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Interdisciplinary Unit -

Riding the Waves of


Feminism
Our Topic: History/Waves of Feminism

Our unit is designed to teach students the progression of social movements over time, focusing specifically on
the feminist movement in the United States.

Throughout this unit students will:

● Be provided with opportunities to analyze and interpret feminist literature, in order to recognize the
power of literature in social movements

● Recognize social climates and events have the power to create opportunities to implement change.
Rationale
● English: Students will examine well-known works of writing and speeches from feminist writers (or
works that are considered feminist in message), like The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins
Gilman and Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s address to the Seneca Falls Convention. In doing so, they will
understand how the time context of that social movement affected what those authors wrote/spoke
about, and what the purpose of those writers was. Overall, the goal is for students to see how
social/historical context affects (written/spoken) art, and the power of the pieces we read.

● History: Students will analyze feminist waves, with context of historical events, in order to
understand the cause and effect relationship between feminist, civil rights, and advocacy
movements. Students will understand the evolving narrative of the feminist movement, with how
each “new” wave of feminism evolved from its predecessor, and the changing interpretations of each
wave as the movement has evolved over time.
Enduring Understandings

● Understanding the accurate definition of feminism and how it has evolved throughout the waves.

● Understanding the intersectionality of sex with other identity elements such as race, class, and/or
age

● Understanding how a society is structured to afford more privileges to some people than to others

● Understanding how social movements evolve over time and build off their past phases

● Understanding the importance of acknowledging past activists and their accomplishments in


social movements
Essential Questions

● How do the goals of minority movements change over time?

● How have the goals of minority movements been shaped by the past?

● How does the definition of equality change, depending on different identities?

● How are women represented in literature and history and how does it change depending on who

creates those narratives?

● How does our own social standing affect the way we view the goals of social movements we

might be considered outsiders to?


Performance Task

● Choose a wave of feminism


● Write a brief speech as if you were a person within that wave fighting for some sort of issue related
to women’s rights/gender inequality that existed at the time
● Create a picket sign
○ One side includes a visual representation of the issue and a catchy slogan that encapsulates what you are fighting
for
○ Other side include five key points in the wave/era chosen for the project
Performance Task (Example)
5 Points Here
1. The woman suffrage movement actually began in 1848, when a women’s rights convention was held
in Seneca Falls, New York.

1. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869.

1. Alice Paul and Lucy Burns form the Congressional Union for Women for Women Suffrage (later
named the National Women’s Party) with the purpose of securing an amendment to the United
States Constitution that would give women the right to vote.

1. Members of the NWP picket the White House and in 1917 are arrested; some go on hunger strikes
and are force-fed.

1. In 1920 the 19th Amendment, enfranchising women, was finally ratified.


Performance Task - Speech Example
A speech excerpt based on first-wave feminism/women’s suffrage - would be based in 1868, post 14th
Amendment:

“My fellow citizens, or perhaps not for some of us, including myself, as the leaders of our country have
declared with the ratification of the 14th Amendment. What do I mean by this? With the passing of the
14th, they have affirmed that all people born in the United States., whether they be men and women, white
or African-American, are deemed citizens. Yet, they seem to contradict themselves in the same law, then
claiming in Section 2 that only men over 21 years of age are given the right to vote. How may those in power
find themselves so gracious as to allow us our birthright citizenship, but not gracious enough to afford
women one of the most simple political rights that exist? How may we be considered citizens yet have no
guaranteed privilege to voice our concerns regarding those who lead our nation? Progress should be made
in strides, but the 14th Amendment is hardly a step. As it was before, only the states could define what sex
was permitted to cast a vote, but our leaders have made it the law of the land so that only men may do so.
To that, I say we are all citizens, and we all deserve a say!”
Essay Topic/Prompt
Chose a notable person who had a significant role during one of the waves of feminism discussed in class.
Write 3-5 pages on your selected activist using accurate historical context from a minimum of two sources.
Include a brief background of their life, what their role within the movement was and why they were
significant to the movement.

Format options:
Narrative- Step into the shoes of your notable person. Write your paper from their perspective as if the
notable person had written it themself.

Interview-Play the role of a journalist interviewing your significant person. Write an article discussing your
interview. What questions would you ask him/her? How would him/her answer?
Major Assignments: English

● Freewrites/Journal Entries
● Unit Notebook: Students will keep notes, worksheets, entrance tickets, freewrites, etc. that will be
submitted at the end of the unit.
● Students will have to write an Unsent Letter based on the ones included in The Feminine Mystique.
They will take the role of a woman (or man) in either the era of first or second wave feminism,
research the a specific element of the social context of the time period, and write a letter as someone
dealing with the effects of the social expectations at the time.
● Mini Research Essay: (2-3 Pages) Students investigate a gender-related issues, like a stereotype or
law, that existed/s within one of the four waves of feminism, describe its origins, its effects, and how
the issue evolved/is evolving as the movement progressed/progresses.
Major Assignments: History/Social Studies

Timeline Activity: Students create a multiple level timeline to track major social, economic, and political events
occuring throughout American history, in relation to the feminist waves. To be completed as students learn about
each waves progression.

Picket Sign: Students will choose one wave of feminism to create a picket sign and slogan for. Side “A” of the
sign will have the slogan and any accompanying visuals. Side “B” of the sign will have 5 key points describing the
wave or event chosen.

Semantic Feature Analysis: Towards the end of the unit, students will connect the different waves of feminism
with advocacy standpoints, feminist leaders, and feminist literature.
References

“The Woman Suffrage Movement.” National Women's History Museum,


www.womenshistory.org/resources/general/woman-suffrage-movement.

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