16 Women’s History Month Lesson Plans for ELA

Women’s History Month, celebrated each March, is an opportunity to help your students explore the lived experiences of women across time, cultures, and fields. With Newsela ELA, you can find Women’s History Month lesson plans that let students read authentic texts, analyze multiple perspectives, and make connections to the world they live in now.

Jump to:

• Women’s History Month lesson plans featuring women in the arts
• Women’s History Month ELA lessons for poetry and perspective
• Women’s History Month lesson plans on government, work, and social change
• Women’s History Month ELA lessons exploring women in sports
• Women’s History Month research projects

[Women’s History Month lesson plans featuring women in the arts](id-arts)

Key takeaways:

• Women’s History Month ELA lessons are more engaging when students explore relevant authors and artists rather than just historical summaries.
• Students can practice reading nonfiction, analyzing author impact, and making text-to-world connections.
• Use articles, videos, and biographies in your lessons to deepen understanding.

Who are the women writers who shaped literature in the past and present?

Women writers have shaped literature across centuries, even as they have overcome barriers to publication, recognition, and authorship. Studying both historical and contemporary women authors helps students understand how voice, identity, and opportunity influence whose stories are told and why everyone’s story matters.

You can support this exploration with Newsela ELA resources that give students historical context and modern connections, like:

• An article on how Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” went from a rare manuscript to publication.
• An explainer about women authors like Mary Ann Evans, better known as George Eliot, who finally received credit for their works under their own names rather than male pseudonyms.
• A news story about two teenage sisters from Michigan who started a nonprofit organization to put more books with Muslim women as main characters in their schools and libraries.

Why do contemporary women writers matter to students today?

Contemporary women writers often discuss themes students recognize in their own lives, like identity, belonging, culture, and community. Studying modern authors alongside historical figures helps students see women’s history as ongoing, not just in the past.

You can explore how today’s women writers shape culture through stories of figures like:

• Denise Lajimodiere, North Dakota’s first Indigenous poet laureate.
• Taylor Swift’s use of literary references, which inspired a university literature course.
• Jacqueline Woodson’s work from page to stage and community storytelling.

How can students learn directly from women authors themselves?

Hearing authors speak about their work helps students connect texts to real people and lived experiences. Video interviews and author profiles allow students to better understand an author’s purpose, influences, and creative process. This makes literary analysis more personal and engaging.

Students can explore video interviews and profiles of authors like:

• Sandra Cisneros
• Angie Thomas
• Jane Austen
• Lois Lowry
• Elizabeth Acevedo

[Women’s History Month lessons for poetry and perspective](id-poetry)

Key takeaways:

• Poetry helps students explore women’s voices, identity, and lived experiences.
• Students can practice close reading, interpretation, and comparison using poetry texts.
• Identify lessons that integrate historical and contemporary poetry to deepen understanding.

What women’s poetry can students analyze during Women’s History Month?

Students can analyze poems written by women from different backgrounds to explore how voice, form, and language reflect lived experiences. Sharing a wide range of poets’ work helps students recognize shared themes and unique perspectives.

You can share poems such as:

• “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” by Emily Dickinson
• “Navajo Mountain” by Norla Chee
• “No Worries” by Jane Morris Udovic
• “The Conditional” by Ada Limón
• “Poem for South African Women” by June Jordan

How can students compare women poets across time periods?

Comparing poets from different eras helps students analyze how historical context shapes voice, theme, and purpose. Pairing a historical poet’s work with a contemporary one’s encourages deeper discussion about change and continuity.

Students can compare modern-day poet Amanda Gorman and historical poet Phillis Wheatley with resources like:

• A biography of colonial poet Phillis Wheatley.
• The story of how Amanda Gorman earned the national honor of reading at a presidential inauguration.
• Samples of both Amanda’s and Phillis’s poems, to analyze how context influenced their work.

Why is it important to study Black women poets?

Black women poets often write about resilience, justice, and everyday life shaped through a variety of lenses. Studying their work helps students understand how poetry can be personal and social.

You can explore poems like:

• “won’t you celebrate with me” by Lucille Clifton 
• “Absolute” by Jacqueline Woodson
• “Calling all Silent Minorities” by June Jordan
• “The Bronze Legacy” by Effie Lee Newsome
• “darkskin” by Maren Lovey Wright-Kerr

[Women’s History Month lesson plans on government, work, and social change](id-change)

Key takeaways:

• Students can explore women’s fight for equality through narratives and nonfiction.
• Use lessons that strengthen comparing and contrasting and text structure analysis.
• Choose from content that highlights diverse women leaders and changemakers.

What is feminism, and how has it evolved?

Feminism has evolved as women have gained political rights, workplace equality, and social recognition. Exploring its history helps students understand how advocacy movements respond to changing cultural and economic situations.

Students can explore topics like:

• Modern feminism.
• The link between humor and empowerment.
• The gap between opportunities for women and true gender equality.

Who are the women who transformed U.S. politics?

Women have played critical roles in shaping U.S. politics, often breaking barriers in the system to achieve success. Learning about these leaders helps students understand representation and civic progress.

Students can learn about figures like:

• California Senator Laphonza Butler, who replaced Senator Dianne Feinstein in 2023.
• Shirley Chisholm and her historic presidential campaign.
• The first two Indigenous women elected to Congress.

How did women workers fight for change during the Industrial Revolution?

During the Industrial Revolution, women factory workers organized to improve wages and working conditions. Studying their experiences through fiction and nonfiction helps students compare perspectives and author intent.

Use the following paired text lesson to learn more about life for these early women workers:

• Assign the fictional story, “Dear Mama: Letters from a Mill Girl” by Cynthia Overbeck Bix.
• Share a nonfiction article about the Lowell mill girls who went on strike in the 1800s to get better pay.
• Have students use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the two texts, focusing on the guiding question, “What is the structure of each text, and how are the structures and author’s purposes connected?”

Why should you include women astronauts in Women’s History Month lessons?

Women astronauts show us how to push boundaries in science, education, and exploration. Their stories highlight how perseverance and opportunity intersect. Students can explore resources like:

• A video biography of Ellen Ochoa, the first female Hispanic astronaut.
• An article about how LEGO created unique building sets to celebrate NASA’s female figures.
• An article about how teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe’s lessons made their way to space over 30 years after the Challenger disaster.

[Women’s History Month ELA lessons exploring women in sports](id-sports)

Key takeaways:

• Sports content makes literacy lessons highly engaging and relevant.
• Students can practice argumentative reading, comparison, and debate skills.
• Choose lessons that highlight gender barriers and progress in athletics.

Why were women excluded from the original Olympic Games?

Women were excluded from early Olympic competitions because of cultural beliefs about gender roles. Studying this exclusion can help students analyze how social norms shape opportunity. Students can explore these themes through a paired text activity that uses:

• A fictional story set in Athens in the fourth century B.C. about the gender roles and daily life of women at that time.
• The true story of how Greek women created the Heraean Games—an Olympic-style competition for women—after they were banned from Greece’s earliest athletic competitions.
• A paired text analysis graphic organizer to help students compare and contrast details that help them answer the focus question, “What was life like for women in Ancient Greece?”

How are women changing professional hockey?

Women are reshaping professional sports through leadership, advocacy, and collaboration. Studying these changes helps students understand their progress and ongoing challenges. They can look at how the hockey landscape is changing by exploring topics such as:

• USA Hockey and the US Women’s hockey team’s successful contract for better wages and benefits.
• How more women are accepting roles in NHL coaching, leadership, and broadcasting.
• How women’s sports leagues are joining forces to increase resources, viewership, and attendance.

Should women join the NFL?

This question invites students to analyze evidence, compare experiences, and form arguments. Using real athletes’ experiences helps ground debates in relevant examples. Students can research the question using resources like:

• An article about Carli Lloyd, a U.S. soccer player who can kick a 55-yard field goal.
• A new story about Toni Harris, a Detroit teenager who became the first female football skill player to earn a college scholarship.
• A Venn Diagram to compare Carli and Toni’s football experiences.

[Women’s History Month research projects](id-research)

Key takeaways:

• Research projects deepen student ownership of learning and inquiry.
• Students can practice synthesizing information across sources.
• Choose lessons that support long-form reading and evidence-based writing.

How can students research influential women in history?’

Research projects enable students to investigate women’s lives through multiple sources and perspectives. Students can use the following resources to learn and discuss the lives of influential women:

• A video about world-changing women and their impact on history.
• Profiles of civil rights activists, first ladies, explorers, inventors, and other women leaders.
• Research resources, such as a Paired Text Perspective Analysis or Research Notes.

Build meaningful Women’s History Month lessons with Newsela ELA

These Women’s History Month lesson plans make it easier to design engaging, inclusive ELA teachable moments that reflect women’s voices and experiences.

For access to even more Women’s History Month ELA lessons, sign up for Newsela Lite and start your 45-day free trial of our premium, differentiated content.