US Women's National Soccer Team
Winning On and Off the Field
From the Series Gateway Biographies
The US Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) is among the best soccer teams in the world. Over the years, the team won gold medals at both the Olympics and the FIFA Women’s World Cup four times. As the team’s success grew, fans started coming out in record numbers to watch them play. But even though the USWNT made many accomplishments, the team also faced challenges.
For many years after the women’s national team first began in 1985, it was underfunded. The USWNT had worse equipment and facilities and received less payment than the men’s national team. More than once, players of the USWNT took a stand. Until finally, in 2021, the US Soccer Federation made an agreement guaranteeing that the women’s and men’s teams would receive equal pay. Follow the journey of the USWNT on and off the field.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
|---|---|---|
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978-1-7284-9175-2
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$24.99 | |
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979-8-7656-0295-9
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$11.99 | |
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978-1-7284-9755-6
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$37.99 |
| Interest Level | Grade 4 - Grade 8 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 5 |
| Genre | Social Studies |
| Category | 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, 5KN: Narrative Nonfiction, Biography, Diverse Books: Feminism, Diversity, Sports |
| Copyright | 2024 |
| Publisher | Lerner Publishing Group |
| Imprint | Lerner Publications ™ |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 48 |
| Publication Date | 2023-08-01 |
Author: Heather E. Schwartz
When Heather E. Schwartz was thirteen years old, she tracked down several lead orphans from the 1983 movie “Annie” and interviewed them by phone. As an adult, she realized she could apply those same early instincts to a career as a journalist and writer. She is the author of more than 35 nonfiction children’s titles, published by Lerner Publishing Group, Capstone Press, Teacher Created Materials, Lucent Books, and Tangerine Press, a Scholastic imprint. She has written articles for National Geographic Kids and Discovery Girls. In addition, she developed the content for KidsGetArthritisToo.org, the juvenile section of the Arthritis Foundation’s website. Other credits in the children’s market include articles for Teen, Girls’ Life, and All About You magazines. Additionally, Ms. Schwartz is a former editor at Bridal Guide magazine, co-author of Bridal Guide Magazine’s How to Choose the Perfect Wedding Gown (Warner, 2004), and contributor to The Takeout Cookbook (Knock Knock 2007).
Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!
Gateway Biographies
Discover the human side of newsworthy, historical, and pop culture figures, and learn about people leading key social movements or handling crises. Each biography in this easy-reading series is peppered with quotations and stories, accounts of successes and failures, and descriptions of… View available downloads →
Librarian Prep Post: Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month honors both the struggle that women have faced throughout time, as well as the many important achievements women have made that haven’t always been recognized. Books can give us extra insight into influential figures and the stories of women that aren’t always… View →
Reviews
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)
Soccer is a sport that has steadily grown in popularity throughout the United States. At the same time, the U.S. Women’s National Team has experienced success and accolades for the medals they have won in both the Olympics and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Despite that, they experienced quite a bit of adversity. They have struggled to receive treatment equal to the men’s team, and twice fought for equal pay and sued for gender discrimination. Not only did they fight for equal pay, but also equal treatment as far as playing conditions, proper equipment and uniforms, and housing accommodations when traveling. Additionally, they had to combat societal prejudice that said that women were inferior to men in sports and that by trying to play they were endangering their future family life and bodies. This title focuses on the history of the sport and these struggles. One drawback is the lack of in-depth focus on individual stand-out players or competition highlights. For books focusing more on the players, try: US Women’s Soccer Team—Go For Gold—Heather Alexander and Squad Goals: The Unstoppable Women of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team—Laurie Calkoven and Monique Dong. This title has many qualities to make it appealing to reluctant readers. The text is broken up into seven short chapters each of five pages or less. A variety of photographs and sidebars break up the text graphically, and the use of bold colors throughout adds visual interest. The text is written in an engaging style that will keep the reader’s interest. This book is packed with back matter to extend reader’s knowledge of the topic: important dates (chronology of women’s soccer history); selected bibliography (online articles and videos); source notes (bibliography of sources author used in research); learn more (websites and books for more information), as well as a table of contents and index. Good resource for sports fans, soccer players and fans, and sports history enthusiasts whether male or female.
