Lesson Plans for Secondary Educators
Gloria Steinem, “Living the Revolution” 31 May 1970
High School Lesson Plan created for Voices of Democracy by Nicole Kennerly, Independent Educator.
Click here for the VOD unit corresponding to this lesson plan.
Value for Social Studies’ Teachers
1) This speech relates “Women’s Liberation” to social changes that occurred during the 1960s and 1970s, such as the anti-war and civil rights movements. Steinem’s address helps students see the connections between these social movements and understand how the movements built upon one another.
2) Steinem breaks with the rhetorical tradition of graduation speeches by urging action rather than celebration. Instead of praising the learning that graduation commemorates, Steinem urges an “unlearning” by refuting several myths about women, several of which are grounded in academic coursework or studies.
3) Steinem’s point of view as a woman who has recently testified before Congress on equal rights is leveraged in this speech, yet she uses this opportunity not just to urge the liberation of women, but to emphasize the broader outlook of a humanist movement that seeks the liberation of all interdependent beings.
Relevant Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
- In her speech, Steinem seeks to persuade her audience that: first, liberation is all-encompassing. She argues that no one can be free when another is oppressed. Thus, the liberation of women is also the liberation of man. Second, Steinem urges young students to “unlearn” preconceptions in our culture that serve to oppress and divide instead of uplift.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
- Steinem’s point of view informs her speech; she is a female college graduate and a public popularizer of the women’s movement. In her speech, Steinem’s target audiences are her peers: college graduates who are activists for social change. She makes use of these similarities by discussing her own experiences in education and activism.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
- Steinem coins or references phrases such as “Popular Wisdom,” “Internalized Aggression,” “Man’s Liberation,” and “Masculine Mystique” to alter the existing dialogue around feminism by highlighting concepts that need unlearning and to add new terms to the popular discussion around gender and culture.
Ideas for Pre-Reading
- Students will want to understand Gloria Steinem’s personal history in order to grasp her point of view. What were her childhood and education like? How did she become involved in social movements? A short biography (text and 90 second video) can be found here: http://www.biography.com/people/gloria-steinem-9493491#synopsis
- Have students consider the nature of graduation speeches, as a genre, by reading Kurt Vonnegut’s address to MIT in 1997 here: http://scripting.com/specials/commencement.html. What differences do they notice between the content and tone of the two speeches?
- The concept of “unlearning” myths is demonstrated by Steinem using an example of pseudo-scientific work comparing the head shapes of English and Irish peoples. Have students read the short article linked below, which reviews this “study” and provides insight into one type of unlearning Steinem urges: http://www.victorianweb.org/history/race/Racism.html
- Have students consider the phrase “Internalized Aggression.” What do they think it means? Ask students to research the term “internalized aggression” online. What types of results do they find? What trends do they notice in the academic results? Have them anticipate how the trends relate to the themes of Steinem’s speech.
- The New York Times has a collection of photos of the Black Panthers entitled, “Vanguard of the Revolution.” Have students generate a list of words or phrases they associate with the images and the people they see in them. Later, students can contrast their list to the Black Panther quote from Steinem’s speech. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2015/09/02/movies/the-black-panthers-in-pictures/s/02blackpanthers-slides-slide-B2HE.html?_r=0
Important Vocabulary/Figures
- Popular Wisdom [para 5 and 6]: In confronting “Popular Wisdom,” Steinem urges her audience to consider the nature and source of their preconceptions around gender, race, and culture in general.
- President Richard Nixon [para 14, 15, 16 and 42]: Nixon’s controversial “Vietnamization” address in November of 1969 drew criticism from many social movements, spurring the largest anti-war protest in US history, see background information here : http://chnm.gmu.edu/hardhats/silent.html.
- Masculine Mystique [para 40]: “Masculine Mystique” refers to Betty Friedan’s famous book, The Feminine Mystique, published in 1963. Friedan’s work coined the term and is credited with ushering in a new wave of feminism. According to Friedan, the “Feminine Mystique,” which she also called “the problem that has no name,” was that sense of frustration and entrapment that many women felt due to narrowly defined gender roles.
Suggested Timeline/Objectives
Day 1: Pre-reading & Introduction of Important Vocabulary/Figures
- Students will complete pre-reading of teacher’s or student’s choice.
- Teacher will introduce key terms of the speech.
Day 2: “Unlearning” What You Have Learned
- [Read paragraphs 1-13]
- Students will assess the tone of Steinem’s speech and contrast it to the occasion.
- Students will examine how Steinem employs an example (the English/Irish skull study) to demonstrate her point about “unlearning.”
Day 3: Feminism is Humanism
- [Read paragraphs 14-31]
- Students will analyze how Steinem ties feminism to other social movements at that time.
Day 4: Four Myths That Bind Us
- [Read paragraphs 32-47]
- Students will consider the speech’s overall argument that we need to unlearn the four myths addressed in Steinem’s speech.
Day 5: Post-Reading & Assessment
- Students will complete post-assessment activities of their or teacher’s choice (see below).
Suggested Timeline/Objectives
Day 1: Pre-reading & Introduction of Important Vocabulary/Figures
- Students will complete pre-reading of teacher’s or student’s choice.
- Teacher will introduce key terms of the speech.
Day 2: “Unlearning” What You Have Learned
- [Read paragraphs 1-13]
- Students will assess the tone of Steinem’s speech and contrast it to the occasion.
- Students will examine how Steinem employs an example (the English/Irish skull study) to demonstrate her point about “unlearning.”
Day 3: Feminism is Humanism
- [Read paragraphs 14-31]
- Students will analyze how Steinem ties feminism to other social movements at that time.
Day 4: Four Myths That Bind Us
- [Read paragraphs 32-47]
- Students will consider the speech’s overall argument that we need to unlearn the four myths addressed in Steinem’s speech.
Day 5: Post-Reading & Assessment
- Students will complete post-assessment activities of their or teacher’s choice (see below).
Ideas for Post-Reading and Assessment
- Have students go to the National Public Radio’s website ( http://www.npr.org/) and conduct a search using the word “feminism.” What feminist issues are being discussed today? What are the controversies and concerns that people are talking about? Is it similar in any way to what Steinem was saying in 1970?
- Steinem complains that students do not learn enough about women’s history. Have students reflect on their own experiences in history classes (and/or literature and science classes, as well). Did they learn much about women’s contributions compared to the contributions of men? Have them provide three examples from their own experiences.
- Have students contrast their list of observations previously generated from the New York Times’ collection of Black Panther photos to the Black Panther quote from Steinem’s speech. What do they notice? http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2015/09/02/movies/the-black-panthers-in-pictures/s/02blackpanthers-slides-slide-B2HE.html?_r=0
- Have students visit Project Vote Smart: http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm. On this site, students can enter their nine digit zip code to locate local and state representatives. Have students review their positions on social justice issues by using the “Issue Positions” link beneath the picture. Which candidate’s position most resembles the student’s position?
- Steinem says that the “first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn but to unlearn.” What does she mean by that? Have students self-reflect on their own possible preconceptions that might be worth unlearning. How might a change in these preconceptions alter society and institutions (schools, homes, workplaces, etc.) in our country?