Famous women

Type of activity: This is a speaking and reading activity in which students read and discuss
famous, influential women
Level: Intermediate and above
Teacher's notes:
1. Put the students into pairs and ask them to discuss famous women from their
countries. Ask them to discuss what the women did and why they were or are famous.
2. Ask for feedback. Note that you may want to set this as a homework task prior to the
lesson i.e. ask the students to research a famous woman from their countries to
present in class during the next lesson.
3. Once you have listened to the students, tell them that they are going to read about two
extremely influential women, one from the US and one from the UK. At this point you
could write the famous womens names on the board and ask the students to tell you
what they know about the women.
4. Pre-teach the following words which appear in the text that the students may not know.
The words below are useful; try the matching activity with the students before they
read the text.
5. Once you have gone over the lexical items and checked that the students are sure of
the meaning of the words, hand out the texts. Note that there is a part a) and a part
b). Hand half of the class a part a) and half the class a part b).
6. Ask the students to read the texts. One is about Princess Diana and the other is about
Eleanor Roosevelt.
7. Once the students have finished reading, ask them to explain what they read to their
partners. Note that they should not show each other their texts; they should try to
explain using their own language.
8. Monitor and correct as you see fit.
9. After this, ask the students to decide whether these women were similar or not. Ask
them to re-read the texts, looking for similarities. They can work on this in pairs again.
10. At the end of task, ask the students to work in groups discussing women who have
most influenced them or who they feel are very important women. You may want them
to also discuss men. These people do not necessarily have to be famous people; they
may be family members etc.

Note: you may want to set the last task as a homework task.

Answers: 1. h 2. d. 3. i. 4. c. 5. e. 6. b. 7. j. 8. g. 9. a. 10. g

Vocabulary:

1. The underdog
2. To be awkward

a.

3. To be
distinguished
4. To be trusted
5. To become aware
6. To be vulnerable
7. To be ahead of
her/his time
8. To be struck
down
9. To be envied
10. To be cut down

Other people want what you have

b. To be open to trouble or problems, not to be protected

c. You can tell secrets to this person because they will keep
them secret.

d. To be uncomfortable
e. To realize

f. To become suddenly very sick

g. To be killed either very young or at the most productive
time in your life
h. A person who is in the worst situation; usually this
person is not expected to win any competitions
i. A person who is well-known and elite
j.

To be progressive and very modern his/her prime

Similarities:

Both
Both
Both
Both
Both
Both
Both
Both
Both
Both

born into privileged families

were shy and awkward (initially)
married to very famous men
helped the underdog
questioned their expected roles
vulnerable to criticism
felt the need to help the poor and needy
lived in the public arena
were very active in the public arena
continued to work even after personal tragedies

Part A - Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 11th 1884. She was a shy, awkward
child who grew up in a very famous, privileged household. Her uncle was the President of the
United States. At 15, she went to a distinguished finishing school in England. Here she grew in
confidence and soon realized her need to champion the underdog.
In 1903, she became engaged to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They married in 1905. Within the
first eleven years of their marriage, she bore six children and she became her husbands most
trusted political aide. She continually helped him and soon became very aware of and
accustomed to political dealings. She also became active in the womens division of the State
Democratic Committee. When her husband was struck down with polio, she devoted herself to
his work and quickly became his eyes and ears in terms of political events. In 1933 F.D.
Roosevelt was elected the President of the United States.
Whilst in the White House, Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of the First Lady. She began by
giving press conferences which had never been done by a First Lady before. She gave
speeches, traveled extensively and expressed her own opinions in a newspaper column
entitled My Day. She was definitely a woman ahead of her time. This did leave her vulnerable
to criticism and disapproval but her gracious, gentle character meant that most people
admired and respected her and her opinions. She once said, no matter how plain a woman
may be if truth and loyalty are stamped upon her face all will be attracted to her.
After her husbands death in 1945, she told reporters the story is over but in actual fact she
had a lot more left to do in the public arena. She went onto represent North America at the
United Nations; she helped to found UNICEF. She also helped to establish the Declaration of
Human rights. Her humanitarian work on behalf of children and the oppressed earned her the
love of millions. She said You get more joy out of giving to others and should put a good deal
of thought into the happiness that you are able to give. She died in November 1962 and was
buried next to her husband.
What other single human being has touched the existence of so many? She walked into the
slums and ghettos of the world not on a tour of inspection, but as one who could not feel
contentment when others were hungry. Adlai Stevenson about Eleanor Roosevelt.

Part B - Princess Diana

Princess Diana once said, I understand peoples suffering and peoples pain, more than you
will ever know yourself. She has been described by many as the worlds most loved woman.
She was caring, loving and warm. She was also one of the most socially powerful women of all
time. When she died, millions mourned her death.
She was born on July 1st 1961 near Sandringham, England into a wealthy, privileged and very
distinguished family. She had two sisters and one brother. She worked as a kindergarten
teacher in London. Diana was shy and when she first entered into the public arena appeared
extremely awkward and uncomfortable. This discomfort persisted even when she married one
of the most important men in England, Prince Charles the next in line to the thrown. The
wedding was one of the most celebrated events in the whole world. The whole of England
stopped to watch the wedding. She was a beautiful bride and one whom many envied however
this was not to be a happy ever after story.
As soon as Princess Diana joined the royal family, she challenged the old royal protocol. She
took over helping many charities and devoted herself to supporting the underdog. She helped
thousands, visiting children in hospital, shaking hands with Aids patients and also campaigning
to stop the use of landmines. She literally turned the role of the royal family around. Some
hated her for it, thinking that she was more like a pop star or a movie star than a member of
the royal family, others loved her for what she did and how she made the royal family seem
more like real people.
She was a mixture of vulnerability and strength. She was vulnerable because the media and
the publics fascination with her left no stone of her life unturned. She didnt have any privacy
and was constantly followed by photographers and journalists. She was the most
photographed women in history. She was strong in the sense that she worked hard and never
stopped helping others. She tried to use the media because she was aware of its power but
this was not always easy to do. Many times her life was distorted in the press. When it became
clear that her marriage was breaking down the press hounded her and her husband. They
revealed stories that both her and her husband had had affairs. They had photographs and
tapes as evidence. This did a lot to harm the royal family but Diana survived and went on to
continue her charity work as a single mum; she was as popular as ever. Tragically Princess
Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris, cut down in her prime.