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This article was updated March 3, 2024
Though women make up more than 50% of humanity, only since the 20th century have they achieved full legal rights and privileges in the U.S.—and in some countries, they are still second-class citizens. Consequently, women’s role in history and contributions to culture have been woefully overlooked.
Designated as Women’s History Month, March is a great time to dive deeply into women’s struggle for equal rights and triumphs in every arena. The lessons and resources here are an excellent way to investigate and understand women as changemakers, activists, and heroines—worthy of becoming an integral part of the curriculum all year long.
Best Women's History Month Lessons and Activities
iCivics Women’s History Month Resources
A wealth of resources for teaching women’s history, including downloadable planners, videos spotlighting pioneering women, and standards-aligned lessons.
Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum: Women Making Change Video Series
Videos exploring lesser-known aspects and personalities of women’s history, including Portia K. Gage, the sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, activist Ruby Duncan, and other notables. Want to go deeper? Check out Becoming Visible: Bringing American Women’s History Into Focus, Smithsonian’s first digital exhibition, opening March 8, 2024.
AI Conversations: Women Leaders Share Their Stories
AI and education experts Becky Keene and Dr. Sabba Quidwai share their stories of how they got involved with AI and what it means for careers in education. This free event taking place March 13, 2024, 10 AM PT, is aimed at middle school, high school, and higher ed teachers and students.
PBS Teaching Women's Suffrage
Women’s right to vote, and the struggle to achieve it, form the foundation for all successive rights. This extensive collection of multimedia lessons and activities is grouped according to topics such as the 19th Amendment, advocates and organizers, primary sources and modern-day legacies. Each standards-based lesson includes downloadable support materials for teachers.
7 Women’s History Month Lesson Plans for Elementary Students
Complete lessons based on (included) digital poetry. Each poem is accompanied by teacher’s guides, optional guided reading mode, assessment questions, multilingual translations, and paired texts. An excellent resource for teaching poetry in general, or women’s poetry specifically.
Unsung Women Who Changed America
26 short films and a one-hour documentary examine the lives of trailblazing women from the turn of the 20th century. Although most of these women are not widely known, their accomplishments call for recognition. Available in Spanish.
5 SEL Activities For Women’s History Month
Prompts, leading questions, and suggested readings for K-12 social-emotional learning based on the struggles, ideas, and achievements of girls and women, both famous and ordinary.
HMH: 10 National Women's History Month Activities for Students
A diverse collection of activities using research, writing, critical thinking, and art to explore women’s history and the changing social mores about women’s role in society.
65 Famous Women in History Everyone Should Know
From astronauts to politicians to athletes to writers, these 65 women—some famous, others less so— have made their mark on the world. Read the brief biographies, then explore the links provided to learn more about Sally Ride, Shirley Chisholm, Soraya Jiménez, Empress Dowager Cixi, and many more.
Studying Female Poets to Understand History
A good general guide to create your own lesson from poetry written by women, this article offers a suggested lesson structure and examples. To find more poetry lessons ideas, be sure to check out our article Best Poetry Lessons and Activities.
Clio Visualizing History: Click! in the Classroom Lesson Plans
Organized by grade level, these lesson plans examine women's history through the lens of feminism, politics, careers, sports, and civil rights.
16 Wonderful Women Scientists to Inspire Your Students
Learn all about 16 women scientists, many of whom you’ve never heard of. These women were pioneers in the fields of aviation, chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering, medicine, and more. Each brief biography is accompanied by recommended readings, activities, and ideas for further exploration of women in science.
Scholastic Action: From Out of This World. . . To Under the Sea
What do the depths of Earth’s oceans have in common with outer space? Both are otherworldly realms, inhospitable to human life while captivating our imaginations. Meet a woman who has traveled to each place and find out why. A video and quiz round out the article. Integrated with Google drive.
Marie Curie Facts and Activities
Start with the facts about Marie Curie—who won not one but two Nobel prizes—and branch out into relevant and fun science activities. Consider also using the facts of her life and death to teach kids about why radiation is hazardous and potentially deadly.
Edsitement Teacher's Guide to Women's History in the United States
The guide provides prompts, questions, and student activities related to women's history, as well as podcasts, films, and databases exploring women in sports, careers, art, and more.
Scripting the Past: Exploring Women's History Through Film
A detailed lesson plan that will inspire your students to learn, collaborate and create. Working in teams, students research topics, brainstorm visualizations and outline the plot. This rich and layered lesson offers multiple ways to view accomplished women, their dreams and their goals.
Women's History Month: Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote
An online version of the Library of Congress exhibition "Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote" looks at the history of the struggle for suffrage via handwritten letters, speeches, photographs, and scrapbooks created by American suffragists.
National Women's History Museum Digital Classroom Resources
A wealth of digital resources for women's history featuring lesson plans, quizzes, primary source documents, videos, and more. Searchable by type, topic, and grade.
Alice Ball and 7 Female Scientists Whose Discoveries Were Credited to Men
Learn about women who broke barriers in science but who were, until recently, not credited properly for their achievements. Compare this to the list of women recognized with the Nobel Prize.
National Trust for Historic Preservation: 1000+ Places Where Women Made History
A fascinating site that looks at women's history through the lens of place. Find out where women made history, searching by date, topic, or state. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is dedicated to preserving America's historic places.
DocsTeach: Primary sources and Teaching Activities for Women's Rights
Explore a wealth of primary sources covering topics ranging across women's suffrage, political cartoons, the Equal Rights Amendment, and many others. Teaching activities include online interactives exploring all aspects of the fight for women's suffrage and the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Learning for Justice: Women's Suffrage Lesson
This Common Core-aligned lesson guides students in learning how women achieved voting rights and in evaluating the role of the federal government in the fight for suffrage.
National Museum of Women in the Arts Curriculum & Resources
On the website of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, find free resources to support teaching about women artists, including a complete curriculum, "Art, Books, and Creativity," and pre-K12 educator guides. Be sure to explore the extensive online exhibitions.
National Women's History Alliance: Women's History Quizzes
Seven quizzes on women's history cover topics including women in STEM, peace activists, Black women's history, and more.
Nobel Prizes Awarded to Women
Note how the rate of female Nobel laureates has changed dramatically in the 21st century.
Smithsonian Learning Lab Women's History
Sixty-three collections of digitized objects related to women's history add a rich context to the written word. The Learning Lab is a free, interactive platform allowing educators and other users to find digital resources and create content with online tools.
Smithsonian Magazine: Henrietta Wood
Ever heard of Henrietta Wood? Formerly enslaved, Wood successfully sued her enslaver for reparations in 1870. This Smithsonian magazine article details her amazing story, forgotten until very recently.
