Teaching Ideas

Explore jumping-off points that deepen discussions, inspire reading interest, and support connections to books and authors. Easily share and include in your instructional plans, newsletters, and social media.


Women's History Month

The month of March is Women’s History Month, which commemorates and encourages the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American History. Celebrate and learn about women all year round using TeachingBooks resources. Find additional ideas within our Women / Girls Collection and use filters such as curricular area, genre, and cultural experience to narrow results to just what you are looking for.

Connecting to Picture Books

  • Draw women who inspire using this coloring activity template from Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History. Students can pick a woman from their own lives, or from any time period or place!

  • Lead students in this Invitation to Imagine from author Traci N. Todd. Todd also details a pivotal moment in Nina Simone’s life as a musical artist in this Meet-the-Author Recording for Nina: A Story of Nina Simone.

  • Dance along to the drumbeat of the video book trailer and then listen to this Meet-the-Author Recording with Margarita Engle about the brave 10-year-old girl who inspired Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music. Make coffee can drums or design timelines using this lesson plan and reflect together using questions from this discussion guide.

  • Motivate students to dream big and have confidence with the complete video reading of Ambitious Girl.

  • Watch the video book trailer for R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul then try out some of the ideas in this curriculum guide. Play and ponder some of Aretha’s music, explore musical vocabulary, write poems inspired by music, and more!

Connecting to Chapter Books
  • Meet fourteen inspiring young rebels who dared to make a difference in this video book trailer for Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World. Try acrostic poetry and ask questions with this teaching guide. Encourage students learn about some modern-day young girls striving for change such as those on this list from the educator discussion guide.

  • Design posters to display some of the 28 women featured in the She Persisted Series such as Claudette Colvin, Sally Ride, Sonia Sotomayor, Maria Tallchief, and others who stood for change!

  • Learn about local women representatives after listening to the Meet-the-Author Recording for A Take-Charge Girl Blazes a Trail to Congress: The Story of Jeannette Rankin. Using inspiration from this discussion guide, have students research women in their local or state governments and reflect on their journeys.

  • Inspire students by watching this complete video book reading of Bold Words from Black Women together. To extend learning, have students pick one of the women featured to investigate further.

  • Hear from author Chelsea Clinton in this interview about She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World, then watch the video book reading. Create a class book about people who persisted, examine quotes, and more using this teacher's guide, or print biography activity templates.

  • Discuss how Ruth Bader disagreed in order to make a difference after listening to this Meet-the-Author Recording and watching the complete video reading of I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark together. Spark conversation with questions and discussion prompts in this educator guide.

Connecting to Books for Older Readers
  • Share the video book reading of "Girlhood" from Watch Us Rise with students. Then, have them write a poem about an aspect of their own identity.

  • Springboard research about Native American women artists, poets, activists, or other influential figures by starting with this video book trailer for #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women.

  • Compose Golden Shovel poems or try other activities inspired by Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance in these teaching ideas. Listen to this audiobook excerpt to learn about Harlem Renaissance women writers who were the inspiration for the author’s work.

Explore these additional 2022 featured resources about amazing women, or these for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science!