StoryWorks develops inclusive and transformative educational theater experiences that provide students with the opportunity to examine our country’s civil rights history. Through content consistent with school curriculum standards, the program engages students in experiential learning and inspires them to ask deeper questions about the historical underpinnings behind contemporary issues. The process creates pathways to civic engagement, creates lasting memories and instills a tangible sense of social belonging. This StoryWorks educational project is built around Beautiful Agitators, a theatrical play about Vera Mae Pigee, a hair stylist and business owner in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and one of the unsung heroes of the civil rights era. Using her beauty parlor as a hub for Delta-based organizing and resistance, Pigee operated her salon by day and then transformed it into a clandestine center for civil rights organization and education in the evenings. Known for her big hats and larger than life personality, Mrs. Pigee led the direct action that registered nearly 6,000 African Americans to vote in the region. Although Pigee was largely left out of the history books, along with many women of the movement, our play Beautiful Agitators and accompanying curriculum revives her legacy, highlighting her methods and tactics. Inspired by the innovative K-12 civil rights education standards developed by the Mississippi Civil Rights Commission. Our commitment is to expand upon the standards by further developing content related to social justice, power relations, environmental justice, diversity, equity, mutual respect, and civic engagement. Beautiful Agitators combines inquiry with higher-order thinking skills of analysis, evaluation and synthesis. Set in a beauty parlor owned and operated by a Black woman in the Mississippi Delta, our curriculum is based on our investigation into primary sources and their relationship to critical moments in the national movement. This foundation of historical context allows for students and educators to find contemporary parallels which further engage learners to reflect upon the legacy of the civil rights movement and the struggles that we, as citizens, continue to grapple with today.View the complete play Beautiful Agitators on the StoryWorks Theater site.Implementation1. Beautiful Agitators Performance Classroom watches a prerecorded, staged reading of the play Beautiful Agitators, which was created and performed by artists from the Mississippi Delta, home of Vera Mae Pigee.2. Lesson Plan Activities Following the eight-lesson plan structure, students will read aloud or act out scenes from the play. This participatory interaction with the text and the historical events promotes a high level of engagement from the students and encourages experiential learning. These activities directly correspond to scenes in the play and to specific content area standards. Teacher leads guided discussions and helps to explain the historical context and theme of each scene. Students/actors have the opportunity to share their experiences having portrayed these historical figures. 

This is a complete course on Texas State government, developed by Austin Community College.

The primary sources in this set can
be used for inquiry-based learning exercises
and projects. Each document falls under the
umbrella topic of voter education, and students
are encouraged to annotate in the margins in order
to support the development of document analysis
and critical thinking skills. Suggested projects that
make use of this set’s primary sources are also
included for the educator as a springboard for
research-based projects.

In the Voting Rights and Voter ID Laws lesson, students interview family members or neighbors about their experiences voting, and then analyze real footage from polling locations in neighborhoods around the country. Students then learn about the history of voting rights in the United States, drilling deep into the modern controversies around Voter ID laws. Part of this lesson leverages materials from a great PBS lesson plan.

Students research archival material to examine nineteenth and early twentieth century arguments for and against women's suffrage.

Students explore a variety of sources for information about voting. They evaluate the information to determine if it is fact or opinion, and then create a graffiti wall about voting.

This is a seven-day unit that explores how people create, interact, and change structures of power and authority over time by answering these essential questions/key ideas:
• Why is the right to vote the most important right?
• Who was Emma Smith Devoe?
• Why did she work so hard to get women the right to vote?
• Why were the Western States more open to women voting than the East?
• What arguments did men and institutions use to keep women from voting?

This learning experience explores one of the tenets and demonstrations of citizenship by exploring the legacy of voting in the United States, including who was allowed to vote, and who was not, as well as actions for students to take when they recognize unfairness.

This lesson focuses on women who are too often overlooked when teaching about the "foremothers" of the movements for suffrage and women's equality in U.S. history. Grounded in the critical inquiry question "Who's missing?" and in the interest of bringing more perspectives to who the suffrage movement included, this resource will help to ensure that students learn about some of the lesser-known activists who, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, participated in the formative years of the Women's Rights Movement.

Since 1845, Americans have been voting on Tuesdays -- but why? In this humorous talk, Jacob Soboroff shares the history of Election Day and shows how voting on a Tuesday affects voter turnout. A quiz, thought provoking question, and links for further study are provided to create a lesson around the 3-minute video. Educators may use the platform to easily "Flip" or create their own lesson for use with their students of any age or level.

Do we vote in a conscious rational way or are there other factors at play? Do we vote out of self-interest and/or for the greater good?

In the run-up to an election, you read the manifestos, watch the debates, follow the political news on social media. You weigh up the pros and cons of each candidate/party, think about what matters to you and who is best placed to make that happen. You then turn up on election day and vote accordingly. You are a rational being and therefore vote rationally.

Simplistic no?

Reading through the academic literature on this subject is as complex as human psychology. Many other factors come into play if and how a citizen decides to vote.

There can be forms of altruism at play but also forms of egocentrism (the voter's illusion); a sense of duty; the belief that my vote makes a difference and that others are more likely to turn up and vote the way I vote. Research has also shown that turnout increases in highly contested seats.

Conversations, civic duty, social pressure can also have an impact as well as genetics.

Some highlights from research are featured in this resource, part of the political science collection.

Students analyze archival cartoons, posters, magazine humor, newspaper articles and poems that reflect the deeply entrenched attitudes and beliefs the early crusaders for women's rights had to overcome.

The Washington State Women's Commission is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. These two videos are intended for educational purposes and to spark discussion about the importance of voting - "A Seat at the Table; Women's Sacred Right to Vote" and "The Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement"

Students compile information to examine hypotheses explaining why the first nine states to grant full voting rights for women were located in the West.

This lesson allows students to delve into the life of a current or historical member of Congress. Biography can be a powerful too that can impact a person. The Members of Congress categories include: youngest, women, African-Americans, Latino-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, former athletes, former entertainers and Independents/third party. Students should conduct research and then either write a report, give a presentation (or do both) as an assessment. The lesson provides names for each category, a sample rubric and recommended website resources for research.