Albert G. Prodell Middle School students learned that women in the United States did not always own the right to vote. Exploring the topic of women’s suffrage further, eighth grade students recently had the opportunity to view the New York State Women’s Right to Vote Exhibit, at their own school library. The exhibit is on loan from the Long Island Library Resource Council.  

This unique educational experience afforded students to explore authentic information on panels with artifacts, documents and photographs to deepen their understanding on the topic.     The museum exhibit also helped the students to build on the information they acquired during a social studies unit. 

Librarian Ann-Marie Kalin touted the benefits of having such an important museum exhibit on the school campus. She explained that the information in the panels helped students build on what they already learned in the classroom, to further their vocabulary and to heighten their word use on the subject.  

“Most importantly, the museum promoted meaningful conversations among the students about an important part of American history,” Ms. Kalin said.   

Part of the experience included writing an extended response to key questions related to the exhibit. The students were asked to identify strategies used and obstacles faced by women in their fight to gain voting rights. They also explored the impact of this movement, the outcome of women’s efforts and how their work established future policy. 

Student Mae-Lin Torre said she enjoyed reading the firsthand accounts. “The actual stories were very interesting,” Mae-Lin said. “It was so interesting to see how the government tried to fight this.”