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Showing 103 results for John Brown ...
John Brown’s Raid: Readers' Theatre
- Type: Student Activities
- Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
In this Readers' Theatre, students will learn why John Brown chose Harpers Ferry as the objective for his October 1859 raid, an event that was to be the beginning of the end of slavery in the U.S. They will also discover what happened during and after the raid, and have the opportunity to debate the question: Would you have joined John Brown’s raiders?
Conflicting Values: John Brown and Adin Ballou
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
Incident at Harpers Ferry: Slavery and John Brown
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
In this lesson, students will share their thoughts on slavery, examine how our country dealt with this institution, consider how both pro-slavery elements and abolitionists looked at slavery and why, and learn a little about John Brown’s early life - in particular, his activities out in Kansas in the years 1855 – 1857. Students will then be able to answer the following essential question: What was slavery like in the antebellum United States?
Brown Curriculum Unit
- Type: Traveling Trunk
- Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade

The Brown Foundation and the National Park Service worked closely to produce this curriculum to provide teachers the resources needed to teach concepts of fairness and social democracy.The Brown curriculum kit includes a Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site handbook; a DVD with two short videos titled Reading, Writing and Resistance and Dialog; and a CD-ROM entitled Brown v. Board of Education: Struggle for Equality with a teacher's guide.
Brown Bear Survival Game
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
‘Henry ‘Box’ Brown: An Extraordinary Journey to Freedom’
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade

‘Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad,’ is a Caldecott Honor children’s book that sensitively introduces the experience of enslavement through the personal story of Henry ‘Box’ Brown whom successfully obtained his freedom by mailing himself to Philadelphia. The program consists of reading a book and completing thematic activities designed to fulfil national as well as New York State curriculum standards.
John Muir: Observation and Descriptive Writing
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
During the field trip to John Muir National Historic Site, students were encouraged to reflect on the home and work life of John Muir. They also learned about Muir’s battle to preserve wild places through writing articles and books about nature. His work influenced people all over the world and led to the creation of five National Parks. This exercise will give students a prompt for observation, analytical thinking, and descriptive writing.
Captain John Smith Teacher Resources
- Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
The Captain John Smith Curriculum Unit consists of eight separate lesson plans designed for 4th and 5th grade students. The unit is aligned with goals and outcomes from the Maryland State Department of Education's voluntary state curriculum.
John Muir: Research and Persuasive Writing
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade

During their field trip to John Muir National Historic Site, students were encouraged to reflect on John Muir's home life and his dedication to conservation. They explored Muir's efforts to protect wild places by writing articles and books that inspired global audiences. His advocacy ultimately contributed to the establishment of five National Parks. These activities offer students opportunities to engage in research, develop analytical thinking, and practice persuasive writing skills.
Brown v. Board of Education: Five Communities That Changed America
- Type: Teacher Reference Materials
- Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade

This lesson is based on the National Historic Landmark Nominations, "Robert Russa Moton High School" (with photographs), "Sumner and Monroe Elementary Schools" (with photographs), "Howard High School" (with photographs),and "John Philip Sousa Middle School" (with photographs), as well as the National Register Nomination for "Summerton High School," and the National Historic Landmark Survey theme study entitled Racial Desegregation in Public Education in the United States.
Birthplace of John F. Kennedy: Growing up Kennedy
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

This lesson allows high school students to examine historical written, photographic, and video evidence from the Kennedys' time in Brookline and the Kennedy presidency in order to understand the way family background and values shape one's character. Students will identify the values the Kennedys tried to instill in their children, how these values impacted President Kennedy's character, and why we remember President Kennedy today, as well as how their own backgrounds have influenced them.
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
Learn about the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case that struck down "separate but equal".
Birthplace of John F. Kennedy: Home of the Boy Who Would Be President
Debating Abolition
Commemoration, Memorialization, and Legacy: An Exploration of the Public and Private Memory of John F. Kennedy and His Presidency
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade

This lesson will allow students to explore the theme of commemoration, memorialization, and legacy through reading of primary and secondary sources. They will engage in a consideration of how historical memory is shaped and how we commemorate people and places. The lesson will also allow students to make connections about their own thoughts and feelings regarding history and how it is commemorated.
War Has Been Declared: Elementary Lesson Plan
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade

Students create a timeline of events leading to the Civil War based on a series of articles from the National Park Service. Students will explore the issue of slavery as a major cause starting with the Missouri Compromise, The Dred Scott Decision, The Election of Lincoln, John Brown's Raid, and the numerous states secessions. Then, students become part of a regiment and complete hands-on activities as they discover the structure of an army.
Politics and Plantation
- Type: Field Trips
- Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
Explore the life of John Dickinson and the people whom he interacted with (tenants, enslaved individuals, tradesmen, merchants) by utilizing the mansion, outbuildings and primary resources. This program takes place at the John Dickinson Plantation.
Lights, Camera, Action Lesson Plan
- Type: Lesson Plan
- Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
Who were the key figures in the Brown v. Board of Education court case? How did they contribute to desegregation?