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E-mail contact
Mary Ellen Bower
mebower@sboston.k12.ma.us
Teacher Bio
Mary Ellen Bower, a Boston Public School Lead Teacher, has taught
elementary and high school classes for more than three decades.
She is the School to Career Coordinator at West Roxbury High School,
a Massachusetts Service Learning Leader school and leads a TEACHBoston
career pathway. Mary Ellen has received the Golden Apple, Massachusetts
Silent Hero Award, and Harvard Book Award for teachers. She conducts
literacy and career workshops citywide and nationally and has
presented for the Gates Foundation. As a mentor she supports new
teachers and coordinates a support group for them. She and her
students, recipients of Fleet's ALL Star 2000 and 2001 award for
community service, have testified before the Massachusetts State
Legislature and have presented at statewide Department of Education
conferences.
Subject Areas
English Language Arts, Technology, Career Education
Grade Levels
11 - 12
Students
Partnerships between High School & Elementary School student
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Lucy's Literacy Legacy ~
Portrait of a Women's Rights Leader
| Authenticity |
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Key Question
How can high school students teach younger
children about a famous leader in the women's rights movement?
Overview
TEACHBoston students examine
three local public arts portraits of Lucy Stone. Focusing
on her life, they study her role in the women's rights movement
through comparative readings, Internet research, and children's
literature. Students gather and organize information for their
own written portraits of this passionate reformer. After publication,
they choose Women's History month to share their books and
"Take Home" packets with elementary school visitors
to the school's Service Learning Festival. Reading their Lucy
Stone biographies to young children, these high schoolers
voice the importance of literacy for all.
| Active
Exploration +
Applied
Learning + Adult
Connections |
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Classroom
Activities
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Community
Activities
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Career
Activities
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Read & conduct Internet research on Stone's
role in the women's rights movement. |
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Write
5 paragraph essays about Lucy Stone.
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Transform
essays into storyboards & illustrated
biographies of
Lucy Stone.
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Prepare
"Take Home" packets for March
Service Learning Festival.
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Include
Lucy Stone portrait in invitations to Service
Learning Festival. |
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Display
Lucy Stone timeline in neighborhood storefront. |
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Donate storyboard to Boston's Lucy Stone School. |
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Choose
Lucy
Stone Day March 8 to broadcast her quotations
on school TV station. |
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Read
original Lucy Stone biographies at Service
Learning Festival. |
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Distribute
"Take Home" packets to children
at Service Learning Festival. |
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Compare
Lucy Stone's & daughter Alice Stone Blackwell's
roles as editors of Women's
Journal. |
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Interview
local librarian on public library's literacy
services for all. |
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Conduct Internet research on careers related
to children's books: authors, illustrators,
graphic designers, photographers, storytellers
& publishers. |
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Learn
about the Boston
Women's Commission & its educational
programs & opportunities for girls. |
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Academic
Rigor
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| Learning
Standards English Language Arts |
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Language
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Demonstrate
understanding of reference materials. |
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Reading
and Literature
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Use
before, during, and after reading strategies. |
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Ask
questions to clarify information. |
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Composition
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Collect
information for writing from different texts and
sources. |
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Write
for different purposes and for different audiences. |
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Select
appropriate strategies for revising work. |
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Write
well-organized stories, essays or scripts. |
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Media
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Identify
visual or aural techniques used in a media message
for a particular audience. |
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Create
media presentations that effectively use graphics,
images, and/or sound to present a distinct point
of view on a topic. |
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School
to Career Competencies
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Develop
Communication and Literacy Skills. |
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Communicate
and understand ideas and information. |
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Use
technology. |
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Initiate
and complete entire activities. |
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Act
professionally. |
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Take
responsibility for career and life choices. |
Assessment |
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Students
and teacher provide feedback on Reflection Journals
and Children's Literature Review Did
I Sheets. They use checklists and rubrics
to evaluate essays and Read Aloud presentations.
Software
or Materials Used For
Technology: Microsoft Word, Print Master, Internet
access; for material on Lucy Stone and women's
rights movement: Children's
Biographies on Women's Rights; Making
the World Better: The Struggle for Equality in
19th Century America a curriculum packet produced
for State House Women's Leadership Project developed
by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities
and the Tsongas Industrial History Center at the
University of Massachusetts/Lowell; The Bostonian
Society Resource Guide from Teaching Boston History
Workshop: "Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, Phillis
Wheatley ~ Patriotism, Poetry and Persistence";
"The Boston Women's Memorial Curriculum Writing
for Change: The Power of Women's Words" (contact
BWHT for
availability and ordering information); Boston
Women's Heritage Trail Guidebook; for book
making: book binding machine, color printer, digital
camera. art supplies.
Teacher
Developed Materials T
Chart pre-writing activity, Children's
Biographies on Women's Rights, Task
Description Writing a Children's Book, Did
I Sheets for Literature Review of Children's Biographies,
Rubrics for scoring Key Questions, biographies,
and presentations.
Student
Developed Materials Reflections
Lucy Stone Timeline, Essay on Lucy Stone, Story
Board, Children's Books on Lucy Stone, Invitation
to Service Learning Festival, Activity Sheets
on Lucy Stone for Take Home packets.
Web
Sites Boston
Women's Heritage Trail, City
of Boston The Boston Women's Memorial, Oberlin
College Lucy Stone, The
History Net Women's History
Final
Words This project
is about literacy. Students read, write, and present
a product. They learn that effective effort is
needed to publish a professional looking book.
Most of all, they learn the meaning of Lucy Stone's
final words, "Make the world better."
Teacher
Tip Publishing
books for children builds confidence. The progress
that I see in student's writing and presentation
skills is gratifying. During the learning process,
the bookmakers are not aware of their improving
skills, but when their biographies are completed,
students are delighted with their ability to write
and communicate.
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