Women's History Month · Worksheet C1
Read the passage and answer the questions. (CEFR B1–B2)
1Women's History Month began as a complaint about textbooks. In the 1970s, teachers like Molly Murphy MacGregor noticed that standard history books said almost nothing about women. Historians such as Gerda Lerner argued that a history leaving out half of the population could never be complete. A special week, and later a whole month, was meant to fill that gap quickly.
2Decades later, the observance raises a fair question. Some educators worry that a single month can turn women's history into a list of famous firsts that students forget by April. In their view, the real goal should be lessons that include women throughout the school year. The organizers themselves seem to agree in part, since they renamed their group in 2018 to support women's history all year long.
3Supporters reply that the month still does valuable work. It gives teachers a reason to look for new materials, encourages museums and libraries to open their archives, and reaches adults who left school long ago. For them, the month is less a finish line than a reminder that the work begun in the 1970s is not yet complete.
What is the main point of the passage?
According to the passage, what did teachers in the 1970s notice?
What do some educators worry about?
Why does the writer mention that the group was renamed in 2018?
In paragraph 1, what does fill that gap mean?
What does the writer mean by calling the month less a finish line than a reminder?
Women's History Month · Worksheet C2
Match the words with the definitions. Then rewrite and summarize.
1. “Historians such as Gerda Lerner argued that a history leaving out half of the population could never be complete.”
Hint: Start with Gerda Lerner and other historians said, and use if instead of leaving out.2. “Some educators worry that a single month can turn women's history into a list of famous firsts that students forget by April.”
Hint: Use are afraid that instead of worry that, and change turn into to become.3. “For them, the month is less a finish line than a reminder that the work begun in the 1970s is not yet complete.”
Hint: Use not ... but ... instead of less ... than, and change not yet complete to still unfinished.Summarize the passage in about 50 words.
Women's History Month · Worksheet C3
Prepare for a debate. Then write your opinion (100–150 words).
Add your own reason:
Add your own reason:
| Opinion | I believe / I think that … |
|---|---|
| Reason 1 | First, … For example, … |
| Reason 2 | Second, … In fact, … |
| Counter | Some people say … However, … |
| Conclusion | In conclusion, … |