Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What are some of the benefits to women and girls who play organized sports? Do they have the same opportunities as men and boys?

Teaching Suggestion: While students might not have any preexisting ideas about women playing soccer in Rosario, Argentina, they almost certainly have opinions about women in organized sports in general. This prompt provides an entry point into what may be an unfamiliar world. If students are discussing aloud, you can offer them some guidelines in advance about having a respectful discussion of women’s sports.

• This article from the Women’s Sports Foundation discusses the many benefits of sports participation for women and girls.
• This article, also from the Women’s Sports Foundation, discusses the barriers to women and girls’ participation in sports.

2. What impact might culture have on a girl or woman’s opportunities to participate in organized sports?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may already be thinking about cultural barriers to women and girls’ participation in organized sports as a part of their discussion of the greater availability of these opportunities to men and boys.