Compromise

Understanding Segregation: A Snapshot of Historical Injustice

Carolyn Wims Campbell was educated at McKinley Elementary, a segregated school in the public school system of Topeka, KS. She later became a member of Topeka USD 501's Board of Education after which she was elected to the Kansas State Board of Education. In this lesson plan, created by Susan Sittenauer, students will hear first-hand stories from distinguished Kansans on the issue of segregation and will gain a greater understanding of how others have faced the challenges of discrimination. A companion piece, excerpted from the oral history of former legislator Ben Scott, deals with the Show Moredesegregation of the Topeka Public Schools 45 years after Brown v Board. The Scott clip could be used as an additional lesson.

A related clip from the Campbell interview

No Celebration

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Navigating the Kansas Appellate Court System

This lesson plan for a high school government class was crafted by Susan Sittenauer, a Kansas high school teacher with 39 years of teaching experience. Using excerpts from an oral history of former Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier, she developed a series of questions and discussions to give learners a solid understanding of the decision-making process for cases before the Kansas Supreme Court. Justice Beier's explanations are very clear and easily followed in the three excerpts from her oral history interview. Sittenauer's lesson plan is also congruent with the social studies standards for Kansas.

Standards Crosswalk Materials

Learning is all about making connections—from one subject to another, from classroom to everyday life. This set of "crosswalk" materials connects the social studies disciplines of history, geography and government with the standards for English Language Arts and Library and Information Literacy at the elementary, middle school and high school levels. In 2023 the English Language Arts Standards and Library and Information Literacy Standards were updated by the Kansas State Board of Education. The crosswalk materials are intended to help teachers incorporate the ELA and Library standards in the social studies classes as they utilize the foundational Show Morepractices of ELA: to write, speak, read and listen appropriately in all disciplines, to use knowledge gained from literacy experiences to solve problems or seek to understand diverse perspectives. Show Less

Student-Led Oral Histories of Local Officials

This framework for the collection and preservation of Student-Led Oral Histories of Local Government Officials was developed by the Kansas Oral History Project as part of a civic education initiative to encourage students to engage with their community and learn about the different areas of local government. Using local government officials as a source for student-led oral history interviews will acquaint students in elementary, middle or high school with their local elected officials and what their job is in the local community. Teachers are encouraged to download the attached introduction, interview protocol, the lesson plans and activity notes Show Morefor teachers for complete information. There is also a six-minute video clip of former Water Commissioner Jack Alexander which is intended for use with the lesson plans. See the full interview with Commissioner Alexander under Collections/Notable Kansans Show Less

Kansas History, Government, Social Studies Standards

The Kansas Standards for History, Government, and Social Studies prepare students to be informed, thoughtful, engaged citizens as they enrich their communities, state, nation, world, and themselves. --An informed citizen possesses the knowledge needed to understand contemporary political, economic, and social issues and the skills to locate and utilize credible sources of information. --A thoughtful citizen applies higher order thinking skills to make connections between the past, present, and future in order to understand, anticipate, respond to, and solve problems. --An engaged citizen communicates, collaborates, contributes, compromises, and participates as an active member of a community

Compelling Questions

The Teachers Advisory group to KOHP developed a series of compelling questions as examples of how to use them with the oral history interviews. Other resources for compelling questions will be added in the future. "If we're going to help our kids become knowledgeable, engaged, and active citizens, they need to be solving problems and addressing questions." This quote is from Glenn Wiebe, educational consultant at Tech and Learning in Hutchinson, KS. https://historytech.wordpress.com/presentations/

Short Line Railroads in Kansas

This excerpt of an interview talks about the short line railroads in Kansas and their usefulness in a transportation system. Students can use the map to see which communities the Kansas & Oklahoma Short Line Railroad services. What other rail services, such as passenger service are available in these communities? How has the utilization of railroads changed in the last 100 years? Why does Mr. McKechnie believe that short line rail service will reduce congestion on the highways. Can you give examples of how transportation has changed in your life time? In your parents? Show MoreYour grandparents? Show Less

Why Oral History is Important

This six minute video of Dr. Jim Leiker, historian at Johnson County Community College, will give students a clear understanding of why history is important, and why oral history plays an important role in "filling in the gaps" in the historical record.

How the Legislature Works

The 30 minute video, "How Things Got Done in the Kansas Legislature" is an introduction to how laws are made in Kansas and features 12 different legislators talking about how they got elected, how they determined their legislative priorities--in effect, how they made things happen in the Kansas Legislature.

A Native American Views the Pledge of Allegiance

Potawatomi tribal council member Rafael Wahwassuck was asked to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at his elementary school and discovered that his family objected. He explains in this short video why the flag doesn't mean the same to all people. "I came home excited from school, explaining to my folks that it was going to be my turn to lead the Pledge of Allegiance, and I was told no. I didn’t understand that right away. I didn’t understand because everybody else was doing it in the class. So I waited all year for it to be my turn to stand up Show Morein front of the class and lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Then I was given a short history lesson. Part of that lesson was how the meaning of the American flag was not the same for everybody in that classroom, and more specifically, what it meant for our people and how in certain circumstances, it could be viewed as a sign of oppression to our people. I left that day, knowing I didn’t have to, but I was free to lead the Pledge of Allegiance if I wanted to. When my day came at school, I chose not to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. I was then promptly sent to the principal’s office for not wanting to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance with the rest of the students. Again, that’s just an early experience that I can recall, and it wasn’t until later on in my life that I had an opportunity to speak with one of my uncles because, as you know, you know my family, I’ve had numerous veterans in my family throughout the entire history of this country. One of the ones who was a career veteran, I asked him, I said, “Why do you do what you do? I’m confused. I don’t understand. If the United States came in and they imposed everything on us, they took so many things away from us, why do you then proudly serve in their Armed Forces?” He said to me, “The first time around when we had people coming in, we didn’t stand up like we should have. We didn’t stand up like we should have, and it put our people in a position where we are today back then.” So he said, “I’m going to do my part to make sure that I can do whatever I can to protect our people today and make sure that our area and our land and our beliefs are protected today.” Show Less

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