Women Olympics Inclusion

Overview

In this second lesson of the unit “History of the Olympics: Australia’s Journey”, students investigate how women gained inclusion in Olympic events and explore what changed over time. Students begin with a short video hook showing the first women’s events and then examine an evidence set about progress and barriers.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Describe key events that led to women’s inclusion in the Olympics.
• Explain how and why change occurred over time using historical evidence.
• Identify perspectives and impacts for women athletes and for host societies.
• Use historical terms to communicate a short argument about inclusion.

Success criteria

• I can outline major milestones in women’s Olympic participation using accurate details from sources.
• I can explain at least two reasons women’s events were added and how this affected athletes.
• I can compare perspectives in my evidence and show how they influence conclusions.
• I can write a short claim supported by evidence.

Curriculum links

• Historical skills: using evidence, sequencing events, and explaining change over time.
• Historical reasoning: recognising that history involves multiple perspectives and drawing conclusions from evidence.
• Communication: using appropriate historical language to present ideas clearly.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min: Welcome + hook question

• Tell students today’s focus is “How and why did women gain inclusion in Olympic events?”
• Show a brief video clip of the first women’s events. Pause once to ask: “What do you notice about who is competing and how it looks or feels?”

2. 5–12 min: Quick discussion (think–pair–share)

• Students discuss in pairs: “What evidence from the clip suggests progress or barriers?”
• Teacher records a few student ideas on the board under headings: “What changed” and “What stayed the same.”

3. 12–22 min: Evidence set mini-lesson

• Provide a short, teacher-guided reading (texts or audio-transcript) containing simplified historical details (milestones, rules, and examples of women’s events being introduced).
• Model how to extract evidence: underline a date/event, circle a reason, and note an impact (e.g., opportunities, recognition, public attitudes).
• Dyslexia-friendly option: offer an audio recording of the same evidence set and a short version with larger font.

4. 22–40 min: Small-group investigation (graphic organiser)

• In groups of 3–4, students complete a “Cause–Change–Impact” organiser using the evidence set.
• Each group identifies:
• One cause (why inclusion occurred)
• One change (what was added or allowed)
• One impact (what it meant for women athletes and audiences)
• Teacher circulates using prompts: “What makes you think that?” “What is your evidence?”

5. 40–52 min: Constructing a short argument

• Students individually write 6–8 sentences answering: “Why was including women in the Olympics an important change?”
• Sentence starters on the board support structure:
• “In the Olympics, women’s inclusion changed when…”
• “This mattered because…”
• “One reason this happened was… (Evidence: …)”
• Students must include at least two pieces of evidence (e.g., a milestone plus a described effect).

6. 52–57 min: Share + teacher feedback

• 3–4 volunteers read their claims; teacher gives specific feedback linked to the success criteria (evidence use, reasoning, historical language).
• Students quickly adjust one sentence based on feedback.

7. 57–60 min: Exit ticket (quick check)

• Exit ticket: “Write one milestone and one impact you learned today.”
• Collect to guide who needs further support in Lesson 3.

Resources

• Video clip showing early women’s Olympic events (short, teacher-selected)
• Student evidence set (short texts, images, or timeline cards) about women’s inclusion
• Cause–Change–Impact graphic organiser (one per student or group)
• Writing support: sentence starters and checklist (evidence + reasoning)
• Projector/board for class notes
• Audio recording of evidence set and an “alternate shorter reading” version
• Coloured highlighters or markers for evidence coding (optional)
• Timer and rubrics/criteria poster displayed

Assessment

• Formative assessment through group organiser accuracy and quality of evidence selection.
• Formative assessment of individual arguments using the success-criteria checklist (claim, evidence, impact, historical language).
• Exit ticket to check understanding of at least one milestone and one impact.

Differentiation

• Support for students needing scaffolding: provide a simplified timeline, reduced text length, and guided sentence starters; allow audio access to readings.
• Support for language learners: pre-teach a small set of historical words (milestone, inclusion, evidence, impact) using visuals; allow oral planning before writing.
• Extension for advanced learners: ask students to add a “perspective” paragraph (e.g., how different groups viewed women’s participation) and link it to their evidence.
• Extra challenge: include one “spot the bias” task where students identify whether a source sounds supportive or critical and how that affects interpretation.
• For students with dyslexia: use larger font, audio, and a choice of using fewer sentences with correct evidence.

Extension (optional)

• Students research a current Australian female Olympian and prepare a two-sentence connection to today’s milestone: “How does inclusion today reflect earlier change?”