Lesson Plans

Bipartisanship and Working Across the Aisle

This 10 minute video was prepared for the Annual Meeting of the Kansas Oral History Project by former State Representative and Speaker ProTem David Heinemann. The video clips came from interviews in the KOHP archives. The first clip is former Congressman Jim Slattery talking about a speech he made on the floor of the House and Speaker Clyde Hill's comments to him. Next is Representative Kenny Wilk from Leavenworth area talking about advice from Rep. Bill Reardon, a Wyandotte county Democrat. Rep. Don Hineman, former Majority Leader speaks to the importance of "working across Show Morethe aisle." Senator Paul Feleciano had a similar comment. Rep. Bob Tomlinson, Insurance Chair had a great relationship with his ranking member. Rep. Carl Holmes was pulled off his post as chair of the Energy committee by the Speaker. Rep. Solbach spoke about the importance of socializing with members of the other party. Governor Graves was the next speaker talking about bipartisanship and his job as Governor in "taking care of the people's business." Senator Wint Winter was on a committee in 1986 trying to develop a state-wide plan for economic development. Heinemann concludes with more information on how the economic development task force was constructed and its successes. Show Less

Desegregating Topeka Public Schools – 45 years after Brown v. Board

In this 13-minute short video, taken from a longer oral history interview, Ben Scott - minister, NAACP official, former legislator, school board member--talks first about his experiences growing up in Liberty, Texas attending segregated schools. (Scott moved to Topeka to attend Washburn University.) In this clip, Scott describes how, after he became a member of the Topeka Public Schools Board of Education, the Board attempted to comply with a federal court order to desegregate schools. This clip could be used in conjunction with the lesson plan on Understanding Segregation. The full content of Show MoreScott's interview and transcript is in the KOHP collection, Diverse Voices in Public Policy. The interviewer is Joan Wagnon. There is more information about the court case in the Biography of The Honorable Richard Dean Rogers, Senior United States District Judge, a history prepared 1994-1995 by Homer Socolofsky, United States District Court, District of Kansas, 1995. Printed in U.SA. by Mennonite Press. Pertinent sections appear on pp. 106-107 and also pp. 111-113. Show Less

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/

Rivers, Roads and Railroads

Societies are shaped by people living in communities comprised and shaped by the identities, beliefs and practices of individuals and groups. Differing identities within communities requires change. What did that change look like over time? Use the Compelling Questions to analyze how Kansas was impacted by ease of transportation of people, goods and services. One Person One Vote shifted the balance between Urban and Rural - how did that shape Kansas? How did changing the composition of the legislature change Kansas? How long did that change take?

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.

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