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.
Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers’ Rights
Pair the picture book, Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers’ Rights, with primary sources to highlight how one person can influence the thinking of a nation while having students investigate the historical origins of social security. After, students can connect with seniors to share their learning and interview them about their experiences with social…
FDR and the Alphabet Agencies
Students analyze Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address and compare the promises made to his later work as president, then apply what they learned to create a government agency that would deal with a contemporary issue.
Speaking Out: Four Freedoms Then and Now
Students analyze a part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech and use primary sources from the Library of Congress to gain historical context. Next, students explore sources from the Library to draw conclusions about the impact of the speech on American culture at the time. Students then write their own “Four Freedoms” speech, outlining…
Securing Our Freedoms Beyond the Bill of Rights
Students analyze primary sources from the Library of Congress including Norman Rockwell’s “Four Freedoms” and “The Bill of Rights” to the U.S. Constitution. Students then identify amendments related to two of the four freedoms from the primary sources and then work in small groups to reach consensus and propose a new amendment to secure rights…
Find Your Freedom Beyond the Bill of Rights
Students analyze primary sources from the Library of Congress to identify freedoms, then review background information about the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. Next, students match the amendments related to some of the freedoms they identified through analyzing sources and then work in small groups to reach consensus and propose a new amendment…