Ah, March – you’re so close to spring you can taste it, but state testing is looming, and the end of the school year seems farther away than ever. BUT – Women’s History Month is a great excuse to add some interesting and different activities into your lesson plans! It’s absolutely perfect for some themed lessons. Here are my top Women’s History Month picture books for Upper Elementary, and activities you can use during March!

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World

This book is a great opening activity for Women’s History Month. It has amazing illustrations and facts about tons of women who have changed the world! A great way to use this picture book would be to read about one of the women each day in March. Or – if you read it all at once, have students choose one of the women that sounds interesting to them or maybe they haven’t heard of before to do further research on, and then share with the class what they found! Click here to see the full description of this Women’s History Month picture book.

Malala Yousafzai

Malala is one of my favorite impactful women to talk about during Women’s History Month! There are a ton of resources, books, and articles out there to create tons of themed lessons. My students always found her story SO interesting and most had never heard of her before!

I like to do a whole unit centered around Malala and her story. There are many videos about her life – this video is a good one for upper elementary students! It’s perfect for introducing her and giving some background information.

There are also TONS of books about Malala, but here are some of my favorite Women’s History Month picture books for upper elementary that tell Malala’s story.

• Malala’s Magic Pencil – A picture book that’s the perfect companion to more heavy, fact-based articles and passages.
• Who is Malala Yousafzai? – Part of the ‘Who Was’ series – a little longer, but I love to pull chapters out and use those for read alouds in upper elementary.
• I Am Malala – A chapter book, that is a great extension read for students who want to learn more! This was always a hot commodity in my classroom after our Malala unit.

If you want a full writing unit for Women’s History Month that includes an original, informational article about Malala – THIS resource is perfect! It has informational passages and essay prompts for an entire Women’s History Month Writing Unit. It’s an incredible companion to any combination of Women’s History Month picture books.

Katherine Johnson

Another impactful woman most of my students hadn’t learned about before is Katherine Johnson. I liked to start this topic with the picture book Hidden Figures as a read-aloud.

Then, there are several amazing picture books just about Katherine Johnson! I always include these as part of my Women’s History Month picture books.

• A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon – An adorable illustrated biography about Katherine’s life.
• Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 – Another picture book perfect for upper elementary. It tells the story of Katherine’s life and has the best illustrations!

One activity you can do with upper elementary students is to have them write a story about Katherine Johnson accompanying them to a day at school! What would you talk about with her? What would she have for lunch? What would be her favorite subject? How would she act in class and what would she think about the lessons you are learning? Kids can be SO creative with this one and I love seeing what they come up with.

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart has such an interesting story that my students always LOVED. Even if you don’t have any Women’s History Month picture books about Amelia, her story is still worth sharing via a video! I’d start with this video. Then, read a chapter or two out of The Story of Amelia Earhart.

I also love the picture book Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride – it’s about Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt! It always sparks interesting conversations and can even lead into another lesson about Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin

This one is an honorable mention for Women’s History Month picture books. There aren’t as many articles and resources available about Temple Grandin for kids, but she has an amazing story and it’s a great one to talk about that I guarantee most of your students have never been exposed to!

I love using the picture book The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin. It has the cutest illustrations and tells the story of her life in a very engaging and easy-to-understand format. It is also a great springboard for conversations about how we treat people that are different than us, and how we can be more accepting.

Happy Women’s History Month! If you need a done-for-you, standards-based lesson plan to use during the month of March, THIS resource is perfect! It has informational passages about Women’s History and essay prompts for an entire Women’s History Month Writing Unit.

Want just a HUGE list of women’s history month picture books all in one place without wordy descriptions? Click here for the list.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I make small commission when you make a purchase through my links, at no additional cost to you!