Close
Not finding the information you're looking for? Please contact the Archives research staff.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students discuss the issue of gender pay equity, examine the Equal Pay Act of 1963 for its strengths and weaknesses, and analyze the significance of the signatures, stamps, and markings on an official document.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
0-1 hour
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civic Education and Engagement
Civil Rights
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
In this lesson, students debate our nation's priorities by establishing their own "simulated" budgets.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
3-4 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
Economics
Curricular Resource Topic
Civic Education and Engagement
Persuasive Writing and Speaking
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Simplified text, large images with captions and questions, a glossary, and activities make these booklets accessible to elementary readers.
Grade Level
3
4
5
Time Required
1-2 hours
2-3 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
English Language Arts
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Arts & Culture
Biographical Resources
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students read, listen to, and summarize excerpts of President Kennedy's June 11, 1963 speech on civil rights. They reflect on its resonance today and create images of a better future.
Grade Level
4
5
6
7
8
Time Required
0-1 hour
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
English Language Arts
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civic Education and Engagement
Civil Rights
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
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.
Grade Level
7
8
9
10
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
English Language Arts
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civil Rights
Persuasive Writing and Speaking
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
In this lesson, students analyze "Sea Joy," a poem Jacqueline Kennedy wrote when she was a young girl, and then write their own poems using sensory imagery.
Grade Level
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Time Required
0-1 hour
Curricular Resource Subject Area
English Language Arts
Curricular Resource Topic
Arts & Culture
Biographical Resources
Curricular Standards
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students learn about the speakers at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. They reenact the March and recite excerpts from the speeches delivered that day.
Grade Level
4
5
6
Time Required
2-3 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civic Education and Engagement
Civil Rights
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students learn about ancient symbols and ornamental and architectural elements to identify some symbols of American democracy in the White House as an introduction to the origins of common symbolic representations of the United States and its values.
Grade Level
5
6
7
8
Time Required
0-1 hour
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
English Language Arts
US History
World History
Curricular Resource Topic
Arts & Culture
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
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.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
The Cold War
Space
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students consider the language a president might use in trying to create the right balance in tone for both American and foreign audiences when discussing US involvement in other parts of the world.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
0-1 hour
Curricular Resource Subject Area
US History
World History
Curricular Resource Topic
The Cold War
International Relations
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students consider the threat of nuclear weapons in the early 1960s and the opportunities and challenges in negotiating an arms control agreement.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
US History
World History
Curricular Resource Topic
The Cold War
International Relations
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
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.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civic Education and Engagement
Civil Rights
Persuasive Writing and Speaking
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students use materials related to the 1960 presidential election to explore the elements of a successful political campaign.
Grade Level
1
2
3
4
5
6
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Campaign, Election, & Inauguration
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Adapted from the longer lesson plan "What if Laws are Unjust?", this activity asks students to analyze Dr. King’s discussion of when laws are unjust from his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Grade Level
7
8
Time Required
0-1 hour
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civic Education and Engagement
Civil Rights
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students examine the persuasive techniques in President Kennedy's "June 11, 1963 Radio and Television Report to the American People on Civil Rights" and evaluate the effectiveness of the speech.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
English Language Arts
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civil Rights
Persuasive Writing and Speaking
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students analyze a letter to President Kennedy from a woman who had just lost her brother in South Vietnam and consider Kennedy’s reply which explains his rationale for sending US military to that country.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
US History
World History
Curricular Resource Topic
The Cold War
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students examine a photograph from JFK's high school years and write a caption that reflects their knowledge gained through observation, research, and interpretation.
Grade Level
3
4
5
6
Time Required
0-1 hour
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Biographical Resources
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Lesson Plans & Activities
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.
Grade Level
7
8
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
English Language Arts
Curricular Resource Topic
Civic Education and Engagement
Persuasive Writing and Speaking
Curricular Standards
Common Core
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
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.
Grade Level
7
8
9
10
11
12
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Campaign, Election, & Inauguration
Civic Education and Engagement
Persuasive Writing and Speaking
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students analyze the results of the 1960 election, collect data for a recent presidential election, and identify changes in voting patterns.
Grade Level
3
4
5
6
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Campaign, Election, & Inauguration
Civic Education and Engagement
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students use primary and secondary sources to research a mystery artifact -- a coconut husk with a message carved on it -- and determine the object’s historical significance.
Grade Level
3
4
5
6
7
8
Time Required
0-1 hour
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
English Language Arts
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Biographical Resources
Curricular Standards
Common Core
National History Standards (UCLA)
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
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.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civic Education and Engagement
Civil Rights
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students learn about gender discrimination in space exploration by analyzing a letter to President Kennedy from a female aviator training to be an astronaut.
Grade Level
5
6
7
8
Time Required
0-1 hour
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
English Language Arts
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civil Rights
The Cold War
Persuasive Writing and Speaking
Space
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students conduct historical research on individual and collective efforts to achieve gender equality in the United States by reading and discussing a nonfiction picture book, analyzing an historical photograph, and researching and taking action on the current gender pay gap.
Grade Level
3
4
5
6
7
8
Time Required
0-1 hour
1-2 hours
Curricular Resource Subject Area
Civics and US Government
English Language Arts
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Civic Education and Engagement
Civil Rights
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science
Lesson Plans & Activities
Students learn about the historical context of the inaugural address and then analyze the speech from three perspectives—a young civil rights activist, a Soviet diplomat, and a Cuban exile.
Grade Level
9
10
11
12
Time Required
0-1 hour
Curricular Resource Subject Area
US History
Curricular Resource Topic
Campaign, Election, & Inauguration
Civil Rights
The Cold War
International Relations
Curricular Standards
Common Core
C3 Framework for Social Studies
National History Standards (UCLA)
National Council of Teachers of English
Massachusetts Framework - English Language Arts
Massachusetts Framework - History and Social Science