Beyond the Book - Vianne Taft

Beyond the Book:

Exploring the life & Legacy of hidden figure eva perón

Created by: Vianne Taft

Contents:

Hook

Activity Example

Who Was Eva Peron?

Silenced Voices

Classroom Connection

Why Her Story Matters

Represented Themes

Reflection

Sources

Connection to VOR

Nina Simone

Lucy Stone

Ida B. Wells

Emmy Noether

Huda Sha'arawi

Sojourner Truth

Indira Ghandi

Frida Kahlo

Edith Cowam

Emma Goldman

Lucy Parsons

Marie Curie

Which of these famous women do you recognize?

Activity #1 for Middle Schoolers

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Hedy Lamaar

Virginia Woolf

Who was Eva Perón?

Eva Perón, often called Evita, was the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 to 1952 and one of the most influential women in the country’s history. She was born in 1919 to a poor family and moved to Buenos Aires as a teenager to become an actress. There, she met Juan Perón, a rising political leader, and they married in 1945. When he became president, Eva used her position to help the poor and working-class people of Argentina. She created the Eva Perón Foundation to build homes, hospitals, and schools, and she played a key role in helping women gain the right to vote in 1947. Eva died of cancer in 1952 at only 33 years old. However, today she remains a beloved symbol of hope, compassion, and social justice in Argentina. Throughout this lesson, we will engage in critical literacy to learn about her life and legacy!

Her Story Matters:

Serving as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her untimely death from cancer in 1952, Eva Perón played a key role in securing Argentine women’s suffrage (right to vote) in 1947 and establishing the Female Peronist Party, which rallied millions of Argentine women into politics for the first time. Her legacy to this day continues to echo in Argentina’s political landscape, being a symbol of female empowerment. Unfortunately, themes of gender inequality and social injustice are still prevalent in our world today. Acknowledging the actions of hidden figures like Eva Perón is important for educators, as it allows students to witness the power of advocating for change.

Activity #2 for Middle Schoolers

Read the article below about Eva Perón. Once finished reading, write 3 new things you learned about Eva. Then, write 2 more things you want to know about her.

Where is Eva Perón from?

Activity #3 for Middle Schoolers

Check out this interactive Google Map to explore the village of Los Toldos, Argentina, where Eva Perón is from!

Critical Thinking Question: How do you think Eva Perón's hometown experience impacted her motivation to advocate for change in Argentina?

Video #1

Video #2 -

A Digital Exploration of Eva Perón

The following links lead to four informational videos on Eva Peron's life. Middle school students will be prompted to explore each of the videos, COMPARING and CONTRASTING the perspectives and facts presented in each clip.

While the following links provide middle school students the opportunity to explore Eva Perón independently, as a class, watch the documentary "Evita - 2008 Documentary". This documentary uses primary sources including archival footage and historical documents to recap Eva's life.

Video #3

Video #4

Activity #4 for Middle Schoolers

Interactive Timeline:

Activity #5 for Middle Schoolers

1940s: The Rise of Eva Peron

1946: Eva Duarte marries Juan Peron and becomes Argentina's First Lady. She uses her platform to advocate for the poor and for women's political rights.

1991: Gender Quotas in Politics

The first International Feminist Congress is held in Buenos Aires, bringing attention to women's suffrage and labor rights.

Argentina passes a law requiring that 30% of candidates on political party lists must be women — one of the first countries to do so.

1949: Eva founds the Peronist Women’s Party, empowering women to engage in politics and community leadership.

1932: Growing Demand for Suffrage

1947: Law 13,010 is passed, granting Argentine women the right to vote—a major victory heavily supported by Eva Perón’s efforts.

Socialist Party member Alicia Moreau de Justo presents a bill for women's suffrage to Congress - it is rejected.

Argentine women vote for the first time in a national election. Many women from Eva’s movement win political positions..

1910: Early Women's Movements

1951: First Women Vote

Use this interactive timeline to explore the journey of Argentine women gaining rights, and Eva Perón's significant impact on the events. Click on each section title to read an article relating to that section of the timeline!

Themes:

Gender Inequality

Social Injustice

The broad theme of social injustice is represented within my topic, hidden figure Eva Peron, as Eva advocated for the poor, underprivileged individuals living in Argentina. She created the Eva Perón Foundation to build homes, hospitals, and schools.

The broad theme of gender inequality is represented within my topic, hidden figure Eva Peron, as Eva played a foundational role in advocating for the political rights of women. Eva established the Female Peronist Party, which rallied millions of Argentine women into politics for the first time.

VOR Connection:

Yamille Saied Mendez is an Argentine author who writes about themes such as gender inequality, specifically unequal rights for women, in her books. Her most popular young adult novel, Furia, highlights the story of an Argentine girl Camila who faces opposition in the pursuit of her dream to become a professional soccer player.

Eva Perón's life & legacy clearly connect to the theme of gender inequality as well as the cultural background represented in Yamile Saied Mendez' books.

Eva Perón was an Argentine First Lady who advocated for both women's rights and political inclusion for women. Born in the village of Los Todos, Argentina, Eva faced many inequalities herself. Her personal experiences motivated her to advocate for change for her country's people!

The Importance of Generations of Women's Silenced Voices

"I demanded more rights for women because I know what women had to put up with". - Eva Perón

Before beginning my research for this project, I had never heard of Eva Perón. Many of the other influential women featured on the “Hook” slide were also unfamiliar to me. This lack of exposure to women who have made significant historical contributions highlights the ongoing issue of gender inequality and how women’s voices have often been silenced throughout history. Learning about Eva Perón helps bring these diverse perspectives to light and emphasizes the importance of continuing advocacy for equality and representation for all!

Topic Choice:

I chose to complete my Beyond the Book assignment on the hidden figure Eva Perón due to her inspiring work in addressing societal issues, such as gender inequality and women's political rights in Argentina. Eva's dedication to equality and social justice can inspire middle school students to reflect on similar challenges that exist in their own communities. Students will likely not read about women like Eva Perón in their textbook, making this lesson even more important to their diversify their knowledge. Studying who Eva Perón was and the impact she made can empower students to become changemakers themselves. Because issues like gender inequality and social injustice remain relevant today, exploring her story offers meaningful opportunities for students to connect past struggles to the ongoing pursuit of fairness and equality.

Classroom Connection:

• This project could be incorporated into the classroom in many ways! One could be specifically during a cross-curricular link.
• This lesson covers content from both historical and literacy subject areas, allowing students to make connections between different areas of knowledge.

• The five activities I included for middle school students can easily be incorporated into a critical literacy unit. For example, during the activities, I have students use expository text structures such as compare & contrast, sequencing, and prompting questions.

• The most important aspect of bringing this topic to the classroom is helping advocate for the often silenced voices of hidden women figures, like Eva Perón!

Reflection:

The completion of the Beyond the Book project not only introduced me to a new platform to utilize in my teaching career (Genially), but also provided me with a new appreciation for the life & legacy of the "silenced" voices of women like Eva Perón. I learned the importance of incorporating stories of hidden figures like Eva into my educational strategy. I also discovered how societal issues such as gender inequality and social injustice can be taught through the stories of real people. Lastly, I learned how to find and implement a variety of critical literacy sources from diverse perspectives.

Sources:

1. Boody, H. (2025, March 5). Remembering Evita Perón: A voice for Women’s Suffrage. The Outlook. https://outlook.monmouth.edu/2025/03/remembering-evita-peron-a-voice-for-womens-suffrage/ 2. Biography. (2014, January 2). Eva Peron - former First Lady of Argentina | Mini Bio | BIO [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu0p04Z2yzQ 3. ortizjco. (2012, April 3). Eva Peron’s Final Speech (1951) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr7ymWtnHWc 4. History Roadshow. (2022, May 3). The legend of Eva Perón [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZk7JzOqqdU 5. British Pathé. (2024, September 30). Evita Perón in 5 minutes | 20th Century Hall of Fame [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5UY9Ao1dnA 6. Arai, & Arai. (2023, September 26). Argentine feminism: A Revolution for Change - Wanderlust Spanish. Wanderlust Spanish - The Best Spanish School. https://wanderlustspanish.com/blog/argentine-feminism-a-revolution-for-change/ 7. Oxford University Press. (n.d.). Entry on Eva Perón. In Oxford Reference. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100209209 8. Mayelisantos, Ehale, Oivan, Mcaf, Smga, & Mjdb. (n.d.). The impact of the Perónista Feminist Party in Argentinian Machismo-Dominated politics. GWS-183 Transnational Feminist Theories. https://pressbooks.claremont.edu/gws183transnationalfeministtheories/chapter/sofia-presser/ 9. Latin America News. (2021, November 11). Tireless struggle and eternal divisions: 70 years of women’s suffrage in Argentina - The Rio Times. The Rio Times. https://www.riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/mercosur/argentina/tireless-struggle-and-eternal-divisions-70-years-of-womens-suffrage-in-argentina/ 10. United Nations. (n.d.). Argentina: Post-Conflict Women’s Rights. OSAGI / UN Women. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/feature/postconflict/argentina.pdf