Grace Hopper was a mathematician, computer programmer, leader in the U.S. Navy. Can you imagine the obstacles she had to overcome as a woman in the military? During World War II, Grace Hopper was assigned to program the famous Mark I computer. She also developed the computer programming language COBOL.
How do your students locate information when they doing biographical research? Do you pull books from the library? Do you Google the person? When you use books, is the information up to date? And, if you Google the person, is the information factual?
I have a few ideas for finding reliable online resources that are up-to-date, factual, and age level appropriate. Because students are overwhelmed with information overload, it's important for them to have the tools in distinguishing between real and fake news. Since March being National Women's History Month, I'm using famous women in history as an example in finding great resources online.
Library of Congress Women's History Month
The Library of Congress is the world's largest library and is filled with collections that can be found online. This month, the library is featuring women's history. Besides learning about women's suffrage, this collection includes important women in history, art, music, photos, and videos.
Newsela
Newsela is one of my favorite online resources. Newsela presents articles at the appropriate grade level, provides short quizzes, and writing prompts. Newsela even translates their articles to Spanish for ESL students. The paid version gives teachers the option to customize the lessons.
Whitehouse.gov
If your students are researching bios of first ladies, go straight to the source. This White House site lists all of the first ladies and their bios. The biography is a short summary, so it may not have complete information about the first lady's life.
Bio.com
I love bio.com because of the layout. It has subheadings so students can read or research specific areas of someone's life. The advertisements can be distracting and I don't recommend this site for younger children. You may want to include other sources for additional information about obstacles the person had to overcome and their personal life.
EdPuzzle
EdPuzzle is another favorite because teachers can customize videos for their students. They can add voiceover, insert questions, and crop the selected video. This is great for visual learners and an excellent form of assessment.
For more online resources and additional activities for Women in History, please visit my Sweet Integrations Teachers Pay Teachers store.
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