Lesson Plan - Exercising Their Rights

Build Background Knowledge

Before students watch the video “Women for the Win!” for the first time, ask them to focus on understanding the central ideas and to choose one athlete they find impressive. Then, as they watch a second time, have them take notes on their athlete and answer these questions: Which athlete did you choose and why? What sport did she play? When did she play, and what did she accomplish? Discuss students’ responses.

Preview Vocabulary

Use the online Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach the domain-specific terms abolish, bill, federal, petition, and proponent. Have students refer to the Skill Builder as they read.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to underline or highlight how each person in the article fought for equality.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• What is Title IX? How has it increased opportunities for girls and women? (Cause and Effect)
Title IX is an education law that was passed in 1972. It bans gender discrimination in schools and colleges that receive money from the federal government. It requires schools to provide equal access to all activities for male and female students. Women and girls have had opportunities to take classes they were previously barred from, as well as participate in more athletic programs. The number of girls who play high school sports has increased from about 300,000 in the early 1970s to about 3.5 million today.

• How have Venus and Serena Williams fought for equality in sports? (Central Ideas)
Venus Williams has fought for equality by petitioning the Wimbledon tennis tournament to provide equal prize money for men’s and women’s champions. Wimbledon finally did so after she wrote an essay in a British newspaper in 2006 calling out the injustice. Her sister Serena Williams has fought for equality by giving $1 million to an effort to research gender inequality in sports. Serena has also starred in a commercial encouraging people to watch more women’s sports.

• What was Katie Holloway’s goal? How did she achieve it? (Social and Emotional Learning)
Holloway’s goal was to secure medaling bonuses for Paralympians that were equal to those of Olympians. She spoke out about the bonuses at U.S. Olympic Committee meetings and petitioned the group to change its policies. She achieved her goal in 2018. When Holloway won another gold medal in 2021, she received $37,000—the same amount as Olympians.

• Summarize the section about Kathryn Johnston. (Summarizing)
In 1950, when Kathryn Johnston was 12 years old, she tried out for Little League baseball. Because her town of Corning, New York, allowed girls to participate in only tennis, swimming, or track, she disguised herself as a boy named Tubby. After she revealed that she was a girl, her coach and teammates welcomed her and she finished the season. In 1951, Little League officially banned female players in a decision known as the “Tubby Rule,” which wasn’t abolished until 1974. 

• How has Noor Alexandria Abukaram fought against religious discrimination in sports? (Key Details)
Noor has fought against religious discrimination by helping to inspire creation of a bill in Ohio that would prohibit schools from banning religious apparel during sports competitions. In 2019, she was disqualified from a high school cross-country meet for wearing a hijab. Her post about the experience on Facebook went viral and she worked with Theresa Gavarone, an Ohio state senator, to write the bill that is currently with the state House. Noor also created the website LetNoorRun.com to continue speaking out against religious discrimination in sports.

• What do you think Patsy Mink meant when she said “The pursuit of Title IX . . . has been a personal crusade for me”? (Making Meaning)
Mink probably meant that fighting for the Title IX legislation was an important mission for her. She co-wrote the law after facing discrimination in her own life, which motivated her to become a politician. Although medical schools wouldn’t accept her because she was a woman, women now have more opportunities to become doctors, athletes, or just about anything they want to be.

Watch Another Video

Ask students to think about these questions as they watch “Patsy Mink: Changing the Rules”: How does the video add to your understanding of Patsy Mink’s life? What motivated her to participate in politics? What would motivate you to participate in politics? Discuss students’ responses.

Research an Athlete

Guide students to complete the Skill Spotlight activity at the end of the article. Help students find credible sources to research one of the athletes from the article. You might have students share their findings with a brochure, poster, slides, video, podcast, or essay.

Assess Comprehension

Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz, available in PDF and interactive forms. You can also use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.