Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP

  Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.

  • Summarize what you know about the history of the White House.
  • Is the White House a home, a museum, an office, or a stage? Explain.

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the following introductory video clip of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum exhibits specialist James Wagner discussing the impetus for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's restoration of the White House. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

  Clip #1: Seeds Planted (2:06).

  • What left Jacqueline Kennedy “disappointed” after her first visits to the White House?
  • When was the idea for First Lady Kennedy’s White House restoration “born?”
  • Based on the clip, what was First Lady Kennedy’s primary complaint about the White House?

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage.

  We recommend having your students complete the activity in a jigsaw format to save time. Or, depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students engage in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student is responsible for completing one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson.

  Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• BACKGROUND

  Direct students to the background section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following three video clips that provide background information about First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's restoration of the White House and the televised tour of the White House public rooms on Valentine’s Day 1962. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #2: The Restoration (3:17).

  • How did First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy “hit the ground running” in 1960 and the first days of the Kennedy administration?
  • What “quickly became apparent,” and what steps did First Lady Kennedy take in 1961?
  • Define the “status” that Public Law 87-286 gave to the White House.
  • According to James Wagner, what roles did First Lady Kennedy play in the restoration?

• Clip #3: Televised Tour (8:27).

  • Why did First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy agree to “be part of the broadcast?”
  • Based on the clip, how did First Lady Kennedy prepare for the televised tour? When and how was the tour filmed?
  • How did the program begin, and what did First Lady Kennedy “make clear?”
  • Compare First Lady Kennedy’s restoration efforts in the Diplomatic Reception Room, East Room, State Dining Room, Red Room, Blue Room, and Green Room.
  • According to James Wagner, what did President John F. Kennedy do in the program’s final scene? Why?

• Clip #4: Viewership (1:02).

  • Based on the clip, how popular was the broadcast?
  • According to James Wagner, how many people watched the broadcast within the first few weeks?
  • What “fan mail” did First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy receive?

• THE TOUR

  Have students access the full-length version of A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy (57:36) from the DailyMotion link provided in the graphic organizer.

  Depending on your time constraints and goals for the lesson, you may choose to have your students view the entire program or skim through points of personal interest or intrigue.

  Have students record their thoughts and findings from the program in the chart in their graphic organizers, including: (1) their notes from the broadcast, what they (2) observe, (3) what reflections they have, (4) what questions they have, and (5) what warrants further investigation. In lieu of using the graphic organizer provided, students can also record their responses on this chart from the Library of Congress.

  For helpful guiding questions, consult the Library of Congress' Teacher's Guide for Analyzing Motion Pictures.

• REFLECTION

  Direct students to the reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following two video clips that provide reflective thoughts about the lesson. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.

• Clip #5: Henry Francis du Pont (1:52).

  • Who was the “greatest scholar” of Americana and antique furniture?
  • According to James Wagner, what role did First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy ask this individual to serve? Why?
  • Based on the clip, how committed was First Lady Kennedy to the restoration of the White House?

• Clip #6: Momentum Since (3:03).

  • What did “every First Lady” after Jacqueline Kennedy do? Why?
  • Based on the clip, what role did First Lady Kennedy take after leaving the White House?
  • According to James Wagner, do any rooms of the White House resemble First Lady Kennedy’s restoration?

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished with the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having learned about First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's White House restoration and 1962 televised tour, assess the impact and significance of both the restoration and tour as part of American history. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your response.