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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Franklin’s Fair Hand American Journalism

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Scholars know him for his role in the American Revolution, but Ben Franklin was also a journalist and printer. Learners investigate his standards for what was fit to print using primary sources—including writings where Franklin explains...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Let’s Throw an Electric Science Party!

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Are you looking for a shockingly good lesson plan? Check out one that has middle schoolers recreate four of Benjamin Franklin's experiments. Groups investigate, observe, and draw conclusions about static electricity and electrical...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Many Bens: Character Revealed in Writing

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Benjamin Franklin may be known as a Founding Father, but he was also a prolific writer. Scholars examine his better-known pieces to learn about genre, voice, and early American history. The resource includes options for various...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Join, or Die: Reenacting the Albany Conference

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The Albany Congress was one of the first attempts at colonial unity. While it was an effort against the French during the French and Indian War, it was one of the events leading up to the American Revolution. Scholars consider the...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Simple Machines, Ben Franklin and the Technology of the 1700s

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, and he was fascinated by the mechanics of machinery. Using a fun exploration, pupils examine simple machines from the pre-Industrial era. Then, they must identify and build their own using common objects.
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Franklin’s Philadelphia: Another Point of View

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
While Benjamin Franklin enjoyed fame and success in colonial Philadelphia, that was not the experience of all coming to the British colonies. Young scholars trace the life of an indentured servant using a scholarly biography and reading...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

What Good May I Do: Franklin and the American Civic Association

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Benjamin Franklin may have been a Founding Father of the United States, but he also founded a number of civic associations. Learners explore his legacy using a biographical essay and collaborative activity. After their exploration,...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Lists to Live By: Developing a Self-Improvement Plan

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Ben Franklin was a man with a plan. Learners investigate his plan for self-improvement using excerpts from Franklin's autobiography. Then, pupils develop their own plans and discuss how to sell them to others using the two-session lesson...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Benjamin Franklin, Elder Statesman

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Ben Franklin was the only American to sign The Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution. An interesting resource explores his role in the latter by comparing the US...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Choosing a Trade in Colonial America

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How did workers pick a trade in colonial America? Using a WebQuest approach, scholars explore life in the colonial era by looking at professions available to men like Benjamin Franklin. Individuals then apply their knowledge to create...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

From Ben’s Pen to Our Lives

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What would Ben do? Jumping off from the pseudonymous letters Ben Franklin fooled his older brother into publishing when he was still a teenager, young literary lovers dive into acting, writing, and addressing a local issue with wit and...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Benjamin Franklin: Master Diplomat for One Last Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
At 81, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, where he exercised significant influence in shaping key elements of how the United States operates. The class examines his role, using “The Scene at...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Franklin’s Philadelphia: Another Point of View

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed Standards
The impressive story of Benjamin Franklin, including his rise from a printer’s apprentice to a statesman, color upper-level scholars’ understanding of the possibilities of life in colonial Philadelphia. But not everyone had the...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Ingenious: Franklin Assembles a Scientific Community

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Few Americans have heard of the burgeoning scientific community known as the America Philosophical society, started by none other than Benjamin Franklin. With inquiry, research, and discussion, high schoolers come to understand their...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Need a model for character education? Benjamin Franklin presents himself as in a constant state of striving to become the man he hoped to be, making his autobiography is far more accessible to learners than those of people who consider...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Designing Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How do you convey someone’s creativity? Individuals answer the question as they design exhibitions to showcase the intellect and genius of Benjamin Franklin. After conducting research, classmates work in groups to try to capture and...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

The Junto Meets Again

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Out of the classroom and into the streets! With Ben Franklin’s Junto society as inspiration, learners develop their ideas for improving their communities and put them into action. After analyzing meeting notes to discover what the Junto...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

What Ben Read

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Just what did Ben Franklin read? By juxtaposing Ben Franklin’s reading material as a young man with an analysis of his developed ideas, learners gain the opportunity to see how the influences of his youthful reading played out. Roman,...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Reading the Work of B. Franklin, Printer

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Placing Ben Franklin’s ideas about a free press next to those embodied in the First Amendment sheds light on both. Learners interpret and compare two primary sources and then examine them in the light of a contemporary survey about...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Franklin, Master Diplomat

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While many often associate Ben Franklin with his kite electricity experiments, budding historians find out he contributed much more. They discover Franklin's political savvy by examining primary sources in the informative installment of...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Benjamin Franklin and Learning a Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Examine stories with a moral in a character development instructional activity. The class reads a short story written by Benjamin Franklin in which he pays too much for a toy whistle. Individuals then make text-to-self connections and...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Learning the Printing Trade

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore U.S. History by reading biographical text in class. In this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students read about the famous American's first job and the transition he underwent from printing to politics....
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

B. Franklin, Printer and the Public Eye

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners explore U.S. history by researching famous Americans. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson plan, students read portions of a biography about Franklin and identify his position within U.S. politics and as a leader in the battle for...
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Benjamin Franklin, Working for the Common Good

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars examine Benjamin Franklin's community service in Philadelphia. In this American history famous heroes instructional activity, students make text-to-self-and-world connections between the Philadelphia community service...