Modernizing America: Women and the American Story History Unit (1889–1920)
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Type
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Unit plan with primary sources
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Description
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Key ideas from the unit:
"1. New opportunities arose in the realms of education, recreation, and social reform, but traditional gender roles and stereotypes still significantly shaped women’s lives.
2. While the era saw an increase in the number of women working for pay, the vast majority of women were still contributing to the family economy via unpaid housework and childcare.
3. Involvement in activism was a powerful outlet for women of diverse backgrounds to step beyond the home and fight for change.
4. The persistence of xenophobia and nativism often counterbalanced progressive ideals—not all women benefited from reform."
As with all WAMS unit plans, "each resource includes background information and vocabulary lists to provide context. Resources also include suggested activities and how to combine different resources on a certain topic. You can easily integrate these materials into current lesson plans or structure new lessons around them. Many resources in this unit allow you to teach historical themes and topics in your curriculum by including the perspective of women in this era."
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Click here to learn how to use WAMS in your classroom.
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Language
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English
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Content Standards
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Related standards will depend on the resources you include, how you include them, and the grade you teach. That said, we do recommend these resources for all grades to help develop historical thinking and inquiry skills described in the standards.
Content wise, this unit goes best with 8th grade and High School USHG Era 6. There are opportunities for geography, economics, and civics integration.
