Grab a Short Biography of Jane Addams

Are you teaching your students about amazing women in history? Make sure you bring Jane Addams into the mix! At times, she is overlooked, but her contributions to the country and even the world are excellent examples of what it means to be a good citizen. 

You might be wondering, what was Jane Addams known for? In a nutshell, this amazing woman was

• A social reformer, philosopher, feminist and pacifist 
• Devoted to helping  others 
• Founder of the Hull House, one of America’s very first settlement houses
• Organizer of the Women’s Peace Party and the International Congress of Women
• Elected first president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

Reading Passages for Women’s History Month

This biography unit worksheet is an easy, low-prep way to teach your students about the life and accomplishments of Jane Addams. Your students will read a biographical passage about Jane Addams’ life. Then, they will use what they’ve learned to complete a R.A.C.E.S. constructed response graphic organizer (restate, answer, cite, explain, summarize). They will use the R.A.C.E.S graphic organizer to write a constructed response paragraph demonstrating their understanding of Jane Addams’ life and her contributions to women’s history.

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

In addition to independent student work time, use this worksheet as an activity for:

• Guided reading groups 
• Lesson warm-up
• Lesson wrap-up
• Fast finishers 
• Homework assignment
• Whole-class review (via smartboard)

Easily Download & Print

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

To save paper, we suggest printing this 2-page worksheet double-sided. 

Turn this teaching resource into a sustainable activity by printing on cardstock and slipping it into a dry-erase sleeve. Students can record their answers with a whiteboard marker, then erase and reuse them. 

Additionally, project the worksheet onto a screen and work through it as a class by having students record their answers in their notebooks. 

This resource was created by Nicole Ellis, a teacher in New York and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities to shorten your lesson planning time:  

teaching resource Women's History Month Word Wall Celebrate important terms, events, and people in women’s history with this set of 37 vocabulary cards for your classroom word wall. teaching resource Women's History Month Word Wall Research Task Explore inspirational women throughout history with this Women’s History Month research task. teaching resource World Changing Women 3D Cube Project Research and record biographical information about 6 historical women and discuss the impacts of their contributions.