Please review the following required materials and advance preparation assignments carefully. Contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Required Materials

• Laptop/tablet with wireless: During the workshop you will have the opportunity to browse our website and work on developing a lesson plan or program. We strongly encourage you to bring a laptop or tablet with wireless capabilities as well as lesson plans or program outlines you wish to develop. See Assignment Three for more information.

Assignment One: Background Articles (30 min.)

• Read these two articles:
• Shema Bekolah—Listen to Her Voice: Women and Gender in Jewish Education
• The Opportunities of Teaching Jewish History
• Prepare: One insight and one question to share with the group about integrating Jewish women's stories and Jewish history into your work.

Assignment Two: Investigating a Primary Source (30 min.)

Introduction: Photographs are literally and figuratively a snapshot of the past. Yet they are far from an objective record of historical truth, and the viewer must examine what he or she sees from every angle. Did the people in the photo know they were being captured on film? Is it a posed or a candid shot? Was it used to promote an issue publicly or to preserve a private moment? What events preceded and followed the taking of this picture? What does the background or setting reveal about the “thousand words” this picture may be able to convey about the past? How might a photograph be misleading? What information do photos give us and what do they conceal?

The role of women as both subjects and objects of photographs indicates a great deal about women’s societal role. In what types of photos have women appeared most often? How were pictures of women received and perceived? Under what circumstances did women control the lens through which they were seen? How did women photographers differ in their use of the medium to capture of the essence of their time?

Step 1: Look at this photograph and take a few minutes to think about or respond to the following prompts and questions. You do not need to write down your responses unless that is helpful to you.

1. List everything you notice about the photograph your teacher gave you.
2. Now look again, and be sure to include all people, objects, and activities.
3. When and where do you think this photograph was taken?
4. Was this a candid or a posed photograph? How can you tell?
5. Are there aspects of this picture you cannot identify or understand?
6. What do you think was happening just before this picture was taken? Just after?

Step 2: Next, read the following background information.

• Introduction to Emma Lazarus’ biography (required) and additional information (optional) found in JWA’s Women of Valor exhibit.
• Skim the Introductory Essay to the March on Washington lesson from JWA’s Living the Legacy social justice curriculum.

Step 3: Turn back to the photograph. Take a few minutes to think about or respond to the following questions.

1. What do you think the reaction was to this photograph at the time it was taken?
2. Why do you think this photograph was preserved when most are not?
3. Does this photograph reveal any biases, either on the part of the photographer or of those
pictured?
4. What biases of yours affected your initial impression of the picture?
5. How did this photograph change or add to your knowledge of this time period and/or topic?
6. What did this photograph teach you about women, Jews, and America in the time period when it was taken?

Step 4: Watch the following clips of other people looking at this photograph. Notice how their responses and observations differ from your own.

• Miriam Cantor-Stone, JWA’s Education Program Assistant, and Tara Metal, JWA's Director of Engagement and Social Media, look at the photograph
• Judith Rosenbaum, JWA’s incoming Executive Director looks at the photograph

Prepare for group discussion by reflecting on the following:

• What questions do you have about the process of studying a primary source?
• What questions do you have about this document in particular?
• What challenges do you foresee or what questions do you have about using historical documents with your students?

Assignment Three: Curriculum Review (up to 1 hour)

• Review your current curriculum/program:
• Where are women's stories, experiences, or voices present? Who are the women about whom you currently teach? (Please come with a list of women to use in our first session.)
• Identify one or two programs/lessons that you currently teach that you would like to improve/spice up/change. Alternately, decide on a program/lesson you have been wanting to develop for a while but haven't gotten to.
• Prepare to speak about the following with a small group of colleagues:
• Goals/desired learning outcomes of this program/lesson
• Setting (age group, classroom type, etc.) and curricular context of the program/lesson
• A few words about what you think is missing