Each March, schools and organizations celebrate women’s contributions to history. Section International at LIFE school is also embarking on some awesome projects to mark Women’s History Month to inspire and encourage students to learn about women who were at the forefront at ‘Shaking Things Up!’. SI teachers have chosen a wide ranging project which includes reading literature by women authors, learning about unsung female scientific pioneers through stories, writing biographies of women in history and using women history as a lens for art class.
This week CPs tapped into their creative verve to explore women’s history. For the whole month of March CPs will be reading stories highlighting different women who’ve spurred scientific innovation. This week they explored Mary Anning – the paleontologist through a story and a poem, Buried Treasure by Susan Hood. Mary Anning helped her father collect stone sea creatures from the cliffs in southwest England. Intrepid and patient, she eventually discovered fossils that would change people’s vision of the past. Mary Anning’s story is one of determination, intelligence, and patience at a time when no women could fully participate in the scientific world. Anning’s discoveries rocked the world, because they proved that life was far older than people thought — and that some creatures had gone extinct. But because people believed women couldn’t be scientists, she rarely got credit for what she found. Mary Anning and her story makes a splendid, inspirational tale to help young children think about studying science and to take up a career in science.
