CURRICULAR RESOURCES
Innovative lesson plans, activities, resources, and online exhibits feature archival materials to fit your classroom needs.
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- Topic: Civic Education and Engagement
- (-) Civic Education and Engagement (71)
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Students can learn about the suffrage movement and its symbolism in MA, and then color a bluebird sign.
Hands-On History Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Time: 0-1 hour
In 1961, President Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924 establishing the Peace Corps. Teachers who are working on civic engagement projects with students may be particularly interested in primary and secondary sources related to the formation and first years of the Peace Corps including audio, video and textual materials.
Resource Guides / Packets
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 4, 5, 6
Time: 1-2 hours
Using primary source materials, students investigate the use of metaphor in presidential oratory and apply it to a piece of persuasive writing on a current national or global issue.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts
Grade: 7, 8
Time: 1-2 hours
Students analyze excerpts from the first Kennedy-Nixon debate (September 26, 1960) and a memo assessing the debate from one of Kennedy's advisers. They then use the memo as a model as they watch a current political debate to consider the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate they support.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 1-2 hours
Encourage students to make their own American flag with popsicle sticks and learn more about its history and the meaning behind its colors.
Hands-On History Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Time: 0-1 hour
President Kennedy signed a bill authorizing the establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore in 1961. By learning about the creation of the Seashore, students reflect on the importance of land conservation and the role of the federal government in preserving natural and historical resources.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, Geography, Science, US History
Grade: 3, 4, 5, 6
Time: 1-2 hours
Students can design, make, and decorate a poster to support their chosen cause.
Hands-On History Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Time: 0-1 hour
Students consider what "ingredients" might go into the speech that will launch a President's term in office as they examine some of the most memorable inaugural addresses of the past.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History, World History
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Time: 1-2 hours
Students analyze the results of the 1960 election, collect data for a recent presidential election, and identify changes in voting patterns.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 3, 4, 5, 6
Time: 1-2 hours
Students make the "trip" with JFK from the Democratic National Convention to the November 8, 1960 election, answering questions with information gleaned from the primary sources located in the Campaign Office in "The President’s Desk".
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 4, 5, 6
Time: 1-2 hours
Explore photographs that focus on signing ceremonies at the White House.
Media Galleries
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History, World History
Grade: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Students investigate archival film footage, audio recordings and song lyrics to discover the essential role music played in the civil rights movement. They practice several freedom songs and hear first-hand accounts of how singing helped motivate and sustain activists who were fighting for racial equality. While in the exhibit galleries, students sing freedom songs and learn about President Kennedy’s key actions and decisions related to the civil rights struggle.
Guided Programs
Subject: The Arts, Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 3, 4, 5
Time: 2-3 hours
Students consider how a president can generate support for one of his legislative initiatives and help a bill become a law by investigating the steps President Kennedy took in attempting to turn his June 1963 civil rights proposal into meaningful legislation.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 1-2 hours
Students can make their own suffrage sash inspired by those worn by suffragists in the 20th century.
Hands-On History Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Time: 0-1 hour
Students can make their own suffrage sunflower and discover more about the popular symbols and colors used by suffragists in the campaign to secure the right to vote for women.
Hands-On History Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Time: 0-1 hour
Students can learn more about how suffragists represented themselves by creating a change-making suffragist zine, a self-published booklet.
Hands-On History Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Time: 0-1 hour
View a selection of books on a variety of topics related to John F. Kennedy and his administration, publications featured in Kennedy Library Forums, and online resources from the Kennedy Library website.
Resource Guides / Packets
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12