The learner will be able to use reading strategies to understand and evaluate various texts about famous women.

Educational  Experience- I have a Bachelor's degree in Education from Appalachian State University.  I have taught in the classroom for over 30 years where I cultivated an environment of love, tolerance, and respect for all races.  My classroom population has always represented a composite of the community in which I taught and I always included teaching materials and strategies to support each of these diverse groups.  I also have a National Board Certification in Language and Literacy.  National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) are held to the highest standards of equity and fairness among students.  NBCT teachers are expected to be mindful of students' language, cultural, religious, and gender perspectives.  Because of my affiliation with the NBCT community, I purposefully create an instructional setting where all students can feel comfortable enough to ask questions or even disagree without fear of ridicule from myself or other students.

Lived Experience- While I don't have a degree in art or fashion, these two subjects are of great interest to me.  I love to read about the great artists and designers in history, and I enjoy podcasts and documentaries about these famous people.  I frequently visit art galleries in my city where I can learn, in a more artistic environment, about the lives and inspirations of this particular group of people.  I also love to learn about the technique, color, design placement used as well as the motivations behind them.

I am especially fond of two of the artists listed.  One is Eleanor Roosevelt.  I am a great admirer of her achievements in the areas of civil rights as well as her reshaping the role of women in modern society.  I have read several books and watched documentaries about her.  The other is Maya Angelou.  She lived in my hometown for many years before she died, and she was also a professor at one of the local colleges.  I have several of her books, among them my favorite, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."  I have also watched documentaries and read books about her.

Homework Offered
Assessments Offered
The learner will be assessed through informal observation and discussion.
Grades Offered

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Maya Angelou
Who Was Maya Angelou? Amazon.com
Firstladies.org
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History. PBS
Rosa Parks at IMDb
"Eyes on the Prize; Interview with Rosa Parks. American Archive of Public Broadcasting
The Ultimate Fashion History. "That Dress!" Edith Head for Bette Davis
Edith Head. Video Fashion Archive. Youtube