http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/19990330tuesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
Ladies Taking Over the
Labs
Researching the Accomplishments of Women in the Fields of Science
Author(s)
Alison Zimbalist,
The New York Times Learning Network
Grades: 6-8,
9-12
Subjects: Language
Arts, Science
Interdisciplinary
Connections
Overview of Lesson Plan: This lesson allows students
to explore the lives and accomplishments of the many women who have made
tremendous strides in the various fields of science.
Review the Academic
Content Standards related to this lesson.
Suggested Time Allowance: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Objectives:
Students will:
1. List descriptive words or phrases that they would use to describe a
scientist; examine how many students indicated gender in their description,
either directly or indirectly, and why one does not typically think of women in
the role of scientist.
2. Learn about the accomplishments of Dr. Lene Vestergaard Hau by reading and
discussing "She Puts the Brakes on Light."
3. Investigate the backgrounds, accomplishments, and impacts made by women
scientists in various scientific fields.
4. Write biographies of the scientists researched to be either displayed as
biographical posters or compiled in a book of women scientists.
Resources / Materials:
-paper
-pens/ pencils
-classroom blackboard
-copies of "She Puts the Brakes on Light" (one per student)
-reference materials on women scientists (science textbooks; encyclopedias;
Internet access; books on various fields of science, scientists and
discoveries)
Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM-UP/ DO-NOW: In the first five minutes of class, ask students to list,
on a sheet of scrap paper, all of the descriptive words or phrases that they
would use to describe a scientist. Then, ask students to share their descriptions.
What ideas or words are repeated? How many students indicated gender in their
description, either directly or indirectly? How many students referred to the
scientist as male and how many as female? Why does one not typically think of
women in the role of scientist?
2. Read and discuss "She Puts the Brakes on Light," focusing on the
following questions:
a. What major accomplishment did Dr. Hau recently achieve?
b. How did Dr. Hau achieve this accomplishment?
c. Why do you think so few women still enter the sciences as a profession?
d. To what elements of Dr. Hau’s background does she attribute her success as a
female scientist?
e. What interests did Dr. Hau have when she was younger, and how did they
further her interest in physics?
f. On what different projects has Dr. Hau worked, and what did she accomplish
in each project?
g. How does the "candlestick" work, and what significance does this
development have?
h. How does Dr. Hau feel about her profession?
i. Has Dr. Hau had to overcome obstacles as a woman in the field of physics? If
so, what were they?
j. What impact has Dr. Hau’s work had on the world of science and on the world
at large?
3. Each student selects a woman scientist from a list you provide (or randomly
selects a name from a hat or bag) as the topic of research. Suggested
scientists: Marie Curie, Rachel Carson, Lady Augusta Ada Byron Lovelace, Lise
Meitner, Maria Mitchell, Jocelyn Bell, Rosalind Franklin, Frieda
Fromm-Reichmann, Dorothy Hodgkin, Henrietta Leavitt, Barbara McClintock, Jane
Goodall, Sally Ride. A long list of other women scientists can be found on the
Web site titled 4000 Years of Women in Science (http://www.astr.ua.edu/4000WS). Each
student should research the following information about his or her scientist
(written on the board for easier reference):
--In what field of science is this scientist classified?
--What is this scientist’s specialty in this field of science?
--What is this scientist’s background (education and training in her specific
field of science)?
--How did this scientist become interested in the aspect of science in which
she became accomplished? (optional)
--What did this scientist accomplish?
--What obstacles did she have to overcome in her work? (optional)
--What impact has this scientist’s work had on the world of science and on the
world at large?
Students should have access to a wide variety of resource materials to best
answer these questions.
4. WRAP-UP/ HOMEWORK: Each student writes a biography of the scientist that he
or she researched, including thorough answers for all of the research questions
outlined in the research activity. As a final product, students may create
biographical posters highlighting their scientists or create a book of women
scientists to display in the school’s library or media center.
Further Questions for Discussion:
--Why are women still such a minority in the field of science?
--How do different scientific fields impact society?
--What is the relationship between scientific accomplishments and inventions
and the time period in which they are developed?
--What qualities must a good scientist possess?
Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on participation in class discussions, thoughtful
and thorough research on a woman scientist, and well-written biography of the
researched scientist based on the research questions.
Vocabulary:
formidable, prestigious, condensate, herald, optical, apparatus, pondering,
quantum, laymen, prodigy, abstractions, entity, thermodynamics, probabalistic,
discontinuous, transistors, vital, ingenious, vaporizes, bombarded, momentum,
velocity, resonate, labyrinth, tedious, localized
Extension Activities:
1. Create a display that defines the various fields of science (agronomy,
anthropology, astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, engineering, geology,
horticulture, marine biology, meteorology, physics, physiology, statistician,
zoology). Try to find names of women scientists in each field, and briefly
explain their accomplishments.
2. Interview a woman scientist about her work, accomplishments, perceived
obstacles, and views about women in science in the future. Share your interview
with the class.
3. Explore Nobel Prize winners in the field of physics. What accomplishments
have been made in the 20th century? What names do you recognize? What women
have won this prestigious award, and what did they accomplish?
4. Learn about a principle of physics discussed in the featured article. Then,
write an easy-to-understand explanation of that principle geared toward helping
your classmates understand it.
5. Research and write an essay exploring the changing roles of women in the
workplace during the course of the 20th century.
6. Learn about the different science programs offered at different colleges in
your state, country, or the world.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Health- Research women who have made significant impacts on the field of
health, such as Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton.
Mathematics
-Learn about women who have made great achievements in the world of
mathematics.
-Gain statistics on the numbers of girls and boys in elective mathematics and
science classes in your school. Create graphs showing comparisons in different
ways (percentage, ratios, numbers, etc.).
-Obtain and graph gender ratios in science-oriented colleges and universities.
Many of these statistics can be found in college guides and reference books.
Media Studies- Examine the portrayal of women scientists in movies and television
shows. How are women in these fields portrayed, physically and intellectually?
How might these portrayals reflect wide-spread beliefs in our society?
Teaching with The Times- Find other articles in The New York Times featuring
women scientists and their accomplishments. For each article, write a brief
biography about the scientist’s background, accomplishments, and the impact of
those accomplishments on the world of science and the world as a whole.
Other Information on the Web
4000 Years of Women in Science (http://www.astr.ua.edu/4000WS)
offers biographies, photographs, and additional references about women whose
scientific experiments and discoveries have significantly impacted the world.
Contributions of 20th Century Women to Physics (http://www.physics.ucla.edu/~cwp)
provides descriptions of major scientific achievements by women in the field of
physics, with some biographical information on each scientist.
Distinguished Women of Past and Present (http://www.netsrq.com/~dbois/)
offers biographies of women who have contributed to our culture in many
different ways: scientists, writers, educators, heads of state, politicians,
civil rights crusaders, artists, entertainers, and more.
Physics 2000 (http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000)
encourages you to have fun learning about physics and familiar high-tech
devices.
Academic Content Standards:
This lesson plan may be used to address the academic
standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A
Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 2nd Edition and
have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent
Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.
In
addition, this lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards of a
specific state. Links are provided where available from each McREL standard to
the Achieve website containing state
standards for over 40 states. The state standards are from Achieve's
National Standards Clearinghouse and have been provided courtesy of
Achieve, Inc. in
Grades 6-8
Science Standard 14- Understands the nature of scientific knowledge. Benchmarks:
Knows that all scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change and
improvement in principle, but for most core ideas in science, there is much
experimental and observational confirmation; Understands that questioning,
response to criticism, and open communication are integral to the process of
science
Science Standard 16- Understands the scientific enterprise. Benchmarks: Knows
that people of all backgrounds and with diverse interests, talents, qualities,
and motivations engage in fields of science and engineering; some of these
people work in teams and others work alone, but all communicate extensively
with others; Knows that the work of science requires a variety of human
abilities, qualities, and habits of mind; Knows various settings in which
scientists and engineers may work; Knows that throughout history, many
scientific innovators have had difficulty breaking through accepted ideas of
their time to reach conclusions that are now considered to be common knowledge;
Knows ways in which science and society influence one another
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and
strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure
appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes expository compositions;
Writes biographical sketches
Language Arts Standard 4- Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
Benchmark: Uses a variety of resource materials to gather information for
research topics
Grades 9-12
Science Standard 14- Understands the nature of scientific knowledge.
Benchmarks: Knows ways in which science distinguishes itself from other ways of
knowing and from other bodies of knowledge; Knows that scientific explanations
must meet certain criteria to be considered valid; Understands how scientific
knowledge changes and accumulates over time; Knows that from time to time,
major shifts occur in the scientific view of how the world works, but usually
the changes that take place in the body of scientific knowledge are small
modifications of prior knowledge
Science Standard 16- Understands the scientific enterprise. Benchmarks:
Understands that individuals and teams contribute to science and engineering at
different levels of complexity; Understands that science involves different
types of work in many different disciplines; Knows that creativity,
imagination, and a good knowledge base are all required in the work of science
and engineering
Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and
strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that are
focused for different audiences; Writes compositions that fulfill different
purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes fictional, biographical,
autobiographical, and observational narrative compositions
Language Arts Standard 4- Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
Benchmark: Uses a variety of news sources to gather information for research
topics