Lesson Plans
Dangerous Jane
Pair the picture book, Dangerous Jane, with primary sources to investigate the peace work of Jane Addams while building vocabulary and examining how perspectives change with time and circumstance. Lesson guide Primary source set
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909
Pair the picture book, Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909, with primary sources to practice close reading, build vocabulary, and investigate labor activism and one group’s fight for shorter hours, increased wages, and more sanitary working conditions. Lesson guide Primary source set
A Lady Has the Floor: Belva Lockwood Speaks Out for Women’s Rights
Pair the picture book, A Lady Has the Floor: Belva Lockwood Speaks Out for Women’s Rights, with primary sources to investigate historical and contemporary depictions of women in the media, especially those in positions of power. Lesson guide Primary source set
Predicting & Inferring About Woman Suffrage
Link non-fiction literature with primary sources to build background knowledge of what it was like to be a suffragist and discover how women persistently fought for over 100 years until they were granted the right to vote. Access lesson
Around America to Win the Vote
Pair the picture book, Around America to Win the Vote, with primary sources to practice research skills, evaluate sources, and deepen understanding of voting rights, in general, and woman suffrage, in particular. Lesson guide Primary source set
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer
Pair the picture book, Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, with primary sources to deepen understanding of Jim Crow laws and the struggle for civil rights, in general, and voting rights, in particular. Lesson guide Primary source set
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
Pair the picture book, Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down, with primary sources to practice close reading, build vocabulary, and investigate the civil rights movement in the context of the Greensboro sit-ins. Lesson guide Primary source set
Diana’s White House Garden
Pair the picture book, Diana’s White House Garden, with primary sources to investigate the purposes of World War II victory gardens. Lesson guide Primary source set
What Do You Do with a Voice Like That?
Pair the picture book, What Do You Do with a Voice Like That, with primary sources to investigate Representative Barbara Jordan and the role she played in a changing political landscape in the 1960s and 1970s and during the Watergate investigations of President Nixon. Lesson guide Primary source set
Motor Vehicle Safety
Analyze safety features on a car design prior to national standards, investigate motor vehicle safety legislation over the years, then consider what safety features you would include on a modern-day motor vehicle. Access lesson