All about Dorothy Hodgkin

Dorothy Hodgkin was an amazing woman who lived a very interesting life. She was born in 1910 in England and grew up loving science. She was very curious and always asked lots of questions.

Dorothy went to school and studied chemistry, which is all about understanding the different substances in the world. She loved solving puzzles and chemistry was like solving puzzles for her. She became a scientist and worked very hard to learn more about atoms and molecules.

One of Dorothy's biggest achievements was discovering the structure of a molecule called insulin. Insulin is very important because it helps our bodies control the amount of sugar in our blood. Her discovery helped scientists understand how insulin works and how it could be used to treat people with diabetes.

Dorothy also used her knowledge of chemistry to study other important molecules, like penicillin, which is a medicine that helps fight infections. She won many awards for her work and even became the first British woman to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry!

Dorothy Hodgkin showed us that anyone, no matter their gender, can be a great scientist. She worked hard and never gave up on her dreams. She inspired many people, especially young girls, to follow their passion and pursue careers in science. Dorothy's story teaches us to always be curious, ask questions, and never stop learning.

1. What was one of Dorothy Hodgkin's biggest achievements?
2. Why is insulin important?
3. What other molecules did Dorothy study?
4. What did Dorothy win for her work?
5. What does Dorothy's story teach us?

A Visit to Oxford

Hi, my name is Lucy and I am 8 years old. Today, I want to tell you about the exciting visit I had to Oxford! It was so much fun and I learned a lot of new things. Let me share all about it with you!

We went to Oxford because my teacher told us about this amazing scientist named Dorothy Hodgkin. She won a Nobel Prize for chemistry and she was really famous. I was so curious to learn more about her!

The first place we visited was the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. It was huge! We saw lots of cool things there, like dinosaur skeletons and shiny rocks. But my favorite part was when we went to the exhibit about Dorothy Hodgkin. They had all these big pictures and explanations about her work. I learned that she discovered the structure of important molecules, like insulin. That's really impressive!

Then, we went to the Radcliffe Science Library, which was another place connected to Dorothy Hodgkin. I felt like a little detective exploring all these places she had been. The library had lots of books and papers about science. I even saw a picture of Dorothy Hodgkin working in the lab!

After our visit to the library, we walked around Oxford and saw the famous Bodleian Library. It looked so old and grand! I imagined Dorothy Hodgkin studying there and doing her experiments. It made me feel inspired to work hard in school and maybe become a scientist one day too.

1. Why did Lucy visit Oxford?
2. Who was Dorothy Hodgkin?
3. What did Lucy learn about Dorothy Hodgkin's work?
4. Where else did Lucy go in Oxford?
5. How did the visit to Oxford inspire Lucy?

Dorothy Hodgkin Fact Finder

Your Turn...

After learning all about Dorothy Hodgkin, your job is to create a timeline of her life. You should add all the important events in her life but you can be inventive and add some interesting things that people might like to read about. You can make it as simply as you like with pen and paper or you can be very inventive and create a 3D diorama or hanging banner. The sky's the limit - go for it!

Slideshow - Dorothy Hodgkin
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