Lesson Plans
The Importance of Voting
Students consider the importance of voting as they analyze primary sources and the poem “One Vote” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. They then learn more about the connection between poetry and the woman suffrage movement. After, students may investigate a contemporary politician or activist advocating for voting rights and present their findings to the class.
A New National Anthem
Students analyze the lyrics of the Star Spangled Banner, then investigate how a 1991 musical rendition of the song by Whitney Houston and a poem by Ada Limón provide them with deeper insights and understanding of the U.S. National Anthem. After, students create a new version of the national anthem by either creating an erasure poem from the lyrics or writing a response to Limón’s poem or the original anthem.
Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors?
By pairing primary sources with poetry, students consider the proverb, “Good fences make good neighbors” in the context of their own lives as well as in a local, national or global context.
Map: Poetry & Environmental Justice
Students analyze NASA images depicting climate change and maps denoting Indian land cessions*, then read the poem "Map" by Linda Hogan. After, students discuss how the poem, images, and maps provide context to the theme of environmental justice. Students follow up and take action by researching local instances of environmental justice / injustice and write to one or more community leaders, expressing their opinion on an issue.
* compiled primarily from reports contained in Library of Congress collections
Pairing Pictures & Poems to Tell Stories
Students analyze images and texts to learn the power of pairing pictures with poems to tell stories about the historical issue of child labor and issues affecting children today.
Tactics in the March to Suffrage
Students examine the tactics supporters of the woman suffrage movement used in their long quest to gain the right to vote through primary source analysis, consider the effectiveness of various social movement strategies, and create their own tactical plan to affect change on an issue relevant to their own lives.
Examining Social Justice Through Historical, Classic and Contemporary Sources
This outline of a unit plan has students considering the power of literature and investigating social justice. Students begin by analyzing primary sources to spark inquiry and gain historical context, then combine study of To Kill a Mockingbird with a contemporary text of their choosing as they consider how real-life events influence fictional narratives, and wrap up their study by researching a relatively recent social justice case and creating a social justice statement of their own that they showcase in a visual presentation.
Note: lesson length listed is based on activities and does not include time spent reading.
In Service of a Cause?
Students analyze images in conjunction with historical and contemporary texts, comparing and contrasting point of view, details, claims, evidence, and reasoning as they learn about the purpose of the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry led by John Brown and consider whether or not his actions were justified in the historical context. After, students debate whether the use of force or violence in service of a cause can ever be justified.
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.
Gettysburg Address Game On
Students consider whether equality is important to our democracy as they develop a deep understanding of the literary and historical value of the Gettysburg Address through analysis of primary sources and a close reading of the text with several game-based activities to reinforce their knowledge and understanding. After, students connect their learning to today by writing a response to the lesson focus question: In what ways is equality a proposition, or belief, worth fighting for? Numerous extension activities are also provided.