As I debated whether to enter the world of educational
blogging (To
Blog or not to Blog . . .), one of my reservations was whether I would have
time to regularly update a blog. Over
the last few weeks, this concern became a reality. Although I have not updated Adventures in
History Class for a few weeks, I am not abandoning this venture and I am going
to make an effort to be more consistent in my posting.
This week I taught about John F. Kennedy’s assassination,
which is one of my favorite U.S. history lessons. I enjoy this lesson because I am personally
interested in the topic, but also due to the fact that it is one of the lessons
that students come back years later to talk about. Year after year this lesson piques student
interest while forcing them to think critically about every piece of
information.
My goal in presenting this lesson is to expose students to
the controversy surrounding JFK’s assassination while forcing them to interact
with historical details. I am not trying
to promote any conspiracy theories, but I do want students to recognize the
reasons why as
many as 80% of Americans have expressed doubts about the findings of the Warren
Commission. In the process, I am able
to incorporate a review of some of the key concepts we have studied throughout
our unit on the Kennedy administration.
I begin the lesson by showing the Zapruder Film. Before showing the film, I warn students that
it is a graphic video of a sensitive nature and they must be considerate of
this during the video. As we watch the
Zapruder Film, I ask students to describe what is shown and to detail any
evidence investigators could draw from the video.
After discussing the evidence in the video, we re-create the
scene of the crime. I display a diagram of Dealey Plaza
and explain how different parts of our classroom will represent key locations
within Dealey Plaza.
Next I assign students to take on the role of witnesses to
the assassination. Each student is given
a slip of paper including a brief summary of statements given by the witness
they represent (witness statements can be gathered and summarized from many
websites including: History
Matters: The JFK Assassination, JFK Online, and Spartacus Educational). Any combination of witness statements may be used;
I usually use Nellie Connally, Bob Jackson, Harold Norman, Jean Hill, Abraham
Zapruder, S.M. Holland, the Umbrella Man, and the Dark Complected Man. Additionally, I have students take on the
role of JFK, Jackie Kennedy, and John Connally, although these students are not
given slips to indicate their recollections.
I recognize that the credibility of some accounts of the assassination
have been questioned, but this spurs just the type of conversations that I want
students to have.
The students playing each role are placed in the appropriate
locations in the room to represent their vantage point in Dealey Plaza and we
go around the room with each student sharing a summary of the actions and/or
statements given by the person they represent.
Following each statement, students are allowed to ask questions and to
speculate as to how this testimony could provide clues to an investigator. As we discuss the various observations, I
throw in additional information following each account of the
assassination. Through this process I
incorporate background information on Lee Harvey Oswald, Oswald’s purported
actions following the assassination, the Magic Bullet theory, Jack Ruby’s role,
conflicting claims about the wounds suffered by JFK, and further information
about each witness and their account of the assassination.
Lastly, I ask students to analyze one of the theories posed
on Spartacus
Educational (scroll down about two-thirds of the way to the section titled
Primary Sources: Theories). After
analyzing one of these theories, students complete a writing assignment where
they either support or refute the theory they chose to read.
Inevitability, students are completely engrossed in the
conflicting evidence and various theories involving the assassination of John
F. Kennedy. This high level of engagement
along with seemingly contradictory evidence and accounts results in students
analyzing available data and thinking critically about all information, which
is exactly what I want students to do as they study the past.
