Kent State University Shootings Lesson Plans

Students compare and contrast the Boston Massacre to the Kent State shootings. In this compare and contrast lesson plan, students review what happened in each case and compare them using a Venn Diagram.

Students discuss the different guitar techniques of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young. They experience the guitar technique of "alternate tuning". They also discuss CSNY's 'Ohio' and Kent State.

Learners explore websites are about the Vietnam War. There are websites about the soldiers, the war, events in the United States during the war, and what happened after the war. On one website students can listen to the speech by President Nixon.

Students analyze selected pieces of art and infer how they reflect a sense of disillusionment, and/or cynicism in American society in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal. Then they identify and place cultural attitudes of recent generations of Americans within a historical context. Finally, students identify how art and/or literature and films mirrors a distrust, uneasiness, or cynicism from some Americans about how they view their government and its role.

Students research history and purpose of Secret Service, and analyze ways to improve safety in their school and community. Students then participate in Internet scavenger hunt of United States Secret Service web site to answer questions assigned by teacher.

Students analyze and perform an American social protest song. They describe its historical setting, consider the effectiveness of the music and recognize that popular music is a reflection of American culture.

Students examine news stories and images that have incited violence in the past to put into historical context recent news coverage that has incited anti-American violence abroad.

Students study the Boston Massacre and its subsequent trial, consider the positive and negative arguments from both sides, and produce a simulation of the trial.

Students explore allusions.  In this allusion lesson, students read a poem and determine its allusions.  They examine the effect of each allusion, and write about the effectiveness of the allusion.

Students study musical lyrics. Given specific songs, students explore the era in which the song was written. They examine the emotions, circumstances, and historical events happening during the time the song was written. The historical significance of the song is discussed.