I am teaching analysis of U.S documents with historical significance, and I want to focus on the theme of dreams by looking at the primary document, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream…” speech. The unit could be framed …
I am teaching about the Constitution and I want to look at the beginning of the preamble with students so that we could explore the theme of leadership. I would use the Lao Tzu conversation in order to discuss whether …
I imagine introducing John Winthrop’s famous City Upon a Hill speech just after a conversation on dreams with Harriet Tubman. By exploring the importance of dreams first, students would gain a foothold for understanding how important it is for leaders …
I am teaching about Segregation, and I want to focus on the theme of self-expression by looking at Jackie Robinson and his career as the first African American baseball player in modern Major League Baseball. In his first two years on the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson had to stay quiet in the face of racial injustice and harassment in order to protect himself. I would use the Audre Lorde conversation on self-expression by focusing on the counterclaim, that sometimes in such a complex world silence is necessary for self-protection.
Within a larger unit exploring World War II, students would benefit from learning about Japanese Internment and looking at the theme of conflict. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. conversation can be used to frame how some Americans viewed Japanese …
The context of World War II is a great one in which to talk about the theme of cooperation. The defeat of Hitler could not have come about without coordination between the Allies and the participation of all Americans on …
I want to use the study of Monarchy to discuss the theme of power with students. Thinking about what kinds of power a king or queen has and the good and bad they could do with that power, brings up …
The Great Depression, fueled by the Stock Market Crash of 1929, is a topic that provides an opportunity to discuss the theme of interdependence. The fallout from the Depression showed us how dependent we are on each other and our …
Within a unit on Segregation it would be a good idea to look at the story of Ruby Bridges to discuss the theme of respect, as she was one of the first African American children to attend an all-white elementary …
The Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s contains great conversations about the theme of ambition, and how the United States, and especially President John F. Kennedy, felt pressure to catch up …
Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address is an primary source to explore the theme of conflict and how human beings deal with it. I could have the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. conversation just before introducing excerpts from Lincoln’s speech as …
Civic Responsibility is a common theme in American history embraced by men and women such as Ida Tarbell, Dorothea Dix, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., all of whom tried to change society through protest or some other means. At the …
