Lesson Plans
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 have students investigate historical and contemporary depictions of women in the media, especially those running for national office.
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. After, ask students to share a time when they showed persistence.
Around America to Win the Vote
Pair the picture book, Around America to Win the Vote, with primary sources to have students practice research skills, evaluate sources, and deepen understanding of voting rights, in general, and woman suffrage, in particular. After, students can consider the pros/cons of lowering the voting age to 16.
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer
Pair the picture book, Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, with primary sources to deepen student understanding of Jim Crow laws and the struggle for civil rights, in general, and voting rights, in particular. After, students can investigate current voting laws in their state.
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 have students practice close reading, build vocabulary, and investigate the civil rights movement in the context of the Greensboro sit-ins. After, students may share, in words or pictures, an example of how they have stood up for a cause they believe in.
Diana’s White House Garden
Pair the picture book, Diana’s White House Garden, with primary sources to strengthen student vocabulary and word choice skills while investigating the purposes of World War II victory gardens. After, students can share, in words or pictures, an example of a community coming together for the greater good.
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 have students 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. After, students may share, in words or pictures, an example of how they have used their voice to affect positive change at home, school or in their local community.
Motor Vehicle Safety
Students 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.
The Immigrant: Acquisition or Detriment?
Students investigate historical and contemporary pros and cons of immigration and reflect on your own views of the issue.
Eagle map of the United States
Students analyze how the geography of the United States has changed over time and gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and purpose of symbols to represent national ideals.