Grades 3–5
This lesson can be taught in 7–8 class periods.

Lesson Introduction:
The focus for grades 3—5 in Women's Suffrage is on change of attitudes through the passage of time. Students will read background on the fight for women's suffrage and its eventual success in the United States and around the world.

Day 1
As a class, discuss women's suffrage in the United States. Why is it important to vote? Who has the right to vote today? Who does not have that right? Why would women ever not have the right to vote? Write on the board any ideas and facts students bring to the discussion.

Before the class, print copies of the articles available in "History of Women's Suffrage" to hand to students. Students should individually read each article, circling the vocabulary words they find within the articles.

Day 2
Once students have read and understood the articles, send them to the computer stations to take the interactive, "Show What You Know," quiz. Students should print their final page and turn it in for assessment. If computers are not available, you can print the quiz and have students return the printout for assessment.

Day 3
Continue the lesson by directing students to read Effie Hobby's story on voting in 1920. In their notebooks, encourage students to write short responses to each "Think About It" question on the bottom of each section.

Days 4—5
When students have completed the "Show What You Know" quiz and Effie's story, regroup as a class to discuss what they have read. See Discussion Starters below. Add to the board any new ideas and facts.

Focus students on why some people wanted women to vote while others were against the idea and what world events might have allowed people to change their opinions. Expand the discussion to women's rights around the world. Do women have the right to vote in every country?

Hand out printouts of the Voting Dates Fact Sheet and direct students to the "When Did Women Vote?" section of the activity. Depending on the availability of computers, you may have individual students on each computer or group students according to reading level. If time is a concern, you can ask half the class to explore the U.S. map while the other half explores the world map.

Day 6
With their filled out Voting Dates Fact Sheet, have students discuss any patterns they see in the years that different countries and different states adopted women's suffrage. What can we learn about these patterns and the changing attitude toward women's rights over time?

Day 7: Extend the Lesson
Using the background information provided in the History of Women's Suffrage, have each student decide on a famous suffragette to research further. Doing some Internet research (See Planning the Lesson: Background Knowledge for some useful Web sites), students should write a paragraph on their chosen suffragette. Once you read and approve these paragraphs, have students submit their nominations to the Women's Honor Roll.

Discussion Starters:

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