IWD 2013

8th March has been International Women's Day for over a century and in previous years I have left here info and some resources.
This year I planned something slightly different as some of you might have noticed and voted- I'm thankful for that.
There was a poll and here are the results as to 8pm:

This poll is certainly a good starting point for a discussion on Women's rights and gender (in)equalities worldwide. To provide a kind of "language bank", have a look at this link which contains different ways of expressing agreement / disagreement... as well as arguments.
BBC news has a moving article on women who inspire others and in honor of IWD, Globe and Mail has a very curious article on "Where's the best place to be a woman?"
Scholastic has literally tons of interesting resources for teachers and ESLvideo has a very updated interview with Malala Yousafzai (the Pakistani school girl and women's rights activist recently shot) as well as a quiz - a role model for bravery that we could use in classes!
The best for me though is an interactive experience we should all (including sts) try out: "Mind the Gap - Gender & Education" already says much and is described as "An interactive data game that lets you explore the progress and pitfalls of girls’ and women’s education around the world". Here it is:

Mind the gap infographic by UNESCO Institute for statistics.

In my classes and with my adult learners, today I showed the students a tribute video to women which combines good music and pics of women who, throughout the time and in different areas, made a difference. Afterwards I elicited some info from them for a written task I'm sharing below. (the worksheet below has the link to the video):

IWD 2013 - POLL

Please vote!

Is it still reasonable to observe International Women's Day (IWD) on 8th March?

Yes, definitely, because there is still discrimination.

Yes, especially in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, India...

No, we already take equality for granted.

or View Results

Create your own poll at Flisti.com

Thank you!

International Women's Day 2012

IWD - International Women's Day

 

Google Doodle to celebrate the centennary of IWD

I have never celebrated Women's Day in any special way (isn't it every day???) but the truth is that there is still a long way to go - and world over - till real equality is achieved. It is therefore still important to observe this date, to highlight the differences and to make us think about women's rights in countries as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan... in the 21st century.
Have a look at this recently released PSA with Daniel Craig dressed in drag for the cause of sexual equality. In this two minute video, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, Craig appears as Bond alongside the voice of Judi Dench as M.



http://www.weareequals.org/

100 years of IWD

On March 8, women’s rights campaigners around the world will celebrate the 100th International Women’s Day (IWD) but, as I 've already written about this topic in previous years, this time I decided to look for teaching materials.

History.com has great materials as usual which include Famous Firsts in American Women's History, Women who Fought For the Vote besides 32 short videos and photo galleries. What I found even more interesting though was what was under More Outside History.com. I clicked here and found surprising materials that we can use in our classes - either to observe this date or for any other using biographies, always great to practise Past Simple, to enrich the curriculum with an interdisciplinary approach to learning and for critical thinking.

Interactive Timeline - as the title says - is a great interactive journey that celebrates the historical icons of Women's History from 1777 to 2000s and contains pictures, dates as well as a "Learn More" option where you can have further infos. On Notable Women we have women as History Makers organised under different topics and ordered alphabetically; one can always try this Quizz on Women's History to test the students' (or our own) knowledge on this issue.

The best part is yet to come: Bioclassroom has an impressive collection of materials for us teachers. For you to have an idea and once we are now about to observe IWD, click here for info on Amelia Earhart. Her biography, curriculum links, vocabulary, discussion questions, extended activities and webliography are included. Everything is there for us ready to use!!! For a full list of the available study guides, click here. And... you can also download here a pdf manual for educators featuring activities for students based on significant personalities (Women / Men) throughout history :)

For teachers with lower levels and not necessarily dealing with IWD but with biographies, there is Bio4Kids. Here is the printscreen:

It's cool! There are many and motivating biographies to read that the students can choose from and then present it to class. For fun or to activate knowledge, there is a Celebrity Hangman, a Sports Match Game, quizzes and videos.
Finally...Enjoy this video: 500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art with music by BACH.

To identify all these works of art and the artists click here.