LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR A STANDARDS-ALIGNED SYSTEM
LESSON PLAN CODE: S.S.-7-1
SUBJECT: Social Studies
GRADE LEVEL/COURSE: 7th Grade/Social Studies
TITLE: Exploring the Contributions of Women in the Workforce during World War II through the use of
Primary Sources
TEACHER(S) NAME(S): Cassandra Conn
ALIGNMENTS:
8.1.7.B: Identify and use primary and secondary sources to analyze multiple points of view for
historical events.
8.3.7.A: Classify the social, political, cultural, and economic contributions of individuals and
groups throughout United States history.
8.4.7.D: Explain how conflict and cooperation among groups and organizations have impacted
the history of the world.
VOCABULARY:
WASP: (Women’s Airforce Service Pilot); a group of women during World War II who were trained to
be pilots and performed ferry piloting duties during the war
Prejudice: Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, or religion.
Workforce: All the people working or available to work, as in a nation, company, industry, or on a
project.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
In this lesson, the students will explore the different ways women contributed to the war effort during World
War II. Students will:
look at and investigate photographs and posters from World War II to understand the impact of World
War II on the advancement of women in the workforce and society.
will list the duties of the WASP’s during the Second World War.
The students will write a letter to the U.S. Congress about why or why not women should become
pilots based on knowledge accumulated from this lesson.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS [including guiding historical/investigative question]:
Cassandra Conn
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR A STANDARDS-ALIGNED SYSTEM
What contributions did women make during World War II?
DURATION: 90 minutes/1-2 forty-five minute class periods
MATERIALS:
PowerPoint presentation on information about the WASP’s, that includes photographs and
videos
Overhead projector
Paper
FlyGirls by Sherri L. Smith (2009)
Magnifying glasses
Sheets of paper with portions cut out (for looking at parts of photographs)
Primary Source Analysis Tool form the Library of Congress
A variety of posters:
o “The More Women at Work, the Sooner We Win!”
o “I’ve found the Job Where I Fit Best!”
o “Save His Life and Find Your Own…Be a Nurse!”
o “Victory Waits on your Fingertips…Keep em’ Flyin’, Miss USA!”
o “Longing Won’t Bring Him Back Sooner…Get a War Job!”
o “We Can Do It!”
A variety of primary source photographs:
o Betty Jo Streff Reed in uniform with plane
o Dispatcher Dink (44-W-5). Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas
o Class 44-W-10, Graduation, Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas. 1944
o Class 43-W-4 members with instructor. Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas
o Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas. Joan Whelan (44-W-2)
o Avenger Field. Sweetwater, Texas. Eileen Roach with a PT-19.43-W-4
SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES [WHERE TO]:
(Strategies used: Active Engagement (hands-on materials, group work); Explicit Instruction (modeling, direct
instruction)
W: Students connect various posters with the prejudices women face during WWII and how hard it was for
them to volunteer to aide the war effort.
H: Students listen to a passage regarding the prejudices during WWII, review posters and photographs, and
write a letter to U.S. Congress.
Cassandra Conn
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR A STANDARDS-ALIGNED SYSTEM
E: Students analyze posters and photographs of women during WWII, complete primary source analysis
worksheets, have in depth discussions of what women contributed during WWII, are presented with a
PowerPoint presentation, and write letters to Congress.
R: Students work as a class to construct a verbal history of the prejudices facing women during WWII and how
the need for pilots filled by WASP helped overcome those prejudices.
E: Students work in groups to discuss their findings and the details of their presentations regarding WASP.
T: As the groups are looking at the posters and discussing the information on their primary source analysis
tools, I will ask many questions to prompt them towards higher order level thinking and keep them on task.
O: In this lesson, students connect a range of posters and photographs regarding the prejudices facing
women. Students listen to a passage, analyze posters and photographs and hold group discussions about their
informational findings.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES [INQUIRY-DRIVEN]:
Introduction
The teacher will begin the lesson by reading a passage from Sherri L. Smith’s FlyGirl.
After reading a short passage from the book, the teacher will initiate a class discussion
with these questions:
o Do you think being a different race and a woman was the only prejudice going on
during this time period?
o Do you think only white women were permitted to fly?
o Do you think only white women were allowed to join the workforce?
o How do you think the workforce was for women at this time?
The teacher will follow up after the passage by discussing with the students the
following:
o “Today we are going to study World War II and the positions women had in it.
World War II is also known as the Second World War. It is one of the largest
wars the world has ever known. This war began in 1939 and lasted until 1945.
Memorable events happened during this war such as: The Holocaust and the
invasion of Pearl Harbor.”
o “Because of this war, many men of the family had to fight in the war, leaving
only the women left to work for their families. At the beginning of the war,
women were only allowed to do certain jobs, such as: teaching, domestic
work, typewriting, or working in textile mills.”
o “As more and more men left for the war, more and more women were needed
to do work throughout the country. Because the war was one of the largest
wars in history, one could imagine the amount of materials/products needed
Cassandra Conn
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR A STANDARDS-ALIGNED SYSTEM
to fight. This is what brought the women into more industrial jobs such as:
engineering, welding, equipment operations, etc…”
o “Now I want everyone to count off in fours and become a group.”
Students will stand at their desks and count 1-4 and over again until everyone is in a
group (first 4 would equal group one, and so on…). The teacher will then designate a
role for each student:
o Student #1: Writer-The writer writes down all of the group’s ideas and
informational findings about the poster.
o Student #2: Leader-The leader makes sure that everyone stays on task and has
their voices heard by the group.
o Student #3: Detailer-The detailer is the person in the group who will use the
magnifying glass and section of paper to find details of poster.
o Student #4: Presenter-The presenter is the person in the group who will present
information during class discussion.
After students have gotten into their groups, the teacher will give each group a poster
and a Poster Analysis Worksheet
The questions asked on the Poster Analysis Worksheet are:
o What are the main colors used in this poster?
o What symbols (if any) are used in the poster?
o If a symbol is used, is it: clear (easy to interpret)?; memorable?; dramatic?
o Are the messages in the poster primarily visual, verbal, or both?
o Who do you think is the intended audience for the poster?
o What does the Government hope the audience will do?
o What Government purpose(s) is served by the poster?
o The most effective posters use symbols that are unusual, simple, and direct. Is
this an effective poster?
The teacher should tell the students to write down their thoughts/findings about the
poster on the piece of paper provided to them.
As the groups are looking and investigating their posters, prompt thinking by asking
questions such as:
o Ask: Why do you think a poster like this would be around during WWII?
o Ask: As a group, what do you interpret from this poster?
o Ask: Do you think this put a lot of pressure on women?
o Ask: Do you think this started prejudice against women workers?
o “Today, we are going to later talk about the posters that you received, as well as
look at other photographs and presentations to help us see the ways the
workforce advanced for women during WWII.”
Development
Teacher will ask students to return to regular seats until told otherwise.
Cassandra Conn
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR A STANDARDS-ALIGNED SYSTEM
The teacher will now present a 5 minute PowerPoint presentation about the WASP’s
(Women’s Airforce Service Pilots)
o This presentation will include information, pictures, and a short video about the
women involved in WASP.
When the PowerPoint is over, the teacher will initiate a class discussion:
o Ask: What did you think about the PowerPoint?
o Ask: Who was the creator of WASP?
o Ask: Did these women ever fight in the line of duty?
o Ask: Did these women train with the male Airforce pilots?
o Ask: Where was the training facility located?
o Ask: When did the WASP name originate?
o Ask: When and why did the women of WASP return home?
o Ask: How long was it before women starting flying again?
Next, the teacher will ask the students to return to their collaborative learning groups of
four. Again, inform each group about the four different members that are supposed to
be in each group. Also, let them know that if they would like to switch roles (writer,
detailer, leader or presenter) they may, just as long as everyone has a part in the
activity.
The students will analyze primary source photographs to help them visualize and
understand the important contributions that the WASP’s made during WWII.
“Now instead of looking at posters everyone, we will be looking at actual photographs
taken during WWII!”
Provide each group with a laminated copy of the photograph, a magnifying glass, the
sectioned off paper, and the Primary Source Analysis Tool.
While providing students with the materials needed for the activity, say, “While you are
looking at your photograph as a group, I want you all to think like an investigator. Try
to find as many clues as possible that might lead you to what is going on in the
picture, who is in the picture, why that person is in the picture, etc…”
“See if what you observe and come up with as a group helps you see how important
this organization was to not only the women in it, but of all of the women in the rest
of the country.”
Explain to the students how the Primary Source Analysis Tool works.
“As a group, I would like you to list at least three details that you have observed and
write them in the Observe column. Try and write three predictions about what the
photograph might be showing under the Reflect column. Lastly, come up with three
questions that your group would like answered about the photograph received under
the Question column.”
“I will be your time keeper today and will give you approximately ten minutes to
analyze your photograph and when the time is up, the presenter of the group will
present their informational findings that they wrote on their Primary Source Analysis
Tool to the rest of the class.”
Cassandra Conn
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR A STANDARDS-ALIGNED SYSTEM
After these thorough instructions, the groups will begin to investigate their
photographs, using their magnifying glasses and sectioned off paper, to discuss with the
rest of their group what they believe the photograph depicts.
Students are allowed to work together to formulate answers to the Primary Source
Analysis Tool (this saves time). While the students are working together though, the
teacher should continuously monitor his/her students by walking around the room,
keeping close proximity with the students to make sure they are staying on task or
making sure that those who need help receive it.
If students are having difficulty with their photograph, ask them the following questions:
o What is the woman doing in the picture?
o What are the women wearing?
o What is it that the women in this picture are carrying?
o Why is the photograph black and white?
o When do you think the picture was taken judging by the color, the women, the
clothing, etc…?
o Why do you think the picture was taken?
o Where do you think the picture was taken?
After you have realized that most groups are finished with the first Primary Source
Analysis Tool, the teacher should go around to each group, allowing the presenter of the
group discuss what their group’s findings were by investigating the photograph.
The presenter will show the rest of the class the photograph and then precede to talk
about the information their group found
Each time a presenter discusses what their group found from the photograph, the
teacher will list it on the board.
After every presenter of every group has presented the teacher with their information
regarding their photograph, every group will pass their photograph to the next group
while receiving a different photograph from another group.
The teacher should again allow another ten minutes for the groups to look over their
new photograph and write down the information found.
The teacher will again go through the process of listening to each group’s presenter
present information about their new photograph and continue writing their information
on the board for the rest of the class to see.
This process will continue until each group has had a chance to look at every separate
photograph.
The way you will know whether or not they have all had a chance with a different
photograph is by seeing when each group has their first photograph back.
Now that the students have been able to analyze the photographs and use the Primary
Source Analysis Tool, refer their attention back to the posters from earlier in class.
o “Now that we have analyzed and discussed all of the photographs and looked
over the posters, we are now going to compare the two.”
o “Stay in your groups with the same people and still use the same jobs.”
Cassandra Conn
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR A STANDARDS-ALIGNED SYSTEM
Teacher will pass out another sheet of paper to each group.
o “As a group, I would like you all to compare your group’s photograph and
poster together to come up with similarities and differences.”
o “I would at least like you all to list five similarities and five differences about
each.”
Allow five minutes for this activity.
While the groups are working together continue to keep close proximity with the
students to make sure that they are staying on task and completing the activity. Assist
any group when need be.
As the teacher walks around the room, he/she should initiate some thought-provoking
statements:
o Look at the color difference between each.
o Look at the faces of the women.
o How does the writing on the poster make a difference?
o Does real life make a bigger impact on you?
o As a group, which is more capturing…the poster or the photograph?
After time has elapsed, the presenter from each group should again discuss their ideas with
the class as the teacher writes them on the board.
Conclusion
The teacher should inform the students of their great work on each activity and ask them to
please be seated in their normal seats for a final class discussion.
The teacher should then initiate a classroom discussion on what the students have learned
from the lesson:
o Ask: What initiated women in the work force?
o Ask: What types of jobs did they start out with and then continue to and why?
o Ask: What is WASP and when did it originate?
o Ask: Who initially started WASP?
o Ask: Who else helped in establishing WASP?
o Ask: Did the women in WASP ever fly in the line of duty?
o Ask: Where was the WASP training center located?
o Ask: In your opinion, what do you think the impact of WASP had on not only the
women involved with it, but the rest of the women in the world?
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS [PERFORMANCE TASK AND RUBRIC]
During the lesson, observe the students for focusing on task at hand and monitor active participation to
discussion and group activities. Provide modeling, assisting, and guidance throughout lesson to those that
may need extra assistance. Provide modeling and step by step guidance techniques with an example prior to
students using primary source analysis tool independently. Give immediate, direct, and constructive feedback
to students regarding new concepts. Ask questions that will help identify student understanding regarding:
Cassandra Conn
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE FOR A STANDARDS-ALIGNED SYSTEM
Women’s contributions to World War II.
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs).
Identification of primary sources.
How to effectively analyze a primary source (posters and photographs) using primary source analysis
tools.
RELATED MATERIALS & RESOURCES:
http://edsitement.neh.gov/LaunchPad/Launch-Girls.html
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-images/lesson743/posters.pdf
http://twudigital.cdmhost.com
http://historyplace.com/worldwar2/Timeline/ww2time.htm#1939
www.world-war-2info/history
http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/a/holocaustfacts.htm
http://eisenhower.archives.gove/research/digital_documents/Jacqueline_Cochran
http://www.wingsacrossamerica.org
Summerfield, Penny. (1984). Women workers in the Second World War. Sydney, Australia: Croom
Helm Ltd.
Wright, Mike. (1998). What they didn’t teach you about World War II. Novato, CA: Presidio Press.
Smith, Sherri L. (2009). Flygirls. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
Cassandra Conn
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/TEACHING WITH PRIMARY SOURCES
PRIMARY SOURCE BIBLIOGRAPHIC ORGANIZER (FINAL) – Online Course Session 4 Activity
Name: Cassandra Conn
Thumbnail Image of
Primary Source
Collection Title
Primary Source Title
with MLA Citation
LOC PERMANENT URL
DIGITAL ID
Annotation – Instructional Use
Palmer, Alfred, T. “The more
women at work the sooner we
win!” Photomechanical Print.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government
Printing Office, 1943. From Library
of Congress, American Memory
Collection, American Women, 2001.
JPEG.
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.
12895 (accessed March 30, 2012).
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp
/ppmsca.12895
This primary source would be used as a link in a PowerPoint
presentation that would lead to a discussion of what the poster
might mean if the students were living during the time of World
War II. An analysis tool could be used later in the lesson to
provide a more intricate understanding of the poster and its
meaning towards women during the World War II time period.
[Woman working on airplane
engine during World War II.]
Photograph. 1943. Library of
Congress, Prints and Photographs,
Women’s Work, American, 19391945.
http://www.loc.gov/pict
ures/item/2002706310/
This primary source would be used in groups along with a photo
analysis tool that was self made to form a hypothesis between
each group. Throughout the lesson, the students would be able
to formulate whether or not their hypotheses were correct or
incorrect according to the information presented throughout the
lesson.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item
/2002706310/ ( accessed March
30, 2012).
TPS_CALU
Bibliographic Organizer_2012
9
Caniff, Milton, A. “Terry. Get on
with it, Sgt. Allen.” Comic Strip
Drawing Cartoon. November 29,
1944. From the Library of Congress,
Prints and Photographs Online
Catalog, Cartoon Drawings. JPEG.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/
acd1996006698/PP/ (accessed
March 30, 2012).
http://www.loc.gov/pictur
es/item/acd1996006698/
PP/
This primary source would be used as a closure to the lesson,
asking students to form their own comic strip about women
during World War II from what they had learned from the lesson.
The students would use somewhat of a ‘think-pair-share’ type of
style of learning when they traded comic strips with a partner.
The partners would then try to combine their comic strips to
make sense of what they each learned about women during
World War II.
TPS_CALU
Bibliographic Organizer_2012
10
Cassandra Conn
Performance Task
Lesson Title: Exploring the Contributions of Women in the Workforce during World War II
through the use of Primary Sources
Goal
Your task is to write a letter to the U.S. Congress about WASP.
The goal is to portray your approval/disapproval of the WASP during WWII.
The challenge is that you must use information learned from this lesson.
Role
You are to act as a U.S. citizen during World War II.
You have been asked to write about your approval/disapproval of the Women Airforce
Service Pilots during that time.
Your job is to write your opinion using facts that you learned during this lesson.
Audience
Your clients are the women of the WASPs.
Your target audience is Congress.
You need to convince congressmen about why or why not you approve/disapprove
women being pilots during World War II.
Situation
The situation you find yourself in is trying to convince Congress of your
approval/disapproval of the WASPs.
The challenge involves dealing with reviewing information learned and forming an
opinion, while acting as a U.S. citizen during a different time period.
Product Performance and Purpose
You will create a letter in order to express your approval/disapproval of women working
as pilots during World War II.
You need to develop an opinion so that you can clearly and succinctly set forth that
opinion in a letter to Congress based on the facts learned in this lesson.
Standards and Criteria for Success
Your performance needs to express a clear opinion about the WASPs in a correctly
formatted letter.
Your work will be judged by Miss Conn using a self-made rubric that will be thoroughly
discussed.
A successful result is measured by this following rubric…
Cassandra Conn
Cassandra Conn
Rubric
3
Used correct format (as in
example provided)
Portrayed a clear opinion
Used facts learned
from lesson
2
Used correct format (as in
example provided)
Did not express a clear opinion
Used facts learned
from lesson
1
Did not use correct format
(as in example provided)
Did not express a clear opinion
Used facts learned
from lesson
0
Did not use correct format
(as in example provided)
Did not express a clear opinion
Did not use facts
learned from lesson
Cassandra Conn
Jtrkl
Women During World War II-Women Airforce Service Pilots
Teacher’s Guide
Primary Source Set
Women Airforce Service Pilots
"This is not a time when women should be patient. We are in a war and
we need to fight it with all our ability and ever weapon possible.
WOMEN PILOTS, in this particular case, are a weapon waiting to be
used."
Eleanor Roosevelt, 1942
Historical Background
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was
the largest war that the world has ever known. The timeline of this
war is far too long and far too detailed because of all of the little
wars that were going on between so many different countries. This
global military action lasted from 1939-1945 and included most of the world’s nations. The war
was said to have started when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, which caused the
British and French to declare war on Germany. Two prominent events that are greatly
remembered today occurred during the Second World War. On December 7, 1941, Japan
surprisingly attacked the U.S. Naval Base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The next day, the United
States declared their entry into World War II by declaring war on Japan. What is known as the
Holocaust also occurred during World War II. The Holocaust began in 1933 when Hitler
became the power of Germany and ended when the war did.
Cassandra Conn
During this time, the Nazi’s of Germany killed approximately 6 million Jews along with
another one million homosexuals, communists, Jehovah’s witnesses, and the disabled. World
War II ended as a total victory of the Allies against Germany and Japan on September 2, 1945.
Every major world power fought this war for global domination which resulted in more than
sixty million deaths. This war introduced new and more powerful weapons including the
emergence of nuclear weapons. World War II changed the United States in a dramatic way and
as some have said, “World War II has made America what it is today.”
Pre-World War II, women only made up about 25% of the American labor force. “Rosie
the Riveter” was what most women were called in the labor force during this time period.
Before so many men were sent to war, women’s roles were normally domestic, housewife, and
child-bearing duties. If women did work it was in jobs like; teaching, domestic service,
typewriting, or working in the textile mills. When the start of World War II began and men of
families had to serve their country and leave their work behind, the women of the families now
had to step in to take care of the financial businesses. At the beginning, women were prohibited
from working in jobs such as engineering, equipment operations, or anything corresponding with
the war (army, navy, air force, etc…). This all changed as the war hit its high point during 1941.
In 1941, Jacqueline Cochran was one of the most famous United States pilots. She was
the first to suggest to the U.S. Army Air Corps that women should be ferry pilots during the war.
Although at first denied, in
1942, the Air Force
recognized their desperate
need for pilots. Jacqueline
Cochran’s proposal was now
accepted and she was made
the head of a program for
training women pilots.
General Henry “Hap”
Cassandra Conn
Arnold and Nancy Harkness Love were also part of this proposal and establishment which came
to be known as WASP’s. A few things came before the actual establishment of the WASP’s. On
May 14, 1942, the U.S. Congress established The Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC).
On September 10, 1942, The Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) formed. On
September 15, 1942, Women’s Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) was created and officially
approved. Not until August 4, 1943 was The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) name
officially designated to the public. The base at which these women pilots practiced their flying
skills was at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. More than 25,000 women applied and 1,830
were accepted. Training was extremely tough and only about of 50% of the trainees made it to
graduation. These women prided themselves on having better flying skills than the men of the
Airforce. Even though women were not recognized in the military, the WASP’s quickly showed
the world that women too, could become capable pilots. As the war came to a close in 1944, the
women were no longer needed and it would be more than thirty years until women would fly
again. All though, it took a long time for women to fly again, World War II was a breaking point
for women in the workforce.
Cassandra Conn
Bibliography:
Greenfield, Kent R. (1963). American strategy in World War II: a reconsideration. Baltimore,
MD: The John Hopkins Press.
Summerfield, Penny. (1984). Women workers in the Second World War. Sydney, Australia:
Croom Helm Ltd.
Weiner, Amir. (2001). Making sense of war. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Wright, Mike. (1998). What they didn’t teach you about World War II. Novato, CA: Presidio
Press.
http://historyplace.com/worldwar2/Timeline/ww2time.htm#1939
www.world-war-2info/history
http://history1900s.about.com/od/holocaust/a/holocaustfacts.htm
Cassandra Conn
Cassandra Conn