Last updated: September 28, 2020
Lesson Plan
Commemoration, Memorialization, and Legacy: An Exploration of the Public and Private Memory of John F. Kennedy and His Presidency
- Grade Level:
- High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- 9-10.RH.1, 9-10.RH.2, 9-10.RH.3, 9-10.RH.4, 9-10.RH.5, 9-10.RH.7, 9-10.RH.8
- State Standards:
- Massachusetts Social Studies Curriculum Frameworks
USI.T6 Rebuilding the US: Industry and Immigration
USHII.T2 Modernity in the US: Ideologies and Economics
USHII.T4 Defending Democracy: The Cold War and Civil Rights at Home - Additional Standards:
- National Council for Social Studies
National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
1-8 - Thinking Skills:
- Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Creating: Bring together parts (elements, compounds) of knowledge to form a whole and build relationships for NEW situations. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
How do we remember leaders?
Objective
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to answer the following questions:
In your opinion, would President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) agree or approve of the way he has been remembered, memorialized, or commemorated?
What do you think is the best way to remember, memorialize, or commemorate him? Why?
Preparation
Primary and Secondary sources are available online through the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site or printable on this page. Students can be directed to the link above to complete this lesson digitally.
Materials
1 document and Group 1 Questions.
Download Source 1 - President Lyndon B. Johnson
2 documents and Group 2 Questions
Download Source 2 – First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy
2 documents (1 article section and 1 transcript. Follow the link to the recorded audio) and Group 3 questions.
Download Source 3 – Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
1 document and Group 4 Questions. Questions have linked video for full engagement.
Download Source 4 – Caroline Kennedy
1 document and Group 5 questions.
Download Source 5 – Kennedy Half Dollar
1 document and Group 6 questions.
Download Source 6 – Creating the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
Lesson Hook/Preview
“As every past generation has had to disenthrall itself from an inheritance of truisms and stereotypes, so in our own time we must move on from the reassuring repetition of stale phrases to a new, difficult, but essential confrontation with reality.
For the great enemy of truth is very often not the lie—deliberate, contrived and dishonest—but the myth—persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”
- John F. Kennedy, Commencement Address, Yale University, June 11, 1962
According to President Kennedy what are lies? What are myths? Why do we “hold fast” to myths? Why might myths be problematic? How do ideas in the second paragraph connect with the first? Why does each generation have to question the “truisms and stereotypes” of the past and have an “essential confrontation with reality?” How does all of this connect with learning and understanding of history?
Procedure
After completing the opener and discussing it, students will be divided into groups. Each group will be assigned a different reading/primary source to examine and answer questions. They will then present their findings to the class. Each student will record their findings during the presentations. They will discuss the ways that John F. Kennedy has been memorialized or commemorated. As a class, they will watch the site film "The Shaping of a President, The First Home of John F. Kennedy". They should record what they think is most significant about JFK and why. The class will then hold a general discussion about the legacy of John F. Kennedy. Lastly, they will use the new information they have learned to connect back to the first quote they analyzed.
The following question can be used as an exit ticket or closer: In your opinion, would JFK agree or approve of the way he has been remembered, memorialized, or commemorated? What do you think is the best way to remember, memorialize, or commemorate him? Why?