Close
CURRICULAR RESOURCES
Innovative lesson plans, activities, resources, and online exhibits feature archival materials to fit your classroom needs.
- Clear Filters
- Grade: 6, 7, 8
- Curricular Standards: Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
- Topic: International Relations, Persuasive Writing and Speaking
- (-) International Relations (13)
- (-) Persuasive Writing and Speaking (14)
- (-) Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts (25)
- (-) 6 (18)
- (-) 7 (22)
- (-) 8 (23)
Showing 1 - 18 of 25 Results
Filter Curricular Resources
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
This interactive picture book about cellist Pablo Casals's historic performance portrays the importance of the arts in the Kennedy White House, and the power of music to strengthen commitments to peace and freedom.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: The Arts, Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Time: 0-1 hour
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
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
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
Annotated bibliographies of both recommended biographies and literature about American history. Includes guidelines for critically analyzing biographies and history-based literature.
Resource Guides / Packets
Subject: English Language Arts, Science, US History, World History
Grade: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
This section of the website contains topic guides on the significant events that occurred during President Kennedy's years in office. These essays are intended to give an overview of challenges and issues that defined Kennedy's administration, and include relevant primary source material.
Resource Guides / Packets
Subject: The Arts, Civics and US Government, Economics, Science, US History, World History
Grade: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
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
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
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
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 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
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
In this lesson, students learn about the purpose of the Peace Corps, gather information about the early projects, and reflect on the impact of the program.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Geography, US History
Grade: 4, 5, 6
Time: 1-2 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