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Influential First Ladies

Lesson Author
Lefeber, Josh
Course(s)
U. S. History
Grade Level(s)
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Lesson Abstract
Students will be tasked with researching, analyzing, and creating a paper over the influence of a First Lady of the United States.
Description

Students will be tasked with researching, analyzing, and creating a paper over the influence of a First Lady of the United States. First, students will chose a First Lady to research. Once they begin their research, they will be directed to focus on the accomplishments and influence the First Lady obtained while serving in their role. Students should note the accomplishments of their First Lady and how they left a lasting impact in the White House. After the student has compiled their research, the next step will be to outline their information to begin writing their paper (4 pages) over their First Lady. Once the students complete their paper, they will create a short (3-5 minute) presentation for the class about the influence and lasting impact of their First Lady.

Rationale (why are you doing this?)

The goal of this lesson is for students to recognize the influence of Presidential wives, while noting their accomplishments in serving the Office of the First Lady.

Lesson Objectives - the student will
  • Students will demonstrate knowledge about a First Lady’s influence and accomplishments.
  • Students will demonstrate the ability to write concise and coherently.

 

District, state, or national performance and knowledge standards/goals/skills met

T1S1C - Develop a research plan, identify appropriate resources for investigating social studies topics, and create and present a research product which applies an aspect of United States history post c. 1870 to a contemporary issue. (May not apply to all First Ladies)

T2S1C - Trace the contributions of individuals and institutions on social, political, artistic and economic development.

T3S5C - Analyze the changing relationship between individuals and their place in society including women, minorities, and children.

 

Secondary materials (book, article, video documentary, etc.) needed

Students will be encouraged to utilize these resources to help compile their research about their specific First Lady.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/first-ladies - White House - The First Ladies

http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/  - National First Ladies Library

http://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies - History.com - First Ladies

http://americanhistory.si.edu/first-ladies/introduction - The National Musem of American History - The First Ladies at the Smithsonian

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/ - The Free Library by Farlex - Periodicals and Journals

First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women by Susan Swain

Primary sources needed (document, photograph, artifact, diary or letter, audio or visual recording, etc.) needed

https://www.loc.gov/ - Students will be encouraged to utilize the Library of Congress to discover primary source information about their First Lady. This source material could be in the form of videos, print material, periodicals, and many more.

http://cnu.libguides.com/psusfirstladies - Christopher Newport University offers quite the array of sources about First Ladies. It is an online database for their students, but allow free access to photos and letters written to and from many First Ladies.

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-now/2013-03/america%E2%80%99s-first-ladies - The site offers the majority of their information as a secondary source, but they do spotlight a few pieces of primary source material about a couple of First Ladies. (Students will need to create an account to explore the site)

http://ourwhitehouse.org/education-literacy/research-resources/ - This website offers a few primary source letters and first-hand accounts regarding the First Ladies.

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/nytarchive.html - The NY Times archived news story from 1851 which will help students who have chosen a more modern First Lady.

https://scholar.google.com/ - Google Scholar offers students an array of primary and secondary source material for their research.

Fully describe the activity or assignment in detail. What will both the teacher and the students do?
  • As a class, the assignment will be introduced to the students. We will focus specifically on the requirements of their paper and presentation highlighting their task of discovering the influence of each First Lady along with their accomplishments. Primary and secondary sources will also be covered.
  • Students will pick a First Lady to research.
  • Once all students have chosen their First Lady, students will then be introduced to the multiple primary and secondary resources listed on their assignment sheet.
  • Students will then begin their research and outlines for their paper, while I facilitate any research assistance or questions a student may have.
  • Once students have compiled their research and completed their outline, students will begin writing their papers.
  • After students finish their paper, they will begin putting their paper into a short 3-5 minute presentation.
  • Students will present their presentations to their class, and after all have finished, a class discussion will be held over the overall influence of our First Ladies.  
Assessment: fully explain the assessment method in detail or create and attach a scoring guide

Name:_________________________

Influential Presidential Couples (100pts)

 

Students, you are tasked with researching, writing, and presenting information over one of the First Ladies of the United States. After you have selected a First Lady, use the resources below to research your First Lady focusing on their influence on the Office of the President and her accomplishments as the First Lady. Use your research to compile your major topics into an outline for the paper you will be writing. After your outline is complete, begin writing your four page (minimum) paper highlighting the influence and accomplishments of your First Lady. Upon the completion of your paper, proofread it and create a short 3-5 minute presentation that you will present to the class.

 

You must have a works cited with a minimum of five sources cited in MLA. (Two must be primary sources)

 

 

OUTLINE: (Feel free to incorporate this on another page or in “web” form)

 

 

 

First Lady:_________________________

 

Intro:

 
 

Moments / Instances of Influence:

 
 
 

 
 

Accomplishments:

 
 
 

 

 

Conclusion:

 

Have you proofread? / How are you presenting? / Do you have a script? / Are you using note cards?

 

 

 

 

RUBRIC:

 

Individual / Introduction: 0 2.5 5 7.5 10

 

Comments:

 

 

 

Influential Moments / Instances: 0 5 10 15 20 25

 

 

 

Comments:

 

 

 

Accomplishments: 0 5 10 15 20 25

 

 

 

Comments:

 

 

 

Conclusion: 0 2.5 5 7.5 10

 

 

 

Comments:

 

 

 

Grammar / Spelling: 0 2.5 5 7.5 10

 

 

 

Comments:

 

 

 

Works Cited: 0 2.5 5 7.5 10

 

 

 

Comments:

 

 

 

Presentation (3-5 minutes): 0 3 9 12 10

 

 

 

Comments:

 

 

 

OVERALL GRADE: /100

 

 

 

 

Suggested Resources:

 

Primary Sources below: