Introduction

WOMEN IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND – AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE

Ms. C. Oestreicher

John f. kennedy high school

Introduction

You are living in London in l860 and you are fortunate enough to have had an education. You realize, however, that not all citizens in England have equal rights, especially women. In fact, you know a brilliant young woman who has been denied entrance to medical school merely because she is a woman. The prevailing thinking is that women are too fragile and do not have the mental and emotional strength to deal with anything of a rigorous nature and that studying will tax a woman’s brain. You would like to examine the role of women in Victorian England and how these roles affect British society. You would also like to propose changes to existing policies so that women could be granted the same rights and opportunities as men and you plan to work tirelessly to achieve that goal. You feel that women can contribute to all areas of society in a positive way and are an untapped resource. You believe that the quality of life for all levels of society will be greatly improved by the changes you will propose.

Task

You will take on one of the following roles of someone who is educated and living in l860’s London: Newspaper Reporter, Suffragette, Peer in Parliament, Governess, Lord of an Estate. You will use the six-step public policy analyst to identify the existing problem, gather evidence, determine causes, evaluate present policies, develop new policies, and choose the best solution to this problem. You will need to go to the specific websites provided in the resources section to help you gather your information. You will present your findings to the class in the form of an oral presentation with an audio-visual component like a brochure, display board, poster(s), power point presentation, or role playing. In addition, you will hand in a written policy paper including all your work, worksheets, and sources that you used.

Process

Follow these specific steps:

1. You will work in groups of four.

2. You will complete the worksheets on the six components of the PPA; this will be downloaded from the computer and handwritten.

Worksheet #1 – Identifying the Problem

Worksheet #2 – Gathering Evidence

Worksheet #3 – Determining Causes

Worksheet #4 – Evaluate Present Policies

Worksheet #5 – Developing New Policies

Worksheet #6 – Choose the Best Solution

3. You will read the information explaining each component of the PPA so that you will understand each part of what you need to do.

4. You will read and summarize the Internet resources which will give you information on this topic and which you will include in your oral presentation and written paper.

5. Oral Presentation – Based on your research, your group will present its findings to the class discussing how you came to choose the policy you finally chose and why. As part of your oral presentation, you will include and audio-visual component in the form of a brochure, display board, power point presentation, or role-playing scene related to your topic. Be prepared to answer any questions your classmates might have on your presentation or the topic you discussed.

6. Written Paper – This should include all the work you have done on your PPA including the worksheets for each step, the paper itself with your research, and a listing of your sources (whether those provided by the teacher or any additional sources you have discovered on your own).

· Cover Page – This will include the name of your topic, the names of the students in your group, the English class code, and the date.

· The Research Paper – This will include an outline, the research (set forth in an organized manner), the worksheets, and a page listing the sources you referred to. The actual research paper should include between four to six pages of information.

7. You will read and summarize the Internet resources which will give you information on this topic and which you will include in your oral presentation and written paper.

8. Oral Presentation – Based on your research, your group will present its findings to the class discussing how you came to choose the policy you finally chose and why. As part of your oral presentation, you will include and audio-visual component in the form of a brochure, display board, power point presentation, or role-playing scene related to your topic. Be prepared to answer any questions your classmates might have on your presentation or the topic you discussed.

9. Written Paper – This should include all the work you have done on your PPA including the worksheets for each step, the paper itself with your research, and a listing of your sources (whether those provided by the teacher or any additional sources you have discovered on your own).

· Cover Page – This will include the name of your topic, the names of the students in your group, the English class code, and the date.

Resources

Refer to the following websites to help you gather information on your topic:

http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/ eng/clas www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/ eng/classes/434/geweb/PROPERTY.htm - 20k - ses/434/geweb/PROPERTY.htm - 20k - %20

http://www.loyno.edu/~history/journal/1989-0/rodrigues.htm

http://www.galeschools.com/womens_history/bio/anthony_s.htm

Women's Rights

http://members.lycos.co.uk/HastingsHistory/19/overview.htm

Women’s Status in Mid-Nineteenth Century England

Google Search: women's voting rights in nineteenth century England

History of Women’s Right to Vote

Regency Life - Marriage – Legal position of married women in nineteenth century England

http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_781530943/Suffragette_Movement.ht ml - Women’s Movement Towards Attaining the Vote

Women's Life – Life and Duties of a Victorian Woman

Lesson: Industrial Revolution (Women in World History Curriculum)

Excellent website for Women and Work

Birth Control – Working Women and Child-Bearing

Women in the Victorian era: Information From Answers.com – Women’s Roles and Work

Studies on Widows – Provides an excellent bibliography on working women in nineteenth century England

Radstats: Health and the gender agenda, what do official statistics tell us

Birth rates and mortality in nineteenth century England

19th Century Medicine – Medical Treatment of Women

Women and Obstetrics – Childbirth and Male Physicians

Two Literary Treatments of Prostitution in Mid-19th Century England: Rosetti's "Jenny" and Gaskell's "Esther"

Evaluation

Your work, both the oral and written presentations, will be evaluated according to English Language Arts standards and a rubric as set forth below.

ASSIGNMENTS	IN PROGRESS… KEEP WORKING.	SATISFACTORY	IDEAL	POSSIBLE SCORE	YOUR SCORE
Team Work, Both on the computer and during presentation	Worked collectively with your partner	Worked collectively with your partner, showed maturity and courtesy	Above and beyond satisfactory, showed leadership qualities	30%
Six PPA Worksheets	Answered most questions adequately	Answered all questions adequately	Answered all questions adequately, showed advanced understanding	50%
Oral Presentation, Including Visual	Did not address all of the issues or make a very convincing argument	Has all of the required issues in the Presentation, but the PPT is not very convincing	Shows how each required issue is relates to your side, and the PPT is clear and convincing	100%
Written Paper	Unprepared, poorly presented and developed	Presented most arguments adequately	Above and beyond well prepared, excellent research, excellent development	20%

Standards

This WebQuest addresses the following English Language Arts Standards:

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas.

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation.

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people.

Remember:

1. Use proper English for both written and oral presentations.

2. Use proper grammar and usage.

3. Develop all of your ideas adequately and clearly.

4. Use appropriate tone for your audience.

Conclusion

As you can see, through research and coming to conclusions about your topic, you have learned about this particular social problem that is affecting the lives of many women in this society and in so many countries throughout the world. Hopefully, through your research, recommendations, and influence we will be able to alleviate, or at least minimize this problem and allow women to lead more productive lives, gain a greater sense of self-respect, and become more beneficial to themselves, their family, and their community.