CURRICULAR RESOURCES
Innovative lesson plans, activities, resources, and online exhibits feature archival materials to fit your classroom needs.
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Students learn tactics for answering a document-based question similar to those on the AP US History exam using documents from the Kennedy Library archives. Though emphasis is placed on developing strategies for document analysis, we also provide students with an introduction to the content they will need to answer the question.
Guided Programs
Subject: US History
Grade: 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour, 1-2 hours
Students examine a Jacob Lawrence painting to explore the experiences of participants in the civil rights struggle during the 1950s and 1960s.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: The Arts, US History
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
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
Appropriate for students in both US history and government classes, this virtual program focuses on the integration of the University of Mississippi (1962).
Guided Programs
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour, 1-2 hours
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.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
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.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
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.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: US History, World History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
On October 26, 1963, President Kennedy delivered a timeless speech at Amherst College about the importance of public service and the role of the poet in a democratic society. In this activity, students analyze the meaning of a significant portion of this speech, and then write a brief poem about the role of the poet in civic life.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
Students can make their own Origami LEM (Lunar Excursion Module) as they explore the historic Moon-landing on July 20, 1969 and learn more about the technology of spaceflight.
Hands-On History Activities
Subject: US History
Grade: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
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
How did the Cold War impact the politics and people of the early 1960s? This program focuses on confrontations between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. over Berlin and Cuba.
Guided Programs
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History, World History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour, 1-2 hours
In this lesson, students consider the arguments made by three individuals regarding the planned construction of the dam against the backdrop of the Cold War.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
This 20-page booklet tells the story of voting rights during the Kennedy administration and beyond through photographs and documents. Includes guiding questions and a bibliography.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, English Language Arts, US History
Grade: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour
In this activity, students will read a transcript and listen to an excerpted audio recording of a secretly taped phone conversation excerpt between President Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett. The students’ goal is to identify information the audio recording can provide beyond what they have learned from reading the transcript of the phone conversation.
Lesson Plans & Activities
Subject: Civics and US Government, US History
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Time: 0-1 hour