Digital Spotlight: National American Woman Suffrage Association

THE NATIONAL AMERICAN WOMAN SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION COLLECTION from the Library of Congress contains materials related to the suffrage movement of the late 19th and early 20th century.

Contents: Containing over 100 digitized documents, the collection includes many primary sources related to Carrie Chapman Catt along with other members of the movement. Documents include books, pamphlets, photographs, poetry, speeches, and proceedings of conventions.

Classroom Connections: Teachers will find this collection filled with insights into the day-to-day activities of the association and people that led the suffrage movement. Ask students to select a document that reflects a particular aspect of the movement such as arguments for the amendment or speeches in support of women’s rights.

Featured Digital Objects:
Are Women People?
https://www.loc.gov/item/15013348/
An Appeal to the Women of the United States
https://www.loc.gov/item/tmp80018697/
Solitude of Self
https://www.loc.gov/item/93838358/

To visit the collection, go to https://www.loc.gov/…/national-americ…/about-this-collection

SPIC-AND-SPAN!: LILLIAN GILBERT’S WONDER KITCHEN by Monica Kulling tells the inspiring true story of an ingenious woman who used creativity and perseverance to succeed. From factory assembly lines to kitchen layouts, Lillian Gilbreth spent her life looking for ways to make everyday tasks more efficient. The mother of eleven children, she applied what she learned at home to inventions and ideas that everyone could use.

Monica Kulling’s narrative skillfully weaves useful facts into a fascinating story, while David Parkins’ appealing illustrations match perfectly with the tone of this informational reading experience.

SPIC-AND-SPAN is Monica Kulling’s latest addition to her popular “Great Idea” series featuring the lives of inventors and their inventions. Use the books in a literature circle focusing on informational reading, biography, and inventions.

Unfortunately, children aren’t likely to pick up this book on their own. Teachers librarians will need to think of creative ways to market SPIC-AND-SPAN with children. Consider ways to connect the book with other science and engineering books. Or, focus on the biographical elements and connect them with other books about people. This would be a wonderful book to feature during Women’s History Month. Build a display focusing on woman engineers.

There are some excellent websites focusing on the life of Lillian Gilbreth. Develop an activity that asks students to compare the book to information they find on the web about this exceptional woman. Talk to children about comparing three different sources of information.

Download a Teacher’s Guide for the book at https://tundrabooks.files.wordpress.com/…/spic-and-span_gui….

Published in 2014 by Tundra Books. The publisher provided a print copy for this review.