The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames

Teacher's Resource

Series includes:
Cleopatra “Serpent of the Nile,” 69 BC
Agrippina “Atrocious and Ferocious,” 15 AD
Mary Tudor “Bloody Mary,” 1516 AD
Catherine de’ Medici “The Black Queen,” 1519 AD
Marie Antoinette “Madame Deficit,” 1755 AD
Cixi “The Dragon Empress,” 1835 AD

The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills, Grades 6-8, Supported by the Series

Source: History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten to Grade Twelve,
Adopted by the California State Board of Education, October 1998.

Chronological and Spatial Thinking
1. Students explain how major events are related to one another in time.
2. Students construct various timelines of key events, people, and periods of the historical era they
are studying.
3. Students use a variety of maps and documents to identify physical and cultural features ofneighborhoods, cities, states, and countries and to explain the historical migration of people, expansion

1and disintegration of empires, and the growth of economic systems.

Research, Evidence, and Point of View
1. Students frame questions that can be answered by historical study and research.
2. Students distinguish fact from opinion in historical narratives and stories.
3. Students distinguish relevant from irrelevant information, essential from incidental nformation, andverifiable from unverifiable information in historical narratives and stories.
4. Students assess the credibility of primary and secondary sources and draw sound conclusions
from them.
5. Students detect the different historical points of view on historical events and determine the context inwhich the historical statements were made (the questions asked, sources used, author’s perspectives).

Historical Interpretation
1. Students explain the central issues and problems from the past, placing people and events in a matrixof time and place.
2. Students understand and distinguish cause, effect, sequence, and correlation in historical events,
including the long- and short-term causal relations.
3. Students explain the sources of historical continuity and how the combination of ideas and events
explains the emergence of new patterns.
4. Students recognize the role of chance, oversight, and error in history.
5. Students recognize that interpretations of history are subject to change
as new information is uncovered.
6. Students interpret basic indicators of economic performance andconduct cost-benefit analyses of economic and political issues.

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Extension Activities for All Six Books
Activities can be used with any of the books in the series, or all six at the same time!
Reading Activities
Study Guide
Use the study guide provided with any of the books in the series. All of your students
can be working on the same book, or they can each be reading a different book inthe series.
Comparison Study of Two Women
2Have students read two of the books in the series and complete a Venn diagram of themain characteristics of the two women. Some questions to pose to the class might be:
What traits did these two women have in common? What were the differences betweenthem? How did each rise to power? How wide was their scope of power? What wasexpected of women in those times?
Writing Activities
A Different Mirror
Have students choose one of the Dastardly Dames and rewrite her story from a different
point of view. They might choose to present Cleopatra as a champion of Egyptian
freedom…Agrippina as a protective mother whose only concern was her son. Discuss
how the same historical data can be retold as a different narrative by changing
emphasis and points of view.

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Social Studies Activities
Map It!
Give each student a blank world map. In one color, ask them to shade in and label theempire/kingdom/area where the story they are reading takes place. In another color,draw and label modern day countries and boundaries. Next, have student locate andrecord major geographic features, such as mountains, rivers, oceans, and seas. Finally,
they should identify the modern day capital cities, as well as other major cities.
Timeline
3Use the activity sheet to have students construct a timeline for the main character’s
lifetime. Depending on the dame, students may not be able to include exact dates on
the timeline. Instead, emphasize the listing of major life events in chronological order.
In addition, ask them to include on their timeline events happening in other parts of theworld. Students may want to illustrate their timeline.
Cause and EffectUse the activity sheet to determine the causes of major events in the dame’s life.
Emphasize to students that there usually is more than one reason behind events inhistory. Use the book for research, as well as other sources about the history of the time.
Expert Research Groups
Split students into groups of three or four. Assign each group one of the books in theseries. Each group will become experts on the dame of their book, as well as thetime period in which she lived. Some questions to research: What were some of thecentral issues and problems from that era in history? Who were important leaders andpeople of that time? What was happening in other parts of the world? How did thedame rise to power? How were women treated or regarded during that time?
Then ask groups to create a final project or presentation to teach the class about theirdame and her time period in history. Projects might include making a poster, creating aPowerPoint presentation, writing a play, or developing brochures to advertise that time inhistory. Encourage students to dress up in the traditional clothes of the era during
their presentation.

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Social Studies Activities, Continued
Analyzing the Text
The books in this series might be categorized as historical narrative. In order to tella story about a real person in history the authors took some liberties to round out theperson and to make her story come alive. The author may have added details that
can’t be verified, but instead are used to create a picture of a real human in history
that readers can relate to.
Students should learn to distinguish between verifiable and unverifiable information
and understand the author’s purpose in using both types of information. After reading4

one of the books, ask students to create two columns in their notebooks. Label one
column “verifiable facts,” and the other column “unverifiable information.” Ask students
to analyze the text, find examples from the book, and cite them in their notebooks.
Point out that, even in one sentence, there may be examples of both typesof information.

For example, from Agrippina “Atrocious and Ferocious”:[From her villa] Agrippina watches the dust rise over the road. She can hear the clompclomp of hob-nailed boots. She narrowly escaped a near drowning only hours earlier.
She’d been returning by boat after dining with Nero when something had gone wrong....
The sailors had tried to kill her, but she had managed to swim back to shore. Now, sheknows, they are coming to finish their work. And she knows it is her own son who has
sent them.
VERIFIABLE: Agrippina survived a near drowning after dining with Nero and swam backto shore. The sailors who had tried to kill her followed Agrippina to her villa in order tolaunch a second attack.
UNVERIFIABLE: Agrippina watched the dust rise over the road as the sailors
approached. She could hear their hob-nailed boots.

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Social Studies Activities, Continued
Fashion Show
Each book includes a section about the clothing of theera. Ask students to organize a historical fashion show.
Assign each group a different dame. Starting with theinformation presented in the book, they should research thefashions from that time in history and that partof the world.
At the start of this project pose some questions to5

the class: What did women wear? What did menwear? How differently would the ruling class havedressed than the rest of society? How did thegeography and climate affect clothing choices?
What materials were used for clothing?
During the fashion show, while students model theirclothes, have a moderator explain what the model
is wearing and the history behind the outfit.
A Banquet Fit for a Queen
Invite students to create a meal or dish from the book they are reading. Each woman’s
diet was dependant on the geography of the land, so ask students to present to the classa poster of the physical features, natural resources and climate of the dame’s kingdom.
Some questions to ask: What foods did she eat? How would it have been different if she
didn’t live in wealth? What were staples of the time? What were considered delicacies?
How was her diet similar and different to what is eaten in that part of the world today?
How did trade with other countries affect her diet?

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The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames
Study Guide
NAME 								BOOKAnswer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper in complete sentences:1.

Sketch a map of where the dame lived. Include major geographic features. Label the 		countries or kingdoms that bordered her land.
2.

Describe the historical time period in which the dame lived.

3.

List ten important facts about the dame.

4.

What character traits would you use to describe this dame? Why? Use examples fromthe book to support your answer.

5.

Discuss her relationship with men. What was expected of her? Did she meet these
expectations? How was she different? Use examples from the book to support youranswer.

6.

Explain how the dame rose to power. What obstacles did she face? How did she
overcome them?

7.

Choose an action of the dame. Do you agree with what she did? What were theconsequences of the action?

8.

If you were able to interview the dame, but could only ask her five questions, whatwould they be? Why?

9.

What is your opinion of the dame? Explain with details from the book.

10. Summarize the dame’s story. Explain what happened in her life in the same way you 		
would tell a friend about someone you had just met.

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TheDames
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Timeline Activity Sheet
NAME 								BOOKDirections:
1.

List ten major experiences in the dame’s life.

2.

Research the historical era in which she lived. Find four key events that happened
during her lifetime. These could include things that happened in her country orthroughout the world.

3.

Who were other important historical people throughout the world during that period?

4.

On a separate piece of paper, create a timeline showing the fourteen events
you’ve identified.

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The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Dastardly Dames
Cause and Effect Activity SheetNAME 								BOOK

Cause and effect is a tricky thing in history. Sometimes there is one main cause for an event,but more often there are many causes behind why something happened.
Directions:
List ten events from the dame’s life (the effects). Determine the cause of each effect.				

CAUSE(S)					Event #1

Event #2

Event #3

Event #4

Event #5

Event #6

Event #7

Event #8

Event #9

Event #10

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EFFECT