« Girls Just Wanna Have Sums »

(Season 17, episode 19)

Title: “Girls Just Want to Have Sums”

Production code: HABF12. 

Original air date: April 30, 2006.

Released on DVD: December 2014.

Season: 17.

Episode: 19.

Number: 375.

Duration: 21’04”.

Written by: Matt Selman.

Directed by: Nancy Kruse. 

Executive producer: Al Jean.

Guest: Frances MacDormand (Mélanie Upfoot)

Theme and key-words : Education ; gender diversity ; gender stereotypes ; school ; teaching ; parody ; sexism ; feminism

Suggested thesis topic: – Are girls really weaker than boys at math and the hard sciences? 

– Why teaching math to girls?

Synopsis: In this episode, boys and girls are separated into different classes, and the girls are taught nothing useful about math. This episode suggests that gender disparity in the hard sciences (and gender disparity in some aspects of behavior) may have more to do with nurture than nature.. 

Files content: 

1. Starter. Introduction to the theme with some interactions activities.
2. Reading. Introduction to the theme with the reading of an article: “Why women are poor at science, by Harvard President” written by Suzanne Goldenberg. 
3. Characters. General comprehension check exercises focused on the characters. 
4. The story. General comprehension check exercises focused on the content and the story. 
5. Did you understand everything? Intensive comprehension check exercises.
6. Vocabulary. Lexical and linguistics exercises. 
7. Writing skills. Activities to practice writing skills. 
8. Speaking. Activities to practice oral skills and interactions.
9. Music Maestro. Complementary reading exercise.

Cultural elements present in this file:

The Lion King (Walt Disney Pictures, 1994); The Lion King 1 ¹?2 (DisneyToon Studio, 2004); Hamlet (Shakespeare, 1609); Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are dead (Stoppard, 1964); Yentl (United Artists, 1983); Twelfth Night (Shakespeare, 1602).

Famous celebrities present in this file: 

Lawrence Summers ; Mélanie Upfoot ; Julie Taymor ; Tom Stoppard ; Shakespeare; Frida Khalo ; Georgia O’Keefe ; Cathy Guisewite ; Bette Nesmith Graham ; Joseph Shepherd-Barron ; Mary Anderson ; Carl Benz ; Wallace Hume Carothers ; Robert Hutchings Goddard ; Judge James Finley ; Geroge Washington ; Gene & Bill Prater ; Montague Redgrave ; Louis Glass & William Arnold ; Jules Michelet ; Chef Boyardee ; The Hardy Boys ; Wendy Carlos ; Stanley Kubrick ; Judas Priest ; Elton John ; Tim Rice ; Chris Butler ; The Waitresses ; Jehro Tull ; Cyndi Lauper. 

Enjoy the episode!

The Simpsons – Girls Just Wanna Have Sums (17×19) – Learner’s File Elementary level

The Simpsons – Girls Just Wanna Have Sums (17×19) – Learner’s File Intermediate Level

The Simpsons – Girls Just Wanna Have Sums (17×19) – Learner’s File Advanced level

The Simpsons – Girls Just Wanna Have Sums (17×19) – Teacher’s File All levels