DocsTeach
Two Versions of FDR's Infamy Speech
Historians follow FDR's Infamy speech from rough draft to the official address to the Senate. An intriguing activity compares and contrasts FDR's original speech to the official version. Academics also listen to FDR address the Senate....
Curated OER
The Embodied Presidency
Tenth graders analyze Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. In this Franklin D. Roosevelt presidency, 10th graders determine how well FDR's government programs aided victims of the Great Depression. Students examine selected Fireside Chats and...
Curated OER
Freedom by the Fireside: The Legacy of FDR's "Four Freedoms" Speech
Students read and analyze Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address. They listen to recordings of speeches by F.D.R., answer discussion questions, and participate in a debate.
K12 Reader
What's the Purpose? FDR's Pearl Harbor Speech
FDR's December 7, 1941 address to the nation is the focus of a reading comprehension exercise that asks middle schoolers to read an excerpt from the Pearl Harbor speech and determine the president's purpose.
Curated OER
FDR's Fireside Chats: The Power of Words
Students examine Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. In this presidential history lesson, students listen to the radio broadcasts of select FDR Fireside Chats. Students analyze the effectiveness of his messages to the public as well...
Curated OER
The President and the Press ~ FDR's First Press Conference: March 1933
Students consider that many presidential aides now speak "off the record," in essence conveying a message from the president. They examine why most Presidents have fewer press conferences the deeper they get into their terms of office.
DocsTeach
Court Packing vs. Reorganizing: The Supreme Court in the New Deal
Travel back in time to understand the effects of FDR's New Deal on the Supreme Court. Academics analyze historical documents to understand FDR's attempts to pack the Supreme Court and the opposition he faced. The activity includes a...
DocsTeach
The New Deal: Revolution or Reform?
Scholars weigh in on FDR's New Deal policies in an in-depth activity. The resource uses historical documents to explore whether the New Deal polices were reformatory or revolutionary. Learners review documents, rate them using a scale,...
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
Pearl Harbor Activity #1: Newspaper or Radio Account
After listening to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech, young historians research information about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, possible motives for the attack, and the consequences of the attack. Scholars...
Curated OER
FDR's Tree Army: Personal Turning Points in the CCC
What's the "deal" with the Civilian Conservation Corps? Primary sources help historians discover the impact of this landmark legislation. After an introductory slideshow and 7-minute video, groups analyze packets of images and a primary...
Curated OER
Differing Federal Responses to the Great Depression: Letter Analysis
Young analysts examine two letters, one written by President Hoover and one written by FDR. Each letter contains that president's response to the role of the Federal Government during times of crisis (The Great Depression). They analyze...
Curated OER
FDR's New Deal
Students explore the facets of the New Deal. In this Great Depression lesson, students research the New Deal and then create radio broadcasts that explain the New Deal to the American public.
Curated OER
FDR's First Inaugural Address
Students, in groups, describe a photo to the class. They determine which New Deal program is depicted in each of the images based on the research they conducted.
Curated OER
A Day of Infamy:Analyzing FDR’s Pearl Harbor Address
In 1941 FDR spoke out on the events at Pearl Harbor. The class will get to analyze word choice, word meaning, author's craft and structure by analyzing an actual draft of this speech. They will look critically at the words used,...
Curated OER
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Disability: Was He Successful in Concealing It?
Students examine how President Franklin Roosevelt kept his disability out the public eye. In this presidential history lesson, students analyze political cartoons and information from the Roosevelt Library to determine whether or not...
Federal Reserve Bank
Dealing with the Great Depression
As part of their study of the Great Depression, young economists examine statistical data to determine the effectiveness of FDR's New Deal recovery programs.
Center for History Education
Franklin Roosevelt's Proposal for Reforming the Supreme Court: 168 Days of National Debate
Was it overreach or wise executive functioning? Scholars have long debated Franklin Roosevelt's court-packing scheme when he attempted to stack the court with justices friendlier to his New Deal measures. Now, learners pick up the...
Curated OER
FDR and the Lend-Lease Act
Pupils analyze primary source documents and photographs to analyze the implications of the Lend-Lease Program. In this research lesson plan, students read and discuss letters and speeches related to the Lend-Lease Act, evaluate FDR's...
Curated OER
The Great Depression: A World Struggle
Students research the impact of the Great Depression on the United States. In groups, they use the internet to describe each of FDR's New Deal Programs and how it helped unemployment. They also discuss how these programs affected the...
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
Pearl Harbor Activity #2: Why Do Words Matter?
Words matter! That's the big idea behind an activity that asks scholars to replace words in FDR's "Day of Infamy" speech with synonyms. They then listen to a recording of President Roosevelt's address and compare his version to their own.
Curated OER
FDR's Fireside Chat on the Purposes and Foundations of the Recovery Program
Students discuss how they get information on important events or activities that occur in the national government today. They evaluate the New Deal, utilizing document analysis worksheets imbedded in this plan.
Curated OER
Home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt National Historic Site
Students examine some early activities and circumstances of Franklin Roosevelt's life and demonstrate how those activities may have influenced his policies and decisions in public life. Structures in their own community created by the...
Curated OER
A Date Which Will Live In Infamy
High schoolers use President Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio address following the attack on Pearl Harbor as a primary source to explain American reaction following the attacks. They explain how different Americans reacted to FDR's call...
Curated OER
The Great Depression and FDR
Eleventh graders recognize some of the causes and effects of the Great Depression, and thereby explain the motives behind Roosevelt's "New Deal" program for the United States.