Women’s History Month is a time to learn not only about influential figures in the women’s suffrage movement but also about other women who have inspired us throughout history and who continue to inspire us in the present day.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we, at Reading Horizons have compiled the following passages from the Reading Horizons Elevate® Reading Library and reading intervention software program to make your classroom planning for March as easy as possible. Grade and Lexile® Measures have been identified for each passage.

If you don’t have Reading Horizons in your classroom, here’s a free sample passage about Amelia Earhart along with corresponding comprehension questions and answers.

Danica Patrick

Book 1 ∙ Page 37 ∙ Level 2.8 ∙ Lexile 450L

Since the invention of the car, car racing has been mostly a man’s sport. Few women compete in it. Even fewer do well at it. But Danica Patrick is not like most women. She has broken new ground in the sport.

Helen Keller

Book 1 ∙ Page 54 ∙ Level 3.6 ∙ Lexile 550L

Can you imagine what it would be like to be blind? How would you feel if you were deaf, too? Helen Keller lived without both her sight and her hearing. In spite of her challenges, though, she led a full life. She accomplished many great things.

Amelia Earhart

Book 1 ∙ Page 66 ∙ Level 4.2 ∙ Lexile 660L

There was a time when women were not allowed to do the same jobs as men. Most women did not go to college or work outside of the home, let alone fly planes. Amelia Earhart lived during this time. But she was not like most women.

Joan of Arc

Book 1 ∙ Page 90 ∙ Level 4.7 ∙ Lexile 680L

When you think of great military leaders, you may think of Alexander the Great or General Patton. But did you know that a teenage girl once lead the French army to a great victory? And did you know that she was just 17 years old? It seems hard to believe, but this is a true story. Her name was Joan of Arc.

Mother Teresa

Book 1 ∙ Page 96 ∙ Level 4.8 ∙ Lexile 710L

When you hear talk about the most important people of the past 100 years, you will most likely hear the name of Mother Teresa. In her own small way, she set out to change the world. In many ways, that is just what she did.

Florence Nightingale

Book 2 ∙ Page 15 ∙ Level 5.3 ∙ Lexile 720L

Modern medicine is a great thing. It cures diseases that once had no cure, it saves many lives. But there was a time when hospitals were the last place a person would like to be. They were dirty, and more people died from infections than from the disease. But a nurse named Florence Nightingale, the “lady with the lamp,” helped to change things for the better.

Eva Perón

Book 2 ∙ Page 22 ∙ Level 5.5 ∙ Lexile 710L

Eva Duarte was born in Junin, Argentina, in May 1919. She and her family were very poor. At the young age of 15 she moved to Buenos Aires, the capital city. She wanted to be an actress. “Evita,” as she was called by her friends and fans, achieved a great deal of success. In 1914, she met Juan Perón, who was a colonel in the army. The next year they were married.

Susan B. Anthony

Book 2 ∙ Page 53 ∙ Level 6.4 ∙ Lexile 770L

For hundreds of years, women in the United States did not have the same rights as men. They could not vote or own property. They could not even speak in public! By the 19th century, however, people began to push for change. Susan B. Anthony was one of the most important of these people, and she dedicated her life to helping women win the right to vote.

Marie Curie

Book 2 ∙ Page 74 ∙ Level 6.8 ∙ Lexile 850L

Chances are that you know someone who has had cancer. It may be a family member, a friend, a classmate, or a co-worker—or maybe you have even been the one who has had to fight the disease. Years ago, a young scientist discovered that radiation could be used to help cure cancer. Her name was Marie Curie. Thanks in large part to her work, radiation now helps save millions of lives each year.

Empress Dowager Cixi

Book 4 ∙ Page 81 ∙ Level 11.4 ∙ Lexile 1140L

The Forbidden City was the home of the emperor of China and his family. In 1851, the daughter of an unimportant court official entered the Forbidden City to be considered as a concubine for the emperor. She was chosen and entered the Forbidden City, where she would rise to power, eventually becoming the ruler of all of China.

Reading Horizons Reading Library Books

The passages are all from the Reading Horizons Reading Library books that correspond with the Reading Horizons Elevate® structured literacy program. Contact us at 800.333.0054 for information on ordering, or locate the representative for your area here: www.readinghorizons.com/contact-us