Women’s rights (lesson plan)

Today we bring to your notice a lesson about women’s rights. This year is known for Anti-lockdown protests and virtual climate strikes. Another noted protest was related to International Women’s Day. On March 8, people all over the world spoke up about such condemning issues as gender inequality and gender-based violence. It will be especially useful for teenage and adult students.

Age: 14+
Level: Intermediate and higher
Lesson activities: Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing
Time: 50 minutes
Number of students: a one-to-one lesson or a group lesson

Task 1. Lead-in

Students look at this word cloud. Have them read the words. Elicit the idea of the lesson from them. Ask the following questions:

What do all these words have in common?

What message do these words communicate? Why is it important to convey this message?

When we talk about “women’s rights” what do we mean?

Task 2. Reading about women’s rights

Students look at the collage with posters and read some facts related to women’s rights

Ask your students to discuss the following questions:

What do these figures and facts tell us?

Are you surprised about the figures?

Do you think it is important to fight for women’s rights after you’ve seen these figures?

In your opinion, can this information persuade more people to help women’s rights organisations?

Do you know any other facts related to women’s rights?

Task 3. Pre-listening about women’s rights

Students look at the picture and speculate about the woman they can see. This exercise will help them get ready for the listening and be more aware of the song’s key idea.

Do you know who the woman in the picture is?

Have you watched Aladdin?

What are your impressions?

What do you think of Jasmine’s character?

Do you think Jasmine’s character resembles the actress’s real personality?

Have you heard the soundtrack of the movie?

Note: Her name is Naomi Scott. She has played the role of Princess Jasmine in the movie «Aladdin». Naomi Scott has convinced the directors of the Disney movie to modernize Jasmine because it was crucial for her to display Princess Jasmine as a brave, independent and strong woman. Naomi is also supporting women’s rights organizations and movements and believes in the empowerment of women of different colors and cultures.

Task 4. Active listening. Watching a video

Students listen to the song once while watching the video. Ask them to grasp the song’s main idea. For higher levels, ask them to summarize the song in one sentence. You can also ask them what the one, most essential line from this song is.

Task 5. Fill in the gaps

Students listen to the song and fill the missing words in the gaps

«Speechless”

(from «Aladdin» soundtrack)

Here comes a wave

Meant to _____ me ______

A tide that is taking me under

Swallowing sand

Left with ________ to say

My voice drowned out in the ______

But I won’t cry

And I won’t start to ______

Whenever they try

To shut me or cut me _______

I won’t be silenced

You can’t _________ me quiet

Won’t tremble when you try it

All I know is I won’t go ________

‘Cause I’ll breathe

When they try to suffocate me

Don’t you ________ me

‘Cause I know that I won’t go speechless

Written in stone

Every rule, every ________

Centuries-old and unbending

«Stay in your place»

«________ seen and not heard»

Well, now that story is _______

Let the storm in

I cannot be _______

No, I won’t live unspoken

‘Cause I know that I won’t go speechless

Try to ________ me in this cage

I won’t just lay me down and die

I will take these broken wings

And watch me burn across the _______

Hear the echo saying I…

Key: wash me away; nothing; thunder; crumble; down; keep; speechless; underestimate; word; better; ending; broken; sky

Taken from: https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/willsmith/speechlessfull.html

Task 6. Listening and reading women’s rights

Now listen to this song while reading the lyrics. Don’t be shy and sing along

Students discuss the questions:

How does this song make you feel?

Have you found any unfamiliar words in the song? What are they?

Try to find them looking at the text of the song and write them down.

Using https://dictionary.cambridge.org/ figure out the meaning of these new words.

(This task can be modified a little. If you have a group lesson, ask your students to write new words down and then exchange their notebook with another student. Then after figuring out the definitions of the words, they can give the notebooks back to one another)

Task 7. Speaking

Discuss the questions

1. In general, what are human rights?
2. Does every human on the Earth have rights, even criminals? 
3. Why do most organizations talk only about the rights of people, and not about their responsibility?
4. Why do certain groups, like women or children, need special rights? Does this mean they have more rights than other people?
5. Who monitors and protects the human rights of women?
6. Do only underdeveloped countries face problems with human rights and human rights of women?
7. Do they protect human rights and human rights of women in your country?
8. What can be done to help promote those rights?

Bonus. You can share this video about women’s suffrage movements with your students. There are also additional activities to complete after watching the video. As an option, you can assign this task to them as their homework.