Lesson Plans

Children in Action

From recycling materials during World War II to wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, children have helped meet community goals during times of need. In this inquiry, children explore how voluntarism and civic action of children has been important to their community in the past as well as today.

LEARN MORE about Children in Action

Primary Sources & Me

In this lesson geared towards kindergartners, students analyze primary sources to understand what primary sources are and how they help to tell the story of each unique member of a community.

LEARN MORE about Primary Sources & Me

Rules & Responsibilities

In this lesson geared towards kindergartners, students analyze primary sources to reinforce the definitions of rules and responsibilities and consider why rules matter and ways to be  responsible at home and in the classroom as well as a ways to act as a responsible citizen of their local community and of the world.

LEARN MORE about Rules & Responsibilities

What is Our Value?

Students analyze primary sources to investigate people whose lives may not have been adequately valued by their contemporaries and consider how those individuals could have been valued, and possibly assisted.  After students create a song, diary entry, or podcast that addresses their historical investigations as well as their own contemporary viewpoints.

LEARN MORE about What is Our Value?

Abraham Lincoln & Me Activity Book

Students become familiar with primary sources and learn about Abraham Lincoln and his accomplishments while fostering a personal connection to this U.S. president. Cross-curricular extension activities for each page provide numerous options for extending learning and all pages are available in both English and Spanish with accompanying audio files.

LEARN MORE about Abraham Lincoln & Me Activity Book

The Star Spangled Banner: K-2

Students learn about different types of primary sources and key historical events that led to the creation of the U.S. national anthem, helping them to learn the lyrics to The Star Spangled Banner, to build their knowledge of U.S. history and consider and identify their personal connections to this song and the American flag.

LEARN MORE about The Star Spangled Banner: K-2

Lessons for My Community

Students learn about a fable written by a past U.S. president, then write and illustrate their own fable that contains a lesson useful for their school or local community.

LEARN MORE about Lessons for My Community

Welcome to Congress

Students are introduced to Congress through primary source analysis and discover how a member of Congress is part of two communities- their home community that they serve, and the community of Congress. After, the teacher may guide students in finding out about their congressional representative and consider sending the rep a letter (see Teacher’s Guide).

LEARN MORE about Welcome to Congress

Community Helpers

The importance of community helpers is a building block of civics understanding. Students investigate who community helpers are and how they have changed over time through primary source analysis, then match historical and contemporary images of community helpers. After, have students draw a picture of themselves as community helpers and/or a community helper in their community…

LEARN MORE about Community Helpers

Rosa Parks: A Proud Daughter

Students develop literacy skills as they analyze a greeting card to investigate families and the emotions they express and get introduced to civic activist and change maker Rosa Parks. The teacher’s guide includes ideas for making connections to historical inquiry through further investigations of greeting cards in the Library’s Rosa Parks Papers collection and applying…

LEARN MORE about Rosa Parks: A Proud Daughter

Search

Subjects

Grades

Authors