This 19-page resource with 22 primary sources, 16 comprehension questions and 2 DBQ prompts gives students a chance to look in depth at women's experiences and contributions during World War I. The first two pages include Background, Notes on Primary Sources and Teacher Notes.

Here’s a chance for students to read documents and look at images that shed light on issues facing women and facing the country during World War I. These include photographs, speeches, newspaper articles, posters, pamphlets and memoirs. For the first time, due to the men going overseas to fight, women were needed to take on men's tasks, in the factories and on the farms. Suffragists saw an opportunity to help support the war and their own cause. Additionally, African-Americans from the South, lured by jobs and opportunities in the North, came to the North in large numbers as part of the Great Migration. Some fallout from the war included the Spanish flu epidemic and the Red Scare, which affected women directly or indirectly.

Topics include the following:
Women Workers
Nurses during World War I
Suffrage and the War

Women Volunteers
African-American Women and the Great Migration
Life on the Home Front
Spanish Flu Epidemic
The Red Scare

Assign just one, a few or all of the sources depending on time constraints and student interest. This can be completed in one or two class periods.

Each page of primary sources includes comprehension questions at the end in order for students to analyze perspectives, consider key ideas and identify bias.

Included is a one-page sheet that explains what primary sources are and how to analyze them using specific questions through a process called HAPPY (Historical Context, Audience, Purpose, Point of View and Why Significant). There is also a page at the end for students to apply the HAPPY process to the sources.

Two DBQ prompts are included at the end with instructions on how to create a response to the prompt.

An Answer Key to all the comprehension questions and the DBQ prompts are available at the end of the packet. This is excellent practice for all high school students, particularly Honors and AP students, but all students will find these resources engaging.

Other Curriculum Resources about World War I include the following:
Women during World War I: Power Point Lesson
Women during World War I: Reading Assignment and Worksheet

All three resources are also available in a Teaching Bundle for a discounted price:

More are always being added so check back frequently!

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I have been a high school history teacher for over 15 years, both in-person and online with involvement in education for over 25 years. I have primarily taught U.S. History, AP World History, World History, AP World History and U.S. Women’s History. I have a B.A. and an M.A. in History.

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Please reach out if you have any questions, concerns or comments about this resource at christa@historyprisms.com.

Thank you for your interest in this resource!

Christa Nonnemaker