Franklin Learning Activities

Decipher Franklin D. Roosevelt's message to Congress concerning a declaration of war on December 11, 1941. Learners analyze the message through a close reading and a series of text-dependent questions. Specific directions are provided,...

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...

Bring Benjamin Franklin to life in the classroom with a set of five activities. Discover the type of person he was and his accomplishments through a study of his inventions and comments about life virtues. 

Is a pretend friend worse than an open foe? What benefits come to those who help themselves? Take a look at some of Benjamin Franklin's famous aphorisms, which advise readers to conduct themselves properly throughout the day. Pupils...

Young historians will learn not to fear primary source materials (or fear itself, for that matter) thanks to this resource that uses Franklin D. Roosevelt's March 4, 1933 Inaugural Address to model how to conduct a close reading of such...

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,...

No joke! Kids learn how to read political cartoons using McCutcheon's drawing as a starting point and then progressing to other images found online.

A scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, politician, and the founder of a nation—and that's just one person! Learners investigate the many lives of Benjamin Franklin. Using a hands-on interactive online resource, they analyze primary...

Students investigate the achievements of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. They conduct Internet research, identify their achievements, and participate in a 'competition' that compares/contrasts the two men.

The audio of President Franklin Roosevelt's speech regarding Pearl Harbor teaches pupils about the attack and its impact on the United States' involvement in World War II.