.Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, 1992

Summary: This biography of the 35th President of the United States portrays John F. Kennedy as a real person, with successes and failures, flaws and admirable traits. Through words and numerous photographs, the authors trace his life--his early childhood as the son of the wealthy Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, his college years, his military service during World War II, his presidency, and his assassination.

Level: RL: 5 IL: 5 - 12

Themes:

• competiveness
• leadership
• contradictions and paradoxes
• civil rights
• foreign policy

Activities:

1. The title of this book comes from John F. Kennedy's inaugural address (see the page preceding the Table of Contents). Use a double-entry journal to analyze the passage. Fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise. In the left column, write words or phrases from the quote that you feel are significant. In the right column, comment on the meaning of those words. Use the example below as a starting point:

As you read the book, return to your entry. Is your interpretation supported by the content of the book? If it is, give examples. If it is not, revise your response.

b. Use the double-entry journal to respond to other phrases in the passage from the inaugural address or from the book itself.

---

Teacher Assessment of Double-Entry Drafts
Familiarize students with Bloom's Taxonomy of thinking skills (see page 28 of Maine Sampler of Information Skills Activities, Part 1 for a chart of BloomÕs six levels of thinking and corresponding action terms). Encourage students to develop responses at the upper end of Bloom's critical thinking hierarchy. When assessing student responses, classify them according to Bloom's six levels of thinking. If a student's responses fall at the lower end of the hierarchy, pose questions to stimulate her thinking at the upper end. These questions can be written at the end of her response. Encourage her to respond to your questions, thus creating a written dialogue between you and your student.

---

c. Each chapter in A Twilight Struggle is preceded by one or two lines from a poem by Robert Frost titled "Birches." Who was Robert Frost? What role did he play in John F. Kennedy's life? Before reading each chapter, predict what the line might mean in relation to the chapter. Find passages from the text to support your prediction or revise your interpretation using information from the chapter. You might want to write your responses in the form of a double-entry journal. Be sure to give page numbers for your passages. Evaluate the authors' use of references to Frost's poem. To what extent do these references contribute to an understanding of Kennedy's life? Support your opinion with specific examples.

d. "John Kennedy lived a life of paradoxes," say the authors (page 132). What is a "paradox"? Find examples of paradoxes from KennedyÕs life. Keep a record of the page numbers where the paradox is found. How does your knowledge of paradoxes contribute to the understanding of the bookÕs title? (Now might be a good time to revise your response to 1a.)

2a. What types of sources did Barbara Harris and Daniel Terris use when researching John F. Kennedy's life? What is the difference between a primary and a secondary source? Classify 10 of the sources used by Harris and Terris as primary or secondary. What are the advantages and disadvantages of both types of sources?

b. Compare and contrast the sources used by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema in the research of Shakespeare's life for their book Bard of Avon, another biography included in this Maine Sampler. What types of sources did Stanley and Vennema use? How are they similar to or different from the types of sources used by the authors of A Twilight Struggle? In your opinion, how has technology changed the way biographers locate and gather information?

c. Write a biography of someone you know using the procedure outlined by Juliana Yanushefski in her article "The Biography: The Research Project as Literary Discourse," English Journal, September 1989 (see resource section below). A summary of her approach to biography follows, although it is wise to read the article before trying this activity:

1. Select a person you know who is over forty years old.
2. Complete a preliminary interview to determine the key events in this personÕs life. You might want to ask for permission to record the interview on audio cassette or videotape.
3. Create two timelines, one of the personÕs life and another of world events.
4. Use a variety of sources to learn more about the world events that have influenced your subject. Determine a potential focus for your biography and refine your interview questions.
5. Go back to your subject for a second interview. Also interview other people who know your subject.
6. If necessary, revise your focus. Then write your biography.

3. The release of Oliver Stone's movie JFK renewed the debate over who assassinated John F. Kennedy. Was it a lone gunman or was it a conspiracy? Consult several books and/or articles on the topic. (Several possible works are noted in resource section below.) State your opinion. Then complete a pro/con chart. In the "pro" column, write information that supports your opinion. In the "con" section, anticipate the arguments of people with an opposing viewpoint. Make sure to include the following types of information in your chart: facts, statistics, testimony of experts and witnesses, factual illustrations, and hypothetical situations based on factual material.

Statement of your opinion:
Pro 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	Con 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

If you are working alone, use your pro/con chart as a prewriting activity for a persuasive essay. If there are several students with opposing viewpoints, prepare a debate for your class. Or, if you support the conspiracy theory, rewrite the first chapter the A Twilight Struggle from this point of view.

4. Chapter 6 of A Twilight Struggle focuses on the Civil Rights movement, especially James Meredith's admission into the University of Mississippi and the Freedom Riders. Compare/contrast the events as they are told by Barbara Harrison and Daniel Terris with the events as they are presented in the Eyes on the Prize episodes available through PBS Video. Research the background of the writers and producers of Eyes on the Prize series. Hint: reviews of the series might be helpful. Evaluate the video and the book for point of view and bias. How do the points of view, especially on the presentation of John F. Kennedy, differ? Do you detect bias in either presentation? Give examples from both the video and the book to support your opinions.

Other Biographies on John F. Kennedy and his Family

Adler, David A. A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy. Holiday House, 199l. [A good book for younger readers.]

Mills, Judie. John F. Kennedy. Watts, 1988. [Another solid biography for students in grades 5 - 12. It also has a good bibliography of books and videos on KennedyÕs life.]

Sandak, Cass R. The Kennedys. Crestwood House, 1991. [The life of John F. Kennedy and his family with emphasis on JFK's years in the White House.]

The Kennedy Assassination

Donnelly, Judy. Who Shot the President? Random House, 1988. [Discusses the Warren CommissionÕs findings and various conspiracy theories.]

Oxford, Edward. "Destiny in Dallas." American History Illustrated, November 1988, pp. 13 - 47. [An excellent series of articles on the conspiracy theory for high school students. Other articles in the series follow.]

_____________. "Lights and Shadows." American History Illustrated, January 1989, pp. 12 - 48.

_____________. "World of Mirrors." American History Illustrated, February 1989, pp. 34 - 45.

Stein, R. Conrad. The Story of the Assassination of John F. Kennedy. ChildrenÕs Press, 1985. [Describes the assassination, the reactions to it, and the controversies.]

Waggoner, Jeffrey. The Assassination of President Kennedy. Greenwood Press, 1989. Part of the Opposing Viewpoint series. The author analyzes the conflicting evidence.

Resources About Presidents

Annals of America. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1976. [Twenty volumes of documents including letters, speeches, editorials, sections from journals, etc. and two volume Conspectus. Contains primary source materials written by and about the presidents.]

The Presidents: It All Started with George. National Geographic, 1992. [A CD-ROM disk with three sections: 1) individual database for each president consisting of important facts, famous quotations, video footage, essays, captioned photos, and maps, 2) a timeline which not only includes events during a presidentÕs administration but also gives social, cultural, and world events, and 3) a political party database.]

Provensen, Alice. The Buck Stops Here: The Presidents of the United States. Harper and Row, 1990.

Model Teaching Units and Materials

"Social Studies: How Did They Vote? A History of Voting." School Library Media Activities Monthly vol. 9, n. 5 (January 1993), pp. 24 - 25. [[Model lesson for grades 6 - 7 that asks students to relate information on public concerns and historical events to election results. Has good bibliography on presidential elections.]

Yanushefski, Juliana. "The Biography: The Research Project as Literary Discourse." English Journal vol. 78, no. 5 (September 1989), pp. 50 - 58. [A novel approach to research and writing biographies.]

---

Prepared by Marilyn Joyce, Stearns High School, Millinocket

Home | About MASL | What's New? | Professional Development | Resources | Index

Contact: Web Manager