WikiWomen Erasmus+/Gender gap and minority languages

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Pupil toolkit

Gender gap and minority languages

Step one in the WikiWomen lesson materials toolkit is on the subjects of the gender gap and minority languages. This is the first step, as those two themes are the basis of the WikiWomen project. The project is about two forms of emancipation: the emancipation of smaller and minority languages, and the emancipation of women.

Step one is about familiarizing the students with the themes of the gender gap and minority languages. We start by asking what is the gender gap? Where is it visible? Can the students name examples of the gender gap in their personal life, or is this the first time they have heard of it? What is the importance of female representation in history, in the media, and on Wikipedia?

Moreover, this project is based on the emancipation of minority languages: what is a minority language? Or a majority language? In what regions do people speak certain languages, or can languages also be tied to something different than a region?

This first step in the toolkit contains a collection of sources that fit these subjects and that can be used in class. It also contains examples of exercises to do in class and prompts for class discussion.

Women in History

Information about this topic
Report	Global Gender Gap Report 2023	https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2023/
Video	Explained: Why Women Are Paid Less? (Netflix)	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP8dLUxBfsU

Classroom Exercises

Prompts for class discussions

• Can you think of any ways the gender gap shows up in your lives and/or society?

• Why is it important to promote women’s history and their achievements?
• Can you think of any women in history who originate from your country/region?
• What are their notable achievements? Do they have a page on Wikipedia?

• Why is it important to make information available through minority languages?

• Can you think of any notable women who are advocates and speak [your language]?

• What are their notable achievements? Do they have a Wikipedia page?

• What impact has women’s history had on society?

Women in popular media

Information about this topic
Text	Wikipedia article	en:Women in media
Video	Speech	Taylor Swift Accepts Woman of the Decade Award

Classroom Exercises

Women on Wikipedia

Information about this topic
Text	Wikipedia article	en:Gender bias on Wikipedia
Video	Informative video	The Gender Gap on Wikipedia
Text	Interview	‘Why are they not on Wikipedia?’: Dr Jess Wade’s mission for recognition for unsung scientists

Critical look

Information about this topic
Doc	Taking a critical look at Wikipedia pages	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dHQokGgxBhno1DgXxk66A3wdTRwrMB4A/view

Minority languages

Information about this topic
YouTube Video	History with Hilbert: Languages of Spain	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOab-m7JXZI
YouTube video	Babbel USA: Language vs Dialect vs Accent: What's The Difference?	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxR2188FvLE
Exercise	Tie the language to the country	https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oUSTyjbKKsVTU_MiG5yDEup6WGgWWmuZ

Prompts for class discussions

• Can you name a language that is not tied to a country? Who speaks this language?
• Are there any students in this class that speak a different language at home? Is this language a minority language or a majority language? Would this be different if you were to live in another country?
• Do you know someone who speaks with an accent? What accent is that and how do you recognize it?
• Do you think having an accent is a good thing or a bad thing?
• Do you have an accent yourself? If so, which accent do you have? Do you like your accent, or not?