Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Unit

LU Title: "Her"story: Women's Sports and Title IX (SECOND SUBMISSION)	Author(s): Lori Griffin
Grade Level: used for 9-12 elective, but adaptable at any level	School : Copenhagen Central School
Topic/Subject Area: Women's History and Literature elective	Address: Box 30, Mechanic Street Copenhagen, NY 13626
Email: Lgriffin@copen-high.moric.org	Phone/Fax: 315-688-4411

OVERVIEW

This unit is for a Social Studies/English elective that focuses on women and their impact on literature and history. This particular unit focused on Women's Sports and specifically the impact of Title IX. It takes approximately 15 classes (36 minutes each). The research and technology usage is included in this time frame.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Declarative	Procedural
Can define Title IX Can understand and explore the impact of Title IX Can analyze various women who have been impacted by Title IX	Students will complete research projects Students will formulate, compile, and share surveys Students will prepare power point presentations and use them to teach the class Students will write their own children's books based on survey and research Students will share the book with the elementary Students will make their own rubric and use it to peer evaluate

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

How has Title IX impacted women athletes today?

CONNECTIONS TO NYS LEARNING STANDARDS

Content Area: ELA

Level: 9-12

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts.

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria

Content Area: MST

Standard 2: Information technology is used to retrieve, process, and communicate information and as a tool to enhance learning.

INITIATING ACTIVITY

Each student will do a KWL for approximately 5 minutes focusing on the following two questions: What is Title IX and what is its purpose?

LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Define Title IX.

Students will do individual KWLs, then compare with the group. After reaching a consensus on what we actually do know about Title IX, the class writes a group definition. Then the teacher passes out the articles on Title IX ("Facts on Title IX: Before and After", "Title IX: Leveling the Playing Field for Women", and "What is Title IX?"), students will read them for homework and return to class with a reading reaction piece. The reaction piece will focus on the following questions:

What did they learn from the articles to add to the class definition?

What is the reason Title IX was developed?

Who started it?

Who has it directly affected?

The following class, the reaction pieces are discussed and the definition is revised.

Watch the movie, "A League of Their Own".

In class, students watch the movie, "A League of Their Own" and take notes which focus on finding examples of women being ridiculed for being "inferior" and women being criticized for their athletic ability. Also students will look for examples that specifically relate to their topic choice on the Project Sheet which will be handed out prior to the movie.

"A League of Their Own" project (See the culminating performance description for #1.)
PowerPoint presentation to the class:

After successfully researching and preparing the project, students will present and teach the class using technology. We use a direct link from the computer cluster in the room to the television in the room so that viewing is not a problem. Peers are given the rubric to provide peer feedback after the presentation and the peer grades are averaged in as well.

Children's Book/Project #2: To continue the exploration of women in sports, students will choose one famous woman athlete and research how she has benefited from Title IX. After successfully researching, students will compile findings into a Children's Book. (see the culminating performance description for #2)

Survey:

In preparation for the project, students will analyze several biographical elementary books and then brainstorm their own list of what makes a good children's book. Then they go to the elementary to survey several grades and ask for their input on what they enjoy and what they expect out of a good children's book. In the classes, students will use giant chart paper to record answers. I recommend using the 3-6 grades. Once completing the surveys, students have to write a reaction piece that analyzes their own findings.

Rubric Design:

Upon completing the findings summary, students share their findings and then as a class design their own rubric.

Research:

Now that the criteria has been established, students begin researching using several search engines on the internet and electric library (our school subscribes to this service) as well as my own materials. Two great sources I used were Great Women in Sports by Anne Janette Johnson and "100 Greatest Women Athletes of the Century", an article in the Winter 1999-2000 Sports Illustrated for Women edition.

Book Sharing:

Once the books are complete, they are shared with the class and then read to a willing elementary class.

CULMINATING PERFORMANCE

The first culminating performance is the PowerPoint presentation of "A League of Their Own". Students will research one aspect of the movie that demonstrates part of the history behind women and sports and the attitudes toward women in sports. After watching the movie and taking notes, students will choose one of the following aspects of Professional Women's Baseball: One of the four league teams, one of the women who played, the rules of conduct, or the history of how it was started. After researching their particular choice on the official website (www.dlcwest.com/~smudge/viewmode.html) and other search engines, students will begin to write their content FIRST. After preparing an outline and then an essay, students will search for pictures that complement the essay and save them into their Herstory file folder. Then the teacher and peers check the outline and essay, the students begin putting together a power point presentation that will be shared and presented on a scheduled day.

	EXCEPTIONAL	ADMIRABLE	ACCEPTABLE	AMATEUR
	An abundance of material	Sufficient info that relates to	a good deal of info	Thesis is not clear;
CONTENT	clearly related to thesis;	thesis; many good points	is not clearly connected	info included does not
	clear points and supporting		to thesis	support thesis
	evidence

COHERENCE	Thesis is clearly stated and	Most info presented in logical	Concept and ideas are	Presentation is
AND	developed; specific supporting	sequence; generally well	loosely connected; lacks	choppy and disjointed
ORGANIZATION	examples are appropriate;	organized, but better	clear transitions; choppy	Does not flow
	conclusion is clear; good	transitions needed	organization
	transitions and organization

CREATIVITY	Very original; captures	Some originality; good variety	Little variation; little	Repetitive and insufficient
	audience's attention		originality

MATERIAL	Use of technology is	Not as varied	Choppy usage of tech	Ineffective use of tech
	varied and appropriate;
	properly used to develop thesis

SPEAKING SKILLS	Poised, clear articulation;	Clear articulation but not as	Some mumbling; little eye	Inaudible or too loud; no
	proper volume;steady rate;	polished	contact; uneven rate; little	eye contact; rate too slow
	good posture and eye contact;		or no expression	or fast speaker seemed
	enthusiasm; confidence			uninterested and used
				monotone

The second culminating performance is the Children's Book, which focuses on a famous woman athlete of the student's choice. After compiling surveys that asked, "What makes a good book?" the students will design their own book rubric. Students brainstorm together about what they think is important and what they want to be evaluated on. The teacher acts as recorder in order to type the rubric later using Microsoft Excel. (If you wanted, you could have the students learn Excel Tables) After the rubric is designed, students begin researching their women in order to meet the criteria specified in the class designed rubric which was built using the student surveys. I also had elementary biographies from the library that we perused and discussed. This year, the students chose to have at least seven pages, with at least five pictures. I added that they must have a Works Cited Page at the end. After the content is researched, the students must write an outline and a rough essay to be shared and critiqued by peers. Once the essay is checked, students begin designing their book using the technology mode of choice (either Word or Publisher). The follow-up to this unit is to present their books to the elementary. Elementary teachers would sign up for time slots.

	EXCEPTIONAL	ADMIRABLE	ACCEPTABLE	AMATEUR
CONTENT	quality info (7pgs.)	sufficient info using	some info using	unclear info and
	using the biography	biography with at least	biography and some	unclear style with few
	style with at least 5	5 picts; Includes Work	picts; Includes some	picts; and no Work
	picts; Includes Work	Cited	Work Cited	Cited
	Cited


COHERENCE	Title IX connection	Title IX connection	Title IX connection	Title IX connection
&	clearly develops with	presented in logical	loosely detailed; lacks	is choppy and vague;
ORGANIZATION	specific examples	sequence;some details	clear focus; is choppy	very little specific
	detailing sports career;			details
	good transitions and
	flow


CREATIVITY	very original; captures	some originality;	little variation; little	repetitive and
	intended audience's	apparent good visuals	originality limited	boring; few visuals
	attention; good visuals		visuals


LANGUAGE USE	vocab fits intended	evident awareness of	imprecise or	incoherent or
&	audience; demonstrates	audience; some errors	unsuitable language;	inappropriate; errors
CONVENTIONS	control of conventions		errors hinder	interfere
			comprehension

PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS

Students must know how to successfully use PowerPoint, how to save images from the internet, how to use the scanner, and how to successfully research from a variety of sources.

MODIFICATIONS

Extended time if necessary, but generally students who take this elective know that it is student centered and project based; therefore, it isn't usually needed.

UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN

15 classes (36 minutes each) and pre-scheduled time to read and share the children's books with the elementary
If used during March, the culminating performance fits nicely with National Women's History Month (You can also put both the PowerPoints and the books on a continuous VHS wrap so that the projects can be viewed as a display.)

TECHNOLOGY USE

Power Point
Internet (bookmarked websites for A League of Their Own )and internet for individual research
Microsoft Word or Publisher (student choice in making the book)

Works Cited

"Equity Online: Facts on Title IX" online. Internet. 1998. Education Development Center, Inc. www.edc.org. 2 February 2000.

Holhut, Randolph. "Title IX: Leveling the Playing Field for Women" online. Internet. 1996. www.primenet.com. 2 February 2000.

Johnson, Anne Janette. Great Women in Sports. New York: Visible Ink Press. 1996.

"100 Greatest Female Athletes of the Century" Sports Illustrated for Women. Winter 1999-2000. 70+.