Aware May Final July 22 - Public Schools of Robeson County

PSRC Students Analyze Women’s Issues and
Rights Through Literature
Tucked away in Dale Scott’s
English III American Literature
class students are debating
whether women should fight in
combat. This contemporary
question is just one argument in
the literature study as they look at
Combating Women’s rights. “A lot
of these students didn’t know
anything about women in history or
how they fought for women’s
rights”, said Dale Scott.
This English Literature
Women’s issues unit is the first
such class in the Public Schools of
Robeson County. Scott taught
three classes at Lumberton Senior
High School. The classes look at
fiction and non-fiction as the 11th
grade students integrate history
into literacy. The key goal behind
the class is for students to write
more. The class focuses on
teaching strategies, which capture
interest, but at the same time
learning skills in reading, writing
and research, which are preparing
the students for college and life.
The unit fits perfectly into
Women in History Month as the
students wrote an argumentative
speech as well as held a debate
and deliberation.
The class also studied
contemporary issues of women as
the teacher illustrated how some
old issues are still relevant today in
the 21st century.
The students looked at women
in combat in 2013, but they also
debated issues such as “Is there
anything wrong with being a
housewife”
Scott said many students took
the right to vote as well as other
rights for women for granted. “My
first period class is all girls. They
were apathetic to the revolution,
but once we arrived at the
Women’s Unit it empowered them.
Most people assumed women’s
rights were already in place,” said
Scott.
The students are studying the
subject through film,
advertisements, online videos,
posters, music and historical
documents. One particular
document that is in the module is
President Woodrow Wilson’s
speech to Congress on September
30th 1918. President Wilson’s
speech supported guaranteeing
women the right to vote.
Scott’s students also looked at
the Declaration of Independence
as well as The Declaration of
Sentiments. This document parried
the original Declaration of
Independence with a list of
grievances against men.
During the 20 lessons, the 11th
graders were surprised to learn
some well-known names on
products were real people. One
such person who the students
knew from a coin is Susan B.
Anthony. The students looked at
Anthony and Alice Paul as two
women who were imprisoned
during the struggle for the right to
vote. They also analyzed how the
vote eventually led to other equal
rights.
The class study fits into the
Literacy Design Collaborative as
the teachers map out the class
work unit using Common Core
Standards. One key component in
Common Core is the use of
informational literature. The LDC or
Literacy Design Collaborative is a
National Initiative, which through
Common Core stresses critical
thinking skills.
The teacher Dale Scott has
taught for 11 years.
Scott said she always had this
unit in the back of her mind, but
the LDC helped her to put it
together.
The next project for Scott’s
class is equality for the races and
immigration. After more than a
month of looking at the struggle for
women’s equality, Scott says these
students have a new perspective
on rights and freedoms.
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