of Education Cannot Wait and the winner of the 2020 Global Educator Award.
Eva Haller: A Work in Progress (10:04)
A life dedicated to philanthropy, activism and mentorship, Eva Haller makes a positive impact around the world.
Stories of remarkable women shattering cultural roadblocks and gendered assumptions.
Amelia Earhart (3:15)
Women's Equality Day (1:51)
A brief look at the journey towards Equity for Women and the Women's Suffragette Movement directed and narrated by MY HERO intern Kitty Richardson.
Artwork: Portraits of Women Heroes
Stories About Pioneers in Women's Rights from Around the World
Hero Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in the United States to receive a degree as a doctor, and started a women's medical college for women.
Michelle Obama has recently made history as the first African American to become the First Lady of the United States.
Harriet Tubman was a slave known for creating the "Underground Railroad" network, leading 300 slaves, including herself, to freedom.
Elizebeth Friedman is known as "America's first female cryptanalyist" for her work deciphering codes between Nazi forces during WWII.
Alicia Garza is an activist for Black Lives Matter.
Yasmine Sherif is the Director of Education Cannot Wait and the winner of the 2020 MY HERO Global Educator Award.
Pashtana Durrani is determined to continue providing educational opportunities for women and girls in Afghanastan, even if she has to resist the Taliban and go underground.
Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi speaks out about the future of Afghan cinema and the rights of girls and women as the Taliban takes over the country in August 2021.
The following stories are available in text with audio so students can listen and read along. Great for ESL/ELL students.
Height was a civil rights/women's rights activist and an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.
Her story was hidden for decades: Katherine Johnson plotted multiple flight courses for NASA, including the Apollo 11 spacecraft, the first spaceship to reach the moon.
Dorothy Vaughan was the first African American woman to supervise the West Area Computers, "human computers" at NASA (originally NACA) during the Space Race.
Discussion Questions
1. What kinds of obstacles have each of these women faced and how did they overcome them?
2. What consistent threads do you see in each of their stories? What characteristics did these women share?
3. How has the fight for women's rights changed over the years? What still needs to be done?
4. Who do you know working for women's rights in your family or community? Share her or his story with MY HERO.
5. What kind of changes are you motivated to fight for?
After watching these films and and reading the stories, students will have a deeper understanding of prominent figures in the fight for women's rights around the world and how their lives today have been impacted by these individuals. With hope, participants will also feel empowered to fight for justice in their own lives.
Stories Written by Younger Writers to use as examples for Elementary Students with the following writing activity.
"Sally Ride is considered a hero because she has done amazing things, like when she went on the STS-7 mission in 1983."
An elementary student talks about her hero, women's suffragist Susan B. Anthony.
Hero Writing Activity
1. Share the stories about Sally Ride, Roberta Lynn Bondar, and Susan B. Anthony with students, giving them time to read each of them.
2. Discuss how the student authors used a subject - adjective web to organize the heroic characteristics they included in their story.
3. Students choose their hero and create a subject web using 6-8 adjectives that describe why this person is their hero.
4. Using the subject web, students write a story their hero.
5. Students are invited to submit their story to MY HERO using the Create Program.
Link to class activities to use with MY HERO multimedia resources and lesson plans. Click on Banner below
Background Information about the International Women's Day and Women's History Month
On March 8, 1911, the world celebrated the first-ever International Women's Day.
The day was created in order to bring attention to the important impact women have had in history, and continue to have today and in the future. It was part of the women's suffrage movement, which was in full swing in European and North American countries: Women wanted to vote, and they wanted to have the same rights as men.
Throughout the 20th century, women all over the world have fought to gain equality and respect--and many, especially those in developing areas, are still fighting to have access to education and the right to speak their minds.
Most recently, in 1986, national Women's History Month was declared in the US and is celebrated every year in March.
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The Women's History lesson plan was curated by MY HERO Education Outreach Director Laura Nietzer. |
MY HERO Calendars for use in the Classroom
MY HERO's Teachers Calendar Features Lesson Plans and Multimedia Resources
Learn about a New Hero Every Day of the Year: Use the MY HERO Calendar in the Classroom
Students can share their Hero Essays, Films and Art through our Create Program
How to use MY HERO's Create Program to Publish Stories, Art, Film and Audio for Students
Tutorial for students: Publish written stories, film, original artwork and audio in MY HERO's multimedia library.
Organizer created on 3/5/2019 3:30:34 PM by Xenia Shin
Last edited 2/20/2025 11:23:30 AM by Laura Nietzer
