Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Women's Voices in the Enlightenment (Reading Comprehension Worksheet)

Empower your students to explore a hidden chapter of history! This captivating reading comprehension worksheet delves into the often-overlooked contributions of women during the Enlightenment. Designed for middle and high school students, this resource sheds light on the pioneering women who challenged gender norms and shaped intellectual discourse.

What sets this worksheet apart?

• Breaking the Mold: Uncover the limitations women faced and the voices that dared to defy them.
• Meet the Trailblazers: Explore the lives and ideas of influential figures like Mary Wollstonecraft and Émilie du Châtelet.
• Primary Source Power: Analyze an excerpt from Wollstonecraft's work, fostering critical thinking about women's independence and societal roles.
• Variety of Questions: Multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions cater to different learning styles and assess comprehension at multiple levels.
• Detailed Answer Key: Ensure clear understanding with a comprehensive answer key for all questions.

This resource is a valuable tool for:

• Expanding Horizons: Students gain a broader perspective on the Enlightenment by recognizing the contributions of women.
• Critical Thinking: The analysis of primary sources encourages students to evaluate arguments and historical context.
• Social Justice Issues: The worksheet connects the past to the present, sparking discussions about gender equality.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to identify the limitations placed on women during the Enlightenment.
• Students will analyze the arguments of Enlightenment feminists for women's equality and education.
• Students will evaluate the impact of Enlightenment feminism on later feminist movements.

Recommended Common Core Standards:

• RI.6.1, RI.7.1, RI.8.1: Reading informational texts and citing evidence to support analysis.
• SS.6.W.1, SS.7.W.1, SS.8.W.1: Writing informative/explanatory texts on historical topics.
• WH.6.2, WH.7.2, WH.8.2: Determining the central ideas and themes of historical texts.

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