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.

  • Who have been the most successful politicians in U.S. history?
  • Why have these individuals been successful?

• INTRODUCTION

  Play the following introductory video clip of biographer, author of Ted Kennedy: A Life, and former Boston Globe reporter John Farrell providing an overview of Ted Kennedy's life and provides context for his life. 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: The Liberal Cause (4:19).

  • How does John Farrell describe “the politician and the man” Ted Kennedy?
  • Describe the process in which the Kennedys became “symbols of the American left.”
  • Based on the clip, how does liberalism today compare to that of Ted Kennedy’s version?
  • How and why have politics and the U.S. Senate changed since the Kennedy era, according to Farrell?

• 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 define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.

  Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes 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 detail Ted Kennedy’s background and rise to political office. 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: Family Life and Childhood (4:40).

  • What was the most important influence on Ted Kennedy, according to John Farrell?
  • Describe the Kennedy family and its impact on Ted Kennedy, based on the clip.
  • According to Farrell, what relationship did Ted Kennedy have with his older brothers?
  • Summarize how the Kennedy “legacy” passed from father to sons and ultimately to Ted Kennedy.

• Clip #3: Marriage and Children (3:18).

  • Why was Ted Kennedy’s marriage “sad?”
  • According to John Farrell, what impact did life stresses have on John Bennett Kennedy?
  • Based on the clip, how were Ted and Joan Kennedy’s children impacted by the “tragic” marriage and other life events?

• Clip #4: To The U.S. Senate (4:01).

  • According to John Farrell, how and why did Ted Kennedy become a U.S. Senator?
  • Based on the clip, what was the U.S. Senate like in 1962?
  • Summarize the role of Everett Dirksen and the perceived purpose of government during this era, according to Farrell.

• CAREER AND CHALLENGES

  Direct students to the career and challenges section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following six video clips that provide information about the political career of Ted Kennedy and the challenges he faced throughout his life. 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: Assassination of John F. Kennedy (1:39).

  • Where was Ted Kennedy when he learned of his brother’s assassination, according to John Farrell?
  • Based on the clip, what role did Ted Kennedy have in the aftermath of the assassination?

• Clip #6: Serving With His Brother (1:49).

  • What did Ted and Robert F. Kennedy accomplish for the first time since the 1880s, according to John Farrell?
  • For what two things was there “never any doubt?”
  • Based on the clip, what was Ted Kennedy asked to “shoulder?” Why?
  • Summarize the disagreement that Ted and Robert F. Kennedy had in 1968, according to Farrell.

• Clip #7: Another Assassination and PTSD (5:12).

  • How old was Ted Kennedy when his brother Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated? What do you hear in the excerpt of his eulogy?
  • According to John Farrell, what toll did the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy have on Ted Kennedy? Why?
  • What was “taboo?” How did Ted Kennedy “assuage his grief” after 1968?
  • Based on the clip, why did the press not report on Ted Kennedy’s “flaws” early on?

• Clip #8: The Chappaquiddick Incident (6:01).

  • What do you hear in the excerpt of Ted Kennedy’s statement in response to the 1969 Chappaquiddick Incident?
  • According to John Farrell, how many hours passed before Ted Kennedy reported the incident to police? Why was this “craven?”
  • Based on the clip, what was Ted Kennedy convicted for and what sentence did he receive?
  • How did the Chappaquiddick Incident impact Ted Kennedy’s “political effectiveness?”

• Clip #9: The National Stage (4:31).

  • Why was 1976 Ted Kennedy’s “best bet” to become President of the United States?
  • What was the impact of the “rivalry” between Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy? Why did Ted Kennedy “admire” Ronald Reagan?
  • Why did Ted Kennedy “self-sabotage” during the 1980 Presidential Election?

• Clip #10: Later Senate Career (6:33).

  • What was the “most fruitful” era of Ted Kennedy’s Senate career?
  • What do you hear during the excerpt of Ted Kennedy speaking about the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act (1990)? Why does John Farrell call it “an amazing moment?”
  • According to Farrell, how was Ted Kennedy a “key factor” in most major legislation during the era?
  • Based on the clip, how did Ted Kennedy help shape the modern Supreme Court?

• REFLECTION

  Direct students to the reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following video clip that provides reflections from the final year of Ted Kennedy’s life. 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 #11: His Final Year (5:44).

  • According to John Farrell, with what illness was Ted Kennedy diagnosed in 2008?
  • Based on the clip, who did Ted Kennedy endorse in the 2008 Presidential Election? Why was this “a shock?”
  • Summarize what you hear in the excerpt of Ted Kennedy from the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Why was this speech “incredible?”
  • What was the issue of Ted Kennedy’s career? According to Farrell, how did he spend the last months of his life working on the issue?

• CLOSURE

  After your students are finished sharing their findings from the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers, and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having now learned about the life and career of Ted Kennedy, describe the legacy of the "Lion of the Senate." Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.