Part of the National Women's History Project funded to promote the study of women in history, this unit will help third grade students learn about women's contributions to U.S. society. Equity cannot be achieved until equality is expected and until the contributions of all women are understood and accepted as a simple matter of fact. The unit contains six lessons based on biographies of women, past and present. They were chosen to represent the many ways women work as members and leaders of their communities. The women are Abigail Adams, Sarah Winnemucca, March Fong Eu, Shirley Chisholm, and Carmen Delgado Votaw, representing major ethnic groups, and Helen Keller, representing disabled Americans. Lessons also help students explore the concept of leadership. Each unit begins with a biography that the teacher is to read to students. Discussion questions, suggestions for class activities, and a student worksheet follow each biography. Students participate in class discussions, write short stories, conduct research, listen to guest speakers, and create advertisements. A bibliography of additional resources on each woman concludes the unit. (RM)