The website for the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza offers well-detailed lesson plans for middle school and high school classes. Topics include Dr. Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, Writing about National Narratives, Debating the 1960 Election, Mourning a President, Power of the Press, and much more.
Type of Material:
Assignment / Lesson Plans
Recommended Uses:
Homework
Group work
Technical Requirements:
The website was successfully accessed and reviewed using Google Chrome. Any Internet browser should suffice.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
This section of the museum's website featured lesson plans and learning material related to JFK's life and legacy. Most of the materials focus on developing student's critical thinking and experience with primary source analysis.
Target Student Population:
Middle School, High School
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
No computer skills are needed; basic historical context of post-WWII US politics would be useful for maximum engagement with the content.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
There is a good bit of diversity in terms of the lesson plan content, which focuses on more than just JFK's assassination. Materials include ample coverage of the civil rights movement, the 1960 presidential election, and other events that shaped the Kennedy presidency.
Many of the primary source worksheets also could be used outside the website for engagement with any primary source, which could be useful to newer instructors.
Note: The content is aligned with curriculum standards, including Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), Common Core State Standards, and C3 Standards.
Concerns:
A bit more historical context would be useful for some of the material. It is difficult to fully understand the 1960 presidential election without a strong foundation in the context of the Cold War, post-WWII liberal consensus, the rise of consumerism/mass marketing, etc.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Teachers will appreciate that the website is geared towards providing ample classroom activities with explicit time frames, learning objectives, and printable/electronic worksheets.
Concerns:
Some of the material may need to be supplemented by additional instructor-provided resources.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The website design is simple, but effective.
At the time of the review, all of the links worked.
Concerns:
A list of hyperlinks is not always the best form of organization, as it requires users to click on each resource individually to find out exactly what it is. Some of the links are automatically downloaded PowerPoints, which may not be the best mode of content delivery.
Creative Commons:
Search by ISBN?
It looks like you have entered an ISBN number. Would you like to search using what you have
entered as an ISBN number?
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
