Lesson Plans

1950 to Present

Integration of Montgomery County Public Schools

The topic of integration is often covered in history classes at the national level. This is understandable considering the role of the federal government in producing and enforcing decisions that led to the integration of public facilities. That said, it is important for students to know the local conditions leading up to and through the integration process. Additionally, discussions of places like Montgomery, Little Rock, or Selma often inspire students to ask questions about their community. Fortunately there are ample events and documents to help teachers and students explore this time period in Montgomery County...

No Retreat on Civil Rights

This lesson segues from political power through legal precedent, to political power through leadership. Students will analyze information about the 1989 silent march and speculate on why much information is not easily accessible on...

Setting the stage for reading The Catcher in the Rye: An examination of social expectations for teenagers in the 1950s

In order to set the stage for reading The Catcher in the Rye, students will view two or three short "Mental Hygiene" films, which were produced during the 1950s to be shown in schools for the purpose of guiding young minds. They will analyze social values of Holden Caufield's day, filmmaking techniques, evaluate the effectiveness of the films as teaching tools for young minds, and compare how social values and teaching methods may have changed since...

The 1950s Teenager: Conformist or Rebel?

The 1950s is often described as an era of conformity where the average American readily adopted to the popular culture of the day to form the "model family." This assumption, however, is a pretty simplistic view of the era. Students should be encouraged to see the real story of the...

The Cold War and Brown v. Board of Education

This lesson is useful because it allows you to connect two significant events that are generally taught as separate units. I begin the assignment with a question: “Did the Cold War influence the Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education?” Students may find the question uncomfortable because it rails against what they have been...

Vietnam Primary Source Document Analysis

In this lesson students will analyze primary source documents to explore the impact of the Containment Doctrine on U.S. foreign policy decisions in Asia, specifically Vietnam. Students will analyze letters written by Ngo Din Diem, Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson, State Department memos, and George Kennan’s telegram. Students will analyze the actions of the U.S. government and both North and South Vietnamese Governments through analysis of these letters. This lesson could be used with ninth grade US History students or twelfth grade AP US History students. I will be using this with my AP U.S....