Take an In-Depth Look at Biographies

Women's History Learning Activity—Advanced

Objective: Research biographies and develop hypotheses about conditions for women at various points in history.

Assignment

Using this worksheet, respond to questions about a biographical article of your choosing from 300 Women Who Changed the World.

Part 1: General information

Fill in the following information on the woman whose biography you have selected.

Name:

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Birth and (if applicable) death dates:

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Where was she born, and where did she grow up?

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Where and how was she educated? Include primary and secondary education (elementary or grammar school, middle school, or high school, if applicable) and higher education (college or university).

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Why is this woman in an encyclopaedia? What is her major accomplishment? (This does not have to be a positive achievement.) Is she remembered for more than one thing?

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Identify one other noteworthy fact you found about this individual:

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Part 2: Life events

Select at least three important events in this woman's life (other than her birth and death).

Event 1:

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Why was it important?

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Event 2:

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Why was it important?

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Event 3:

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Why was it important?

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In your opinion, which of these was the most important event in her life?

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Why?

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Part 3: Her place in the world

Using the article and the timeline for 300 Women Who Changed the World, can you find at least two other important events that occurred during this woman's lifetime? If not, try to identify earlier events that might have shaped the world in which she lived.

Event 1:

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Was she involved in or affected by it? If so, how?

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Event 2:

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Was she involved in or affected by it? If so, how?

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Based on the article, describe at least one personal value or trait that this woman possessed. How did it influence her activities and accomplishments?

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Part 4: Investigate a different era

Click on the What They Did link in the navigation bar for 300 Women Who Changed the World. Find another woman in your first subject's activity category (Artists, Discoverers, Leaders, etc.) who was born at a different time. Read the article on that individual.

Name of this woman and her birth and (if applicable) death dates:

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In what specific field was the second woman active? Was she a singer, a religious leader, a politician, etc.?

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Now compare the second woman with the first woman you studied. How do you think the times in which they lived affected the accomplishments of each of these women? Did they overcome constraints on their education, political activity, or choice of occupation? Did they benefit from earlier successes made by women?

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Considering the era in which each woman lived, whose achievements do you think were more outstanding? Why?

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Part 5: Investigate her contemporaries

Click on the When They Lived link in the navigation bar. Find the person whose birth date is closest to that of your original subject. Read this woman's biography.

Name and birth date of second individual:

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In what specific field was this woman active?

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Now compare the fields in which the two women were active. Which field was more accessible to a woman at the time in which these two lived? Why?

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Part 6: Summarize their lives

Finally, reflect on the three biographies you have chosen. Describe the challenges that each of these women may have encountered in pursuing her chosen career. Keep in mind the times and places in which they lived. Some points to think about: Do you think their parents and teachers supported them? Do you think they were able to get the necessary training easily? Did they help others along the way?

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Teaching guide

Objectives

Students will search the biographies in 300 Women Who Changed the World and choose a person who interests them. In these exercises students will:

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review the text of the chosen article for information that will enable them to answer questions contained in the activity,
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write concise responses to questions concerning the article they have chosen,
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develop hypotheses about the subject of the chosen article while basing their arguments on facts presented in the article,
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and consider the influence of historical context on the subject of their chosen article.

Assessment/evaluation

The completed activity will:

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show evidence of careful research techniques (including paraphrasing and direct quotation from the chosen article, avoiding plagiarism) and reflect adequate support for conclusions,
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be written in a clear, concise manner,
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and show evidence of an understanding of historical context.

Skills development: researching, paraphrasing and direct quoting, writing process (drafting, revising, and editing), and hypothesizing.

Teaching tips

Urge students to use any primary documents or multimedia that may be available on the 300 Women Who Changed the World Web site for the subject of the article they have chosen. Demonstrate for them how to do “close readings” of such documents and primary sources for insights into their subject's life and work, stressing that single words and short phrases can carry great import.

Help students retain what they learn from this exercise by asking them to complete a longer writing assignment in which they will need to apply the skills developed by this activity.

Classroom management

This activity could be used to prepare students for a larger classroom activity focusing on a biographical book or on the study of biography in general. It could also serve as a tool to help students get the most out of any activities based on the 300 Women Who Changed the World Web site.

The activity is intended for the use of individual students, though the questions also could be used in group or class discussions.