Lesson Plans
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.
How Did Birds Gain Political Protection?
Students analyze a variety of primary sources to investigate the impact turn-of-the-20th-century women’s fashion industry had on migratory birds, grassroots political efforts taken to protect the birds, and subsequent state and national laws. After, students research a contemporary biodiversity issue and create a poster, flyer, or written announcement to inform people and call them to action.
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
How Disability Activists Created Change
Students analyze primary and secondary sources about 1977 and 1990 Disability Rights Movement protests to identify strategic actions taken by activists, evaluate the level of personal risk or investment needed to participate, and compare them with actions by African-American civil rights activists of that time and earlier, and of social justice activists 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.
Perceptions & Roles of American Women
Students analyze historical primary sources and then create their own contemporary sources as they investigate and consider how perceptions of women in America and their roles in society have evolved over time. After, students brainstorm ways that citizens can work to achieve greater equality for all.
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.
Reservation Controversies
Students analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources to gain an understanding of the history of government relations, policies, and experiences with Native Americans. After students research contemporary issues relating to American Indian reservations using Congress.gov, news media, and official tribal websites to consider the rights and responsibilities of both the government and the tribes.
The New England Fishing Industry: Sea Changes in a Community
Students analyze photographs, maps and interviews to understand the geographic and economic characteristics of the U.S. Northeast coast and the link between New England's economic and cultural past and the issues it faces for its future through researching industry issues, interviewing industry actors, and/or researching current legislation related to fishing and fisheries.