You could do a unit over influential women in history. I would focus on 5 women, one for each day of a 5 day lesson. I would give a short biography of each woman. I would do Pocahontas, Queen Elizabeth I, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Teresa, and Jane Goodall. This is a wide variety of influential women from different time periods. Here are a few links to books and articles about these women that could be read aloud to your students. Pocahontas: http://www.amazon.com/True-Story-Pocahontas-Step-Into-Reading-Step/dp/0679861661 Eleanor Roosevelt http://www.amazon.com/Time-Kids-Eleanor-Roosevelt-Biographies/dp/0060576138 Queen Elizabeth I http://www.usborne.com/catalogue/catalogue.aspx?id=1455 Jane Goodall http://www.amazon.com/Me-Jane/dp/0316045462 Mother Teresa http://www.pitara.com/magazine/people/online.asp?story=16

Since it is only a 3rd grade class I would recommend making the lesson very active. Monday through Wednesday I would teach a lesson on three influential women (The First Lady, Amelia Earhart, and Rosa Parks will do)I included the First Lady for a more modern influential woman it can always be changed. However I will teach about each woman on each day with handouts and a video. I don't really recommend a books unless it's really entertaining. On Thursday the students can split into three groups and come up with a small interactive presentation about each woman. On Friday they can possibly go to a younger classroom and present it to other children. This should ensure that the lesson is fun and memorable.

I think that focusing your attention on famous women throughout history is a great idea. There are a ton of notable women who have mad a huge impact on our lives. You could also include women who are responsible for many things in their lives as well. One thing you could do is complete an author study on women that they like to read from. One woman that came to mind was Barbara Parks who wrote the Junie B. Jones books. That would be fun and show women could do great work.

http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/6095-instill-knowledge-pride-in-womens-accomplishments This is a website online it covers womens accomplishments you chose by grade levels as well, I enjoyed the different things this site offers, you may find what you need here.

history.com can give you background to many women that have accomplished things in their lives. Maybe you could ask them about their favorite things or even give them something to go to the computer lab and look up like; first female basketball player, or first female to fly and airplane, first female to sit on the Supreme Court, and anything of this nature and have them create a picture board for this person. For books go into your library and you should (I would hope) find many books on these women. Most school libraries that I have been in have a set of books about all famous people. (One book for each person.)

Maybe you could teach a lesson on inventors and emphasize the role that women played in many inventions we use today. A great website for this subject is http://www.women-inventors.com/. The students could focus on one woman and her invention and maybe come up with ideas or a design to improve or change the invention to make it better.

If you are a Georgia educator, you're in luck! There is a Social Studies Georgia Performance Standard that includes the study of women! SS3H2 The student will discuss the lives of Americans who expanded people's rights and freedoms in a democracy. a. Paul Revere (independence), Frederick Douglass (civil rights), Susan B. Anthony (women's rights), Mary McLeod Bethune (education), Franklin D. Roosevelt (New Deal and World War II), Eleanor Roosevelt (United Nations and human rights), Thurgood Marshall (civil rights), Lyndon B. Johnson (Great Society and voting rights), and César Chávez (workers' rights). b. Explain social barriers, restrictions, and obstacles that these historical figures had to overcome and describe how they overcame them You can write a mean lesson plan about Susan B. Anthony, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Eleanor Roosevelt! There are plenty of resources at your fingertips on these women! If you need some more women, consider Sally Ride and Hillary Clinton. Your best idea is to stick with the ladies in the GPS, because there's lots and lots of ready made material and books on this subject! Good luck!

I suggest that you give activities with different accomplishments by different women. For example, tell them about Harriet Tubman, Emily Dickinson, Sojourner Truth, Joan of Arc, etc. You don't have to go over a lot with them but just the basics. Show them pictures of how the women looked or little cartoons for visual. I wouldn't go into details about each woman but give them a little background. Make the activities you give them fun. Instead of books (if it's hard for you to find one) print out something. Have them play a guessing game with each woman. Put up facts about each one and with prior knowledge or guessing skills have them tell you which woman goes with each statement. I would have fun with this lesson.

Research famous women authors and create lessons on that. There are also many female historical figures that have contributed a great deal to society. Check your school library, it is very likely that they have books on your 3rd graders' level that will talk about some famous women.

Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone, is a perfect book to use when teaching about women's accomplishments. The book is about a woman who devoting her life to fight for women's rights including (but not limited to) the right to vote. The book also discusses how she was a pivotal figure in women's history, Elizabeth broke the rules of her day, learning Greek and jumping horses as a young girl, receiving a college education, and going on to work as an abolitionist. The book is appropriate for children ages 5-10.

I wold suggest you look at the books by Judith Bloom Fradin. She has many and I read "WHo was Annie Oakley?" to my first grade class. THey are chaper books but very informative. I would also look into the book "Through the Eyes of a child" It has a lot of childrens literature topics and can help you research.

I like that you are trying to be more gender inclusive in your curriculum. Many people posted good resources for you to learn about influential women in history. However, I would try to stray away from making this a seperate unit. This teaches students that we have normal accomplishments, and women accomplishments. Try to incorporate the contributions women have made to history, science, and art in your everyday teaching alongside men.

This can be a very fun and interesting lesson for both your students and for yourself. There is a recent book out called "She persisted". It highlights the achievements of women in varying professional fields. It explains a little bit of their background and what they have accomplished. It is an inspiring book!

I would first ask my supervisor if a more age appropriate lesson might be more beneficial to my third grade students. Boys and girls at this age tend to separate in class, in the lunchroom and at play. You could work classroom activities in boy girl activities, create seating arrangements that allow boys and girls to sit together and playground games that require boy girl cooperation. I don't think 3rd graders would understand women sufferage if they don't know what a vote is.