Analyze a seminal speech from the 20th century with an activity focused on President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. After reading an excerpt from the address, pupils use a worksheet to practice their reading comprehension skills and analyze key phrases.

Concepts

john f. kennedy, presidential inaugurations, persuasive speeches, reading comprehension, reading comprehension strategies, primary source analysis, text analysis, informational texts

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Consider finding an audio version of the speech to play for the students as they read along
• Supplement the worksheet with other media, such as video, online interactive websites, or magazine clippings, to engage learners in the subject matter

Classroom Considerations

• It will be important for pupils to have enough historical context to frame their understanding of this speech; consider how Kennedy came to power, what major conflicts he faced, and the primary social issues of the late 1950s and early 1960s

Pros

• Includes some suggested responses to worksheet questions
• Good resource for primary source/speech analysis

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.9-10.4