Target Grade Levels:
Grades 7-12

Themes:
Role of Women, Poverty

• The Activity
• Extensions
• Relevant National Standards
• Cross-Curricular Activities
• Ties to Literature


The Activity

While being sensitive to the family situations of your students, poll the class on how responsibilities are divided up at home between genders. For example, say to the class, "Raise your hand if a female takes out the trash at your house. A male? Both?" Continue polling students about common responsibilities needed to support a family in your area, including cooking, laundry, earning money, cleaning the home, repairing the home, yard work, caring for children's needs and so on. Record student responses in a simple chart on the board, composed of three columns labeled "Male," "Female" and "Both" and as many rows as are needed for the responsibilities used in the poll to be listed down the side. Analyze and discuss the results of this informal poll. What conclusion can be drawn about the roles and responsibilities of males and females in the students' homes?

Next, talk briefly about how the rights of women in the United States have changed over time. Point out that today, women in the United States generally have the opportunity to participate in politics, get an education, work outside the home if they wish, enjoy legal protections equal to those of men, receive health care, choose their own hair and clothing styles, and so on. Then explain that although women in the United States have made and continue to make progress, many women around the world still face significant challenges.

Show students where Kenya is on a map. Using FRONTLINE/World's Facts & Stats on Kenya
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/kenya/facts.html
as a reference, share some general background and appropriate gender and women's rights information with the class. Then have students take a closer look at the role of women in Kenya by reading an interview with world-class long distance runner Lornah Kiplagat.
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/kenya/kiplagat.html
As students read, they should underline or highlight text that describes traditional responsibilities for women in rural Kenya. Students should also circle sections that talk about the kinds of training provided at Kiplagat's camp -- both social and physical.

Discuss student reactions to the Kiplagat interview and to what she hopes to accomplish with her camp. Why does she consider herself a social pioneer? Do students think Kiplagat's founding and operating such a camp with her prize money is a wise use of that money? Why or why not?

Next, arrange the students in trios. Explain that one person in the group will play the role of a female Kenyan runner who has won local competitions and would like to go train at Kiplagat's High Altitude Training Center to prepare for national and possibly international running events. Another person will play the role of this woman's husband, who is concerned about his wife being away from the family. The third student will act as the group observer and later as the group reporter. Have each "husband and wife" discuss their situation for five minutes and try to come to an agreement. Then have the husbands and wives reverse roles and continue the discussion for another five minutes. Finally, ask each group observer/reporter to describe for the class what happened. Was the role playing realistic? Did any of the couples come to an agreement? If so, how? If not, why not?

Ask the students who played the parts of husband and wife to explain how they felt in each role. If they repeated the role playing, would they do anything differently?

Finally, show the class the FRONTLINE/World video "Run, Lornah, Run" (about 9 minutes). (Note: This story can be viewed online in its entirety. A free transcript is also available to assist with planning. Please see the Related Story box at left for details.) The video provides important visual references for understanding life in rural Kenya and offers insight into Kiplagat, her camp and some of the women who train there. As they watch, have students pay special attention to how the women runners balance family and their running career. After the video, compare and contrast the challenges of balancing family and career in Kenya and in the United States.

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Extensions

Expand class discussion on the role of women by exploring these related FRONTLINE/World stories:

China: Shanghai Nights
Tour Shanghai with controversial novelist Mian Mian, whose writing pushes the limits of Chinese culture and her government.

India: The Sex Workers
Learn how sex workers in India struggle to improve their conditions and safeguard their health.

Kyrgyzstan: The Kidnapped Bride
Explore the ancient Kyrgyz tradition of bride kidnapping and the ways that women support the practice.

Nepal: Dreams of Chomolongma
Follow the stories of Sherpa women who scale Mt. Everest and are changing the role of women in Nepal.

Nigeria: The Road North
Chronicle the troubles of the Miss World pageant, read the reflections of five different Nigerian women on the challenges women face there, and watch a case study on women's rights and sharia law, as experienced by Amina Lawal.

The Women's Kingdom (from FRONTLINE/World's 'Rough Cut' series)
Learn about the matriarchal Mosuo society in China, one of the last in the world.

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Relevant National Standards

These standards are drawn from "Content Knowledge," a compilation of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning) at http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/.

Level IV, Benchmark 12
Understands gender roles across the globe

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Cross-Curricular Activities
Consider building on the themes of the above activity by working with colleagues in other disciplines to conduct the following activities.


Improve Health Care for Women in Underdeveloped Countries (Health)

The Activity

Proper health care during pregnancy and childbirth is vital to the well-being of both mother and child. To help students investigate the importance of such care, ask them to imagine that they are women who have just learned that they are pregnant. Show students where Afghanistan is on a map and ask them to pretend that half of the class lives in Afghanistan and the other half lives in the U.S.United States. Then, have students research the typical health care that they would receive in their assigned country during pregnancy and childbirth. A good starting point for research on Afghan health care is the FRONTLINE/World's feature, Invisible Women.
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/afghanistan/health.html
For women in the United States, students may wish to start with the Centers for Disease Control report, Safe Motherhood.
http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/mh5.htm

Have students incorporate their research findings into a descriptive paragraph about the health care they are likely to receive in their assigned country. Invite volunteers to share their paragraphs with the class. Compare and contrast the care and outcomes reported by the students for each country. Discuss the importance of prenatal and perinatal care to both the mother and the child.

Next, help students do something about the lack of proper health care for women in underdeveloped countries like Afghanistan. Guide students as they plan a fund-raising activity and then contribute the funds to an organization such as UNICEF
http://www.supportunicef.org/forms/whichcountry_afghan.html
or Doctors Without Borders.
https://www.doctorswithoutbordersdonations.org/default.asp

Relevant National Standards

Level III, Benchmark 1
Knows cultural beliefs, socioeconomic considerations and other environmental factors within a community that influence the health of its members (e.g., relationship of values, socioeconomic status and cultural experiences to the selection of health-care services)

Level III, Benchmark 2
Knows how positive health practices and appropriate health care can help to reduce health risks (e.g., good personal hygiene, health screenings, self-examinations)

Level IV, Benchmark 3
Understands the importance of prenatal and perinatal care to both the mother and the child
Level IV, Benchmark 4
Understands the social, economic and political effects of disease on individuals, families and communities

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Fight Poverty with Information on a Class Web Page (English)

The Activity

Explore what happens when poor children in India are given the opportunity to surf the Internet. Show students where India is on a map. Then, either watch the short (about 8 minutes long) film "India: Hole in the Wall" or have students read "Reporter's Notebook: Making Connections."
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/india/connection.html
Ask students to think about what impact computer literacy could have on India's poor. Next, see what Web sites are the most popular with these children who live in poverty by looking at "Kids-Eye View."
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/india/kids.html
And finally, work with students to design a Web page for these children to access that either introduces the students of your class to the kids in India or summarizes the most important links for the children to visit if they want to improve their economic situation.

Resources

Visit the "India: Hole in the Wall" Web resources to find the features utilized in this activity, to watch the full FRONTLINE/World segment in streaming video, or to gather related links and facts:
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/india/

Relevant National Standards

Language Arts, Standard 6: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts

Technology, Standard 2: Knows the characteristics and uses of computer software programs

Technology, Standard 3: Understands the relationships among science, technology, society and the individual

World History, Standard 44: Understands the search for community, stability and peace in an interdependent world

Level III, Benchmark 6
Understands the emergence of a global culture (e.g., connections between electronic communications, international marketing and the rise of a popular "global culture" in the late 20th century; how modern arts have expressed and reflected social transformations and political changes and how they have been internationalized) ---

Related Activities

This activity is part of a suite of activities developed around the theme of Poverty. Additional activities under this theme include:

A Newscast on Nigerian Women (Economics)
pbs.org/frontlineworld/educators/economics_nigeria.html

Track the Path of Coffee From Farm to Store Shelf (Economics)
pbs.org/frontlineworld/educators/economics_guatemala.mexico.html

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