Women: Back to the Future Teacher's Guide

HOME | PROGRAM | ARTIST | WOMEN | PRESS | EVENTS | GALLERY | BOOKSHOP | LINKS | CONTACT

ROLE MODELS FOR A NEW GENERATION
TEACHER'S GUIDE

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

To educate participants about major contributions of women in American history and culture.
To recognize positive character traits.
To provide historical American women role models.
To encourage each listener to evaluate their personal goals through journal writing.
To inspire creative exploration into future career options.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

Women: Back the Future is an innovative one-woman show which brings to life a diverse group of historical American women role models (e.g.: Abigail Adams, Sacagawea, Bessie Coleman, Lucy Stone, Eleanor Roosevelt, Marian Anderson, Rachel Carson) from the written word, such as journals and diaries. Each character springs alive through song, monologue and movement. Character traits are discussed as the audience experiences each woman's dreams, frustrations, struggles and victories. Participants are challenged to "Reach Out for a Star" in the culminating song which is sung and signed to awaken the power within themselves.

PRE-PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES

Teachers can name student groups to brainstorm the definition and differences between being an effective and positive or negative "role model". More than 50% of the world's population is women. They have always been vital and active participants in history. What reasons can students list to explain why women are under- represented in history books and in the printed word?

Vocabulary words unique to this performance: Missionary, resourceful, inventive, suffragist, aviatrix, Hidatsa and Shoshone Indians, Environmental pollution, defame

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

Participants should notice how the women's personalities are established with facial expressions, body movement, and speech pattern. Attention should be paid to innovative costume changes creating transitions between historical time periods. What character traits does each featured woman possess? These women were looking to a future of great change and possibilities. How did they challenge traditional expectations of women of their time? How did these women seek creative solutions to their problems?

POST-PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES

Discussion Starters

What are some of the most important language, reading, and math activities students could do after seeing the performance?

Write a critique of Women: Back to the Future.
Start a "Dreams and Challenges Journal".
Compare and contrast featured women with women of today.
Graph the frequency with which women/men are mentioned in text books.
Read autobiographies and biographies of American women.

What art activities could the student participate in their classroom?

DRAMA - Write a scene or skit about a woman's life, displaying her personality, plus a problem and how she solved ft. Act it out in class.
MIME - Select a certain character trait and try to convey it without words to classmates.
VISUAL ARTS - Draw a picture or poster of a woman you admire today. Create a mural of women to be used as a backdrop for a skit or scene.
DANCE/MOVEMENT - choose a character trait and create a dance depicting how someone feels who possesses that trait.
MUSIC - Select a well known song. Have students take turns singing it in a style of a specific character trait (shy, bold, unhappy, energetic, determined). Or choose a song from the historical time period matching each character.

RECOMMENDED STUDENT RESOURCES TO EXTEND THE PERFORMANCE

Grades 3-6

I Speak for the Women: A Story about Lucy Stone by Stephanie Sammartino MacPherson; Sacagawea, by Marion Brown; A Picture Book of Eleanor Roosevelt by David A. Adler and Robert Casilla (Illustrator); Eleanor Everywhere by Monica Kulling and Cliff Spohn (Illustrator); Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride: Based on a True Story by Pam Munoz Ryan and Brian Selznick (Illustrator); What I Had Was Singing: The Story of Marian Anderson by Jeri Ferris; Louise Arner Boyd: Arctic Explorer (Notable Americans by Durlynn Anema; Queen Bess, Daredevil Aviator by Doris L. Rich; Abigail Adams by Angela Osbourne; Rachel Carson - Voice for the Earth by Wadsworth.

Grades 7-12

Abigail Adams, An American Woman by Charles Akers; The Book of Women by Lynne Griffin and Kelly McCann; The Book of Distinguished American Women by Vincent Wilson, Jr.; Loving Warriors by Lucy Stone; Queen Bess, Daredevil Aviator by Doris L. Rich; Rachel Carson, Witness for Nature by Linda Lear.

ROLE MODELS FOR A NEW GENERATION