Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• What inequities have Ashley Badis and other female athletes at James Campbell High allegedly faced? (Domain-Specific Vocabulary)
Female athletes have had to carry their gear around and use portable toilets or restaurant bathrooms because they didn’t have locker rooms like the boys have. Some of the girls’ teams also had fewer travel opportunities than some of the boys’ teams.
• What is Title IX? How has it affected girls’ participation in sports? (Key Details)
Title IX is a 1972 piece of legislation requiring schools that receive federal funding to provide boys and girls equal access to educational programs and activities. Since it became law more than 50 years ago, girls’ participation in high school sports has increased by more than 10 times, to about 3.5 million girls today.
• How does the timeline “Women in Sports” support the article? (Text Features)
The timeline supports the article by describing key events in the history of women’s sports. It explains how the first organized women’s baseball teams were formed in 1866 and the oldest pro sports organization for women in existence today started in 1950. It also describes how the U.S. women’s national soccer team fought for equal pay.