CURRICULAR RESOURCES
Innovative lesson plans, activities, resources, and online exhibits feature archival materials to fit your classroom needs.
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- Curricular Standards: Common Core
- Topic: Space, The Job of the President
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Showing 1 - 18 of 29 Results
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Bring the pivotal events of the civil rights movement in 1963 to life for your students through more than 230 primary sources ranging from film footage of the March on Washington and letters from youth advising the president to JFK’s landmark address to the American people and secret recordings of behind-the-scenes negotiations on civil rights legislation. To foster your students' understanding of this era, lesson plans on each of the seven topics are available in the "For Educators" section of…
Online Exhibits and Digital Interactives
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
If you are elected to the nation's highest office, what are you actually expected to do? Spend a day at the White House with John F. Kennedy to learn about some of the president's most important roles and responsibilities.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 5, 6, 7, 8
Time: 3-4 hours
Written for upper elementary to adult readers, this narrative summarizes the life and legacy of the 35th president of the United States.
Resource Guides / Packets
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Students learn about gender discrimination in space exploration by analyzing a letter to President Kennedy from a female aviator training to be an astronaut.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 5, 6, 7, 8
Time: 0-1 hour, 1-2 hours
Why do archives matter? If you were creating a museum about Kennedy and his administration, what would you put in it? What kind of work is done at an archive and a museum? In this virtual program, students consider how history is constructed as they learn about the holdings and work of the Kennedy Library.
Guided Programs
Subject: The Arts, Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
Explore photographs and documents related to JFK wearing hats in a variety of personal moments and presidential duties.
Media Galleries
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Explore photographs of John F. Kennedy in all 50 States.
Media Galleries
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
This interactive, biography-based program introduces elementary students to the life and legacy of John F. Kennedy using archival material from the collections of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. In a follow-up activity, students consider the quote “Ask not what your country can do for you…” and create an illustration that shows how they are helping their family, neighborhood, school, or community.
Guided Programs
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 3, 4, 5
Time: 1-2 hours
Students do a close reading of four primary sources related to the US Space Program in 1961, analyzing how and why public statements made by the White House regarding space may have differed from private statements made within the Kennedy administration.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 1-2 hours
Acting as members of President Kennedy’s Press Office, students are given an assignment to prepare a briefing for the president on topics that may come up in a specific press conference. To fulfill this assignment, they explore the museum and use primary source documents.
Guided Programs
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History, World History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 2-3 hours
In this docent-led program designed for groups who are often visiting the Library for the first time, students explore the challenges John F. Kennedy faced as the nation’s leader and learn about the big ideas he put into action. A souvenir booklet of open-ended questions gives students historical context and encourages them to evaluate John F. Kennedy’s decisions and actions as president. The program includes an introductory group discussion about John F. Kennedy’s leadership qualities, the…
Guided Programs
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 6, 7, 8, 9
Time: 2-3 hours
What makes a president an effective leader? This interactive program invites students to explore the challenges John F. Kennedy faced as the nation's leader during a tumultuous time in United States history. Through an analysis of objects, photographs, and documents from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, students will consider how the thirty-fifth president tackled complex issues such as civil rights, space exploration, and Cold War tensions.
Guided Programs
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Time: 1-2 hours
Explore photographs, videos, and documents related to the National Park Service.
Media Galleries
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Explore photographs of President Kennedy engaged in a variety of presidential duties.
Media Galleries
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Students use a letter of advice from a young student to President Kennedy to learn about the "Space Race.”
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 2, 3, 4, 5
Time: 0-1 hour, 1-2 hours
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
Explore photographs, documents, and other primary sources that focus on religious matters related to Kennedy's 1960 campaign and his presidency.
Media Galleries
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
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