Women In History for 2015

Transcription

1 Women In History for 2015 The women who will be offered this year in the AAUW Women s History Program in March 2015 are listed below with the suggested grades. Optional activities as well as costume suggestions are listed in the descriptions. Except for Deborah Samson and the middle school women performances are 20 minutes with a 10 minute break. The middle school social studies and science women are usually scheduled for a class period. Deborah Samson should be scheduled for at least a half hour (with a 15 minute break between performances). For all women generally the group size should not exceed 2 classes, and it is preferable that grades 4 and 5 be single classes. These are intended to be interactive performances with lots of student participation. As in the past AAUW will provide scripts, background material, props, and costume suggestions. For many of the women we have costumes to lend on a first come, first serve basis. They will be shared among performers. For more information about the scripts please contact Kathy Van Slyke at Women for Primary Grades (K-2 or 3) Beatrix Potter -- ( ) -- (Grades K-2) Would you like to be Beatrix Potter, author and illustrator of Peter Rabbit and many other beloved children s books? Did you know that Potter was one of the first woman botanists and an early conservationist? As Beatrix Potter, you will tell about your childhood love of animals and nature that led to your writing and illustrating the Peter Rabbit stories. You will also tell how you studied plants (botany) and why you donated your land to be preserved as open space. Fun activities include having the students draw a simple bunny representing Peter Rabbit. For the children in grades K-1, you ll enjoy reading one of your stories and for grade 2 you ll have the students decipher a message in your secret code. A suitable costume for Beatrix Potter would be a long skirt and a blouse. AAUW will have a number of skirts to lend if presenters wish to use one. A tweed jacket and straw hat would be nice additions. We also have one tweed jacket and one straw hat that also can be borrowed on a first come, first served basis.

2 Ruby Bridges -- (1954-present) -- (Grades K-2) Would you like to tell the students how you spent your first grade year in school alone because Caucasian parents wouldn t allow their children to go to school with an African American child? You will be telling this story as an adult looking back on that year of your childhood. This was during the first days of court ordered integration (1960). After telling about your experiences that year, you will tell how what you are doing now was really influenced by this childhood experience. A suitable costume for Ruby Bridges would be professional dress such as you would wear to go to deliver a speech. Barbara Henry -- (Grades K-2) For schools that do not have an African American performer for Ruby Bridges Would you like to tell the students about your experience teaching Ruby Bridges in 1960 when no other teachers would because Ruby was African American? You will be telling her story from your point of view and tell them what happened to you as a result of your being willing to teach her. A suitable costume would be professional dress such as she would have worn to teach Ruby skirt or dress below the knee. At that time a teacher would not have worn pants to work.

3 Pocahontas -- (1595? 1617) -- (Grades K-3) Would you like to tell the true story of Pocahontas and tell students how you helped to save Jamestown? Included are optional activities on the origin of foods eaten at Thanksgiving and on a comparison of lifestyle between the Powhattans and the Chumash. A suitable costume would be any type of Native American dress. AAUW will have several to lend on a shared basis. Scientist for all Elementary (K-5) Jane Goodall -- (1934 present) -- (Grades K-4 or 5) Would you like to portray Jane Goodall, the renowned scientist and environmentalist who made many important discoveries about chimpanzees and is working to save them and all endangered species? You will tell how your childhood love of animals and nature led to your becoming a scientist. You will describe the conditions under which her work was done in a remote jungle in Africa and how you studied the chimpanzees through patient observation over many years. There will be discussion of environmental problems that chimpanzees face and information about the worldwide Roots and Shoots clubs that Goodall founded for young people to help protect the environment around the globe. Optional activities will include showing younger students how to make a chimpanzee pant hoot greeting sound and asking upper elementary students fun questions about chimpanzees. A suitable costume for Jane would be khaki pants or shorts, khaki or white blouse, and sandals. Women for Upper Elementary (3-5) Deborah Samson -- ( ) -- (Grades 5 or 4-5)

4 Would you like to tell students how you disguised yourself as a man and enlisted as a soldier in the Revolutionary War? As Deborah Samson you will tell the students a little about what you did in the military and how it was discovered that you were a woman. After the war, Deborah went on a speaking tour unheard of for a woman in those days. There will be several interactive parts for students and an optional marching activity for students. to perform. AAUW will provide a long skirt and a Revolutionary War Soldiers uniform. (Script involves a costume switch). This script takes a minimum of ½ hour Elizabeth Wimmer or Biddy Mason. (Grades 4-5) Note: Since both of the women traveled overland to California, there is overlapping material in the scripts. We assume that each student will meet only one of these women. However, it would be possible to have both women the two performers would need to work together to avoid the duplication. Biddy Mason obviously needs to be portrayed by an African American to be realistic. Elizabeth Wimmer -- ( ) -- (Grades 4-5 ) Would you like to portray Elizabeth Wimmer who was the only one at Culluma (site ofsutters Mill) who knew how to test for gold when James Marshall found the first gold nugget? It was this discovery that many feel was responsible for starting the California gold rush. You will tell the students how you gained this skill as a teenager and your experiences of traveling across the country in a covered wagon just ahead but on the same route as the ill fated Donner Party. You will also tell how you tested for the gold at Culluma. There is an optional activity on the effects the discovery of gold on the westward movement and particularly on San Francisco. Due to limited time this probably will not be done in most classrooms unless some material on the voyage west is cut. A suitable costume is a long skirt and blouse with a bonnet. AAUW will have skirts, blouses, and bonnets to lend on a shared basis. They will be lent on a first come first served basis.

5 Biddy Mason -- ( ) -- (Grades 4-5) Would you like to portray Biddy Mason, who was a slave who gained her freedom and became a wealthy Los Angeles landowner and philanthropist? She, like Elizabeth Wimmer, came across the country with a wagon train. As Biddy Mason you will tell the students about your life as a slave, your difficult journey across the country, how you obtained your freedom, and how you used your wealth to help others. A suitable costume for Biddy would be a long skirt and blouse. Judith Baca (1946 present) -- (Grades 3-5) Would you like to portray Judith Baca, the muralist who designed The Great Wall in San Fernando Valley, the World Wall which is a traveling mural, and others? Her goal in designing the Great Wall was to tell the stories of groups of people who are not represented in most books and to get young people who did not get along with each other to work together on this art project. The Great Wall describes a good many events in the history of California. There will be an optional activity for students to state what they would choose for topics for a mural about their school, their family, or something that they would like to change in the world. A suitable costume for Judith Baca would be to dress either as a college professor or an artist working. A pair of painting overalls or a painting smock would make a good costume.

6 Artist for Grades 3 5 and Middle School Art Classes Mary Cassatt -- ( ) -- (Grades 3-5 and middle school art classes) Would you like to portray Mary Cassatt, the first impressionist woman painter? She is best known for her paintings of women and children. As Mary Cassatt you will tell how you had to overcome a number of obstacles to get training as an artist and to be accepted as one. This was at a time when women were not encouraged to work outside the home. You will also discuss how your style of painting changed throughout your life. There will be an optional activity of drawing an impressionistic picture. A suitable costume for Mary Cassatt would be a long skirt and a blouse with a high collar. A lace ascot, long gloves and a hat would be additional touches. AAUW will have long skirts and blouses to lend on a shared basis. Scientist Recommended for Grades 5 and Middle School Marie Curie ( ) -- (Grades 5 up) Would you like to portray a scientist who discovered two elements and won two Nobel Prizes one in Chemistry and one in Physics? You will tell about the obstacles you had to overcome to become a scientist and the poor working conditions that you endured to make these discoveries. You will also discuss how you applied the scientific method to make her discoveries. There will be optional activities on radioactivity, the half life of an element, and a demonstration illustrating the separation of elements from a substance. A suitable costume for Marie would be a long skirt and blouse. Most pictures show her in dark colors. AAUW has long black skirts and blouses to lend on a shared basis. We also have lab coat if you want to add one. We do not know whether she wore a lab coat or not good chance she didn t.

7 Women for Middle School Only Queen Hatshepsut -- (Pharaoh 18 th dynasty) -- (Grade 6 only) Would you like to portray the life of the only woman Egyptian pharaoh? As Queen Hatshepsut you will discuss how you became pharaoh and your accomplishments. You will also be talking about dress and make-up of the day, and rights of women at that time in Egypt There are optional sections on life in Egypt and Archaeology and most presenters will do one of these or parts of both. Included also are two optional activities -- translating hieroglyphics and putting together an artifact such as might have been discovered by an archaeologist. There are optional speaking roles for two students and optional non-speaking roles for thirteen students. There are costumes available for both the queen and the two students with speaking roles. Queen Elizabeth -- ( ) -- (Grade 7 only) Would you like to portray Queen Elizabeth I of England and tell them about this glorious part of English history? You will tell them how you became queen, how England became a world power during your reign, how the arts flourished, and some of the problems you faced. You will also be able to share some other details about life in England at the time. There is also another version of the script where you can use a number of students in non speaking roles if you desire to take this approach. AAUW will have a costume to lend you for this role if you wish to borrow it.

8 Clara Barton -- ( ) -- (Grade 8 only) Would you like to tell about your experiences in the Civil War distributing supplies to the battlefields and nursing the sick and wounded? In the course of telling your story you will have activities involving soldier recruitment, typical camp life, and caring for soldiers, as we; as Civil War trivia. You will also be able to tell how you worked to improve the rights of all people and how you founded the American Red Cross. This full period presentation will particularly appeal to people who like to use props as you will have extensive props to show. There is an option, should a performer desire, to split this role between two people. One would portray Clara Barton and the second person would portray her sister and do the activity section. This has been tried and was successful. However, the two people do need to practice together beforehand. A special training will be set up for this role due to the extensive props provided. It will be arranged at a time to match presenters availability. It is required for all performers new to the role if they wish to use our props. Those that have attended the training the last few years have agreed that it is essential. Clara wore a simple solid dark colored ankle length skirt and solid-colored long sleeved blouse. AAUW will have a costume to lend.