Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students and have them record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose:

  • When thinking about famous speakers and speeches throughout history, which individual(s) come to mind?
  • How many of the individuals you listed in the last question are women?

• INTRODUCTION VIDEO

  Play Clip #1: The Speaking While Female Project (5:41) for your students. This clip features speechwriter and consultant Dana Rubin discussing her Speaking While Female Speech Bank, an online archive of speeches made by women throughout history that she says have been unjustly overlooked or forgotten. Then, direct your students to answer the following questions on their graphic organizer:

  • Which male speakers and/or speeches do you recognize in the opening video clip?
  • Based on the clip, how did Dana Rubin get started on her Speaking White Female project?
  • What reflective insight did Rubin have after reading the book Lend Me Your Ears?
  • Why does Rubin say many female speakers and speeches are not in recorded history?
  • What “cultural assumption” does Rubin say American culture has about historical female speakers? How does she respond to this assumption?

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.

  Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes one to two words. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson.

  Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you previewing the videos to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• ENGAGEMENT

  Direct students to the engagement section of their graphic organizers. Have students view both clips, take notes, and answer each question in their graphic organizers (clips and questions are listed below). After students are finished, direct them to share their responses with a partner, a small group, or the whole class.

  Note: each clip features Dana Rubin, creator of the Speaking While Female project.

• Clip #2: Female Speakers through the 1920s (4:42)

  • What have been the earliest speeches from American women that Dana Rubin has found?
  • Based on the clip, who were the earliest female speakers in America?
  • Summarize the role of female speakers in America in the 1800s. What examples does Rubin provide?
  • What does Rubin say about “spheres” during the Victorian era? What “pressure” did this create?
  • How did the role of female speakers change during and after the Civil War period?

• Clip #3: Women and the Speechwriting Craft (3:02)

  • Based on the clip, when did public speakers begin using speechwriters to develop their speeches? How did the “craft” grow?
  • What does Dana Rubin say about writing “for the ear as opposed to writing for the eye?”
  • According to Rubin, what impact does growing up in a church setting have on speechwriters?

• EXPLORATION

  Direct students to the exploration section of their graphic organizers. Have students choose (or you can assign) one clip to review. Instruct your students to view the video clip, take notes, and answer the following three questions in their graphic organizers. Encourage your students to share their responses with a partner or small group when finished.

  Questions:

  • Which clip did you select to watch? Why?
  • Describe the speech excerpt. What did you see, hear, feel, and think?
  • Summarize the commentary provided by Dana Rubin.

• Exploration Clips

  • Clip #4: Peggy Noonan (2:56)
  • Clip #5: Queen Elizabeth II (3:55)
  • Clip #6: Representative Barbara Jordan (D-TX) (2:56)
  • Clip #7: Phyllis Schlafly and Paxton Smith (5:48)

• APPLICATION

  Next, have your students choose a topic of interest from the Speaking While Female speech bank (Speaking While Female). Then, have your students select two speeches or speakers from the topic, record their notes, and respond to the questions listed below in their graphic organizers. Direct your students to prepare to share their findings with the class.

  Questions:

  • Which topic did you select to study? Why?
  • Which two speeches/speakers did you select? Why?
  • Summarize the first speech. What thoughts, insights, or questions do you have?
  • Summarize the second speech. What thoughts, insights, or questions do you have?
  • Using the sources linked on the site, research the women who gave the two speeches. Summarize your findings.

• CLOSURE

  Allow time for your students to prepare their findings from the lesson with their peers.

  After your students are finished sharing their findings from the application activity with the class, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers: Having now learned about female speakers throughout history, summarize the role of women in the public sphere historically and contemporarily. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips and your research to support your response.

  Direct your students to use evidence from the video clips to support their responses. Have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates'.