International Women's Day with Purple Mash

This year International Women’s Day falls on Tuesday 8th March with the theme #BreakTheBias. The day is about celebrating women and their achievements, whilst challenging stereotypes, bias, discrimination and perceptions. It’s important that the world is equal and each person, regardless of gender, is treated with the same respect.

To mark International Women’s Day, we have several resources and activities for you to use on Purple Mash to explore and write about inspirational women from across the globe.

The importance of International Women's Day

Why not start with learning all about the purpose of International Women’s Day and the importance of a gender equal world and writing about it with this template. Or perhaps you’d like to think about your ideal female role model. Who are they? Could they be a family member, sportsperson, celebrity, or community member? What makes them a role model? What do they do? Answer all these questions and more with the My Female Role Model writing frame.

The importance of International Women's Day

Who's your ideal female role model?

Well-known female figures

You’ll find a huge range of well-known female figures past and present within the International Women’s Day area of Purple Mash. From politicians and nurses to Olympians and scientists, we have them all.

The list begins with Ada Lovelace. Inside her folder you'll see a slideshow and a quiz, along with a factfile for children to complete. Next up there is Anne Frank. We have several activities that you can use to write about her life and her diary. Your pupils can even put themselves in the shoes of Anne Frank and write a diary entry as if they are her.

Ada Lovelace resources

Anne Frank resources

The suffragette movement pathed the way for equality regarding women being allowed the vote. One of the main leaders of this movement was Emily Davison. We have several activities that you can use to understand why Emily Davison is celebrated on IWD. Use 2Email to respond to Emily about what she has achieved and the key points about why the suffragette movement was needed.

Do you want to have a conversation with Olympian, Jessica Ennis-Hill? Use 2Email to chat to her about her successes and find out more about her. To practice your writing skills, use our writing template to write all about her and her achievements.

Florence Nightingale was a nurse during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers. Our 2Email simulation allows children the chance to speak to Florence Nightingale, helping her persuade the British government to improve the conditions for injured soldiers. For your younger pupils, you can use our Florence Nightingale Mashcam and write a thought-bubble about what she is thinking. For the older pupils, use our Interview template to create a magazine article about her life, or alternatively read about her life with our Florence Nightingale slideshow.

We also have activities to use celebrating Grace Darling, an English Lighthouse Keeper’s daughter, who participated in the rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838. For pupils in Year 4-6, they can write a newspaper article about the shipwreck and Grace Darling, or alternatively, create a magazine-style article about the rescue whilst testing their interview skills.