CURRICULAR RESOURCES
Innovative lesson plans, activities, resources, and online exhibits feature archival materials to fit your classroom needs.
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- Topic: Bibliographies, Persuasive Writing and Speaking
- Subject Area: Civics and US Government
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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
Students consider the impact of poll taxes as a barrier to voting by examining four primary sources.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 1-2 hours
These resources, from Kennedy’s January 2, 1960 announcement of his candidacy to his inaugural address, can help bring the excitement and energy of the 1960 campaign and election into your classroom.
Resource Guides / Packets
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
In this lesson, students debate our nation's priorities by establishing their own "simulated" budgets.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, Economics
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 3-4 hours
Students consider the question, "How do people bring about change in the government and in their communities?" They investigate photographs, video, oral history, and documents to discover the story behind the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and President Kennedy's role in it. After visiting museum exhibits related to the civil rights movement, students reenact the demonstration, drawing on the hopes, dreams, and inspiring words from this historic event.
Guided Programs
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 4, 5
Time: 2-3 hours
Adapted from the longer lesson plan, "What if Laws are Unjust?", this activity asks students to consider young people’s rationales for participating in civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, and the risks and rewards of their inclusion.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 7, 8, 9, 10
Time: 1-2 hours
In this role-play lesson, students consider some strategies proposed in 1963 for achieving the goal of equal voting rights for African Americans in Mississippi.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 1-2 hours
Students consider what makes a non-violent protest march successful and by analyzing primary sources, they then evaluate the success of the 1963 March on Washington.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 1-2 hours
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
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
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
In this lesson, students examine the official program for the March on Washington to learn about the event itself and about some of the people who played a leading role in the civil rights struggle. They research different organizations and civil rights leaders and then create a montage to depict the diverse makeup of the movement in visual form.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 7, 8
Time: 2-3 hours
Students analyze President Kennedy’s April 20, 1961 speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors framing the invasion as “useful lessons for us all to learn” with strong Cold War language. This analysis will help students better understand the Cold War context of the Bay of Pigs invasion, and evaluate how an effective speech can shift the focus from a failed action or policy towards a future goal.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History, World History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation invites U.S. high school students to describe and analyze an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official who served during or after 1917, the year John F. Kennedy was born.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 5+ hours
By studying historical nonfiction text, students learn how a president demonstrates leadership through ideas, words, and deeds. Students can analyze the text as a persuasive speech and identify the arguments Kennedy used to try to convince the nation that Americans of all races deserve equal treatment.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 5, 6, 7, 8
Time: 3-4 hours