Teaching The cover STory

Equal Pay for WomenStandardECONOMICS—Students should understand that people’s incomes, in part, reflect choices they have made about education, training, skill development, and careers.

Summary President Barack Obama has signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law. The bill will further help end pay discrimination based on sex, race, color, national origin, age, religion, or disability.

Pre-reading Discussion ● If two people are doing the same job, do you think they should be paid equally? What should happen if they are not?

Background ● Lilly Ledbetter, a 70-year-old grandmother from Alabama, was a supervisor at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. When she found out that male supervisors were earning at least 20 percent more money than she earned to do the same job, she sued Goodyear. ● In 2007, the U.S. Supreme

Court ruled that Ledbetter did not file her complaint soon enough to receive any money. She spent the next two years fighting for equal pay for equal work. ● The Fair Pay Act gives workers who think they are receiving unequal pay more time to file complaints. ● Women have been fighting for equal pay since at least World War II, when many took jobs in war-related industries while men were overseas fighting the war. ● The Equal Pay Act, signed by President John F. Kennedy in June 1963 (effective June 1964), made it illegal to pay women lower wages strictly on the basis of their sex.

Post-reading Discussion ● What factors do you think should determine a worker’s salary?

Mini Lesson Plan Have students visit www.bls.gov /k12/index.htm and choose a job in which they are interested. Have them find the typical salary range for that job. Then, have them list all the things they can do to get the highest possible salary for that job, such as earning a college degree. Have them make charts comparing each student’s job.

March 9, 2009Vol. 77 No. 17 ISSN 1554-2440

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resources ● Learn about the National Women’s History Project and Women’s History Month at www .nwhp.org. ● Failure Is Impossible!: The History of American Women’s Rights by Martha Kendall. (Lerner Publishing Group, 2001)

Teaching TiPof The week

CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY! March is women’s history Month, and we open the month by delving into an issue that has long been a ral-lying cry for women-rights ac-tivists: pay equity for women. cRoSS-cuRRIculAR IDeAS: use the economic data provided on page 4 of the student magazine, as well as the double-bar graph on page 8, to reinforce key math skills within the social studies and language arts curricula. utilize the reproducible skills page on t3 to introduce the ancient egyptian numbering system to students.ReINFoRce VISuAl lIteRAcY SKIllS with this week’s edito-rial cartoon on page 7 of the student edition. enjoy! —dara sharif, Editor dsharif@scholastic.com

Using This issue

Answer Key

Graph: p. 2 1. $13.2 billion 2. 5 times

Big Idea: p. 5 1. Answers will vary but may

include that Ledbetter's case against Goodyear brought attention to pay inequality, and that she then fought for the Fair Pay Act.

2. Answers will vary but may include that women's tradi-tional role was to take care of the home and kids.

3. Answers will vary but may include that she wanted her granddaughters and other women to be paid fairly.

4. 14 cents to 19 cents

Graph Skill: p. 8 1. about 10 cents 2. about 85 cents 3. $36,000 4. $20,000 or $20,500 accepted

News IQ: p. 8 1. B 2. B 3. C 4. D

Word Workout: p. 8 1. C 2. A 3. B 4. B

Skills Page: T3 1. 2,211 2. 3,000 3. Egyptian symbol

for 1 million:4. Egyptian symbol

for 500:5. Egyptian symbol

for 40:

Skills Page: T4 1. B 2. D 3. A 4. A 5. Answers will vary.

Baseball & Steroids...p. 6

T2 SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • MARCH 9, 2009

standard HEALTH: Students should be able to explain the importance of assuming responsibility for personal health behaviors.

summary Alex Rodriguez is the latest Major League Baseball (MLB) player to admit to having used steroids.

Pre-reading Discussion ● What are steroids? What are the health risks of using them?

Background ● A total of 104 MLB players tested positive for steroids in 2003. In 2004, MLB began random drug tests and penalized those who tested positive. ● Rodriguez, considered one of the greatest baseball players of his era, admitted to having used two anabolic steroids from 2001 to 2003. ● Anabolic steroids are artificially

produced hormones sometimes taken illegally by athletes to increase muscle mass and strength. They can lead to serious health effects, such as high blood pressure, dizziness, and sleep problems.

Post-reading Discussion ● How do you think the widespread use of steroids tarnishes the sport of baseball?

Mini Lesson Plan With the Internet and our page 6 story, have students list all the negative effects of steroids, including health risks, legal consequences, and possible penalties.

resource ● Get more information about the effects of anabolic steroids at http://teens.drugabuse.gov/mom/mom_ster1.php, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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sn56answerkey

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SCHOLASTIC NEWS • Edition 5/6 • MARCH 9, 2009 T3

NumeratioN

Ancient NumbersThe Egyptian number system is one of the oldest in the world. Number systems help us count large amounts quickly and easily. The Egyptians used hieroglyphics, or symbols, to write numbers. The chart below explains how ancient Egyptians wrote and understood numbers:

5

The Egyptian number system was based on the number 10. Each symbol stood for a different power of 10.

1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000

Example

The Egyptian system used addition to show the value of a number. The value of a number was found by adding the values of the symbols.

10,000 + 3,000 + 200 + 30 + 4 = 13,234

KEY

(Write your answer in Egyptian numbers.)

1

3 x =

(Write your answer in Egyptian numbers.)

4 =

(Write your answer in Egyptian numbers.)

+ + + =

2 =x

=

DirEcTioNs: Use the information from the chart to find the answers to the following math problems:

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Timeline

In 1920, women in the U.S. won the right to vote when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. Since then, U.S. women have made great strides. Use the timeline below to learn about some of their accomplishments.

How Far Women Have Come

1. About how many decades ago was the Equal Pay Act passed? two six four eight

2. The main goal of Title IX was to__. increase voter turnout

decrease the number of kids in classrooms promote women as lawmakers encourage equal treatment for girls and boys in schools

3. What branch of government did Sandra Day O’Connor work in as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice?

the Judicial branch the Legislative branch the Executive branch the branch of a cherry tree

4. In response to a widening of the pay gap between men and women, thousands of women __ in 1970. marched in protest left the workforce quit high school refused to cook

5. Which event on the timeline do you think has helped advance women’s rights the most? Explain.

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

• 1960: Women make, on average, 60 cents for every dollar men make. Many jobs women have access to are low-paying; they are sometimes paid less than men to do the same job.

• 1963: Congress passes the Equal Pay Act, which makes it illegal for a woman to receive less money than a man for the same job.

• 1964: The Civil Rights Act is passed, making it illegal for employers to discriminate against employees on the basis of race or gender.

• 1970: Women’s wages fall to 59 cents for every dollar earned by men. On August 26, a “Women’s Strike for Equality” takes place nationwide. The largest march is in New York City, where 50,000 people take part.

• 1972: Congress passes a bill known as Title IX (nine). It requires schools that receive federal money to grant boys and girls the same opportunities in both academics and sports. President Richard M. Nixon signs the bill into law.

• 1981: Sandra Day O’Connor becomes the first female Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

• 1984: Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, a Democrat, is the first woman nominated for Vice President by a major political party.

• 1992: The year becomes known as “The Year of the Woman,” as a record number of women run for public office and win.

• 2006: Women’s wages grow, to about 81 cents, on average, for every dollar men earn.

• 2007: Democrat Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

• 2008: Hillary Rodham Clinton, now Secretary of State, makes a historic run for President. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin becomes the first woman to be nominated for Vice President by the Republican Party.

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010