Freedom Summer Lesson Plans

    Lesson Plans for K-12

    The following curriculum guides focus on the events of Freedom Summer and were designed to be used with digitized primary sources in the Freedom Summer Digital Collections supported by the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives at Miami University. Digitized material relating to Freedom Summer can be found in two digital collections: The Freedom Summer Text & Photo Archive and the Freedom Summer AV Collection. Original materials can be viewed in person at the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives at Miami University in Oxford, OH.
  • Freedom to Read

    Grade: 1st

    A four-week lesson plan created Cindy Dean, the Library Media Teacher at Seven Mile Elementary School in Seven Mile, Ohio.

  • Freedom to Create

    Grade: 2nd and 3rd

    A four-week lesson plan created Cindy Dean, the Library Media Teacher at Seven Mile Elementary School in Seven Mile, Ohio.

  • Freedom to Explore

    Grade: 4th

    A four-week lesson plan created Cindy Dean, the Library Media Teacher at Seven Mile Elementary School in Seven Mile, Ohio.

  • Freedom to Be Me

    Grade: 5th

    A four-week lesson plan created Cindy Dean, the Library Media Teacher at Seven Mile Elementary School in Seven Mile, Ohio.

  • The Civil Rights Movement

    Grade: 6th, 7th and 8th

    An active learning lesson for social studies developed by Jacky Johnson, University Archivist at the Walter Havighurst Special Collections & University Archives.

  • The Civil Rights Movement

    Grade: 9th and 10th

    An active learning lesson for social studies developed by Laura Goley, a Spanish teacher at Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Ohio.

  • Freedom Summer: Learning From the Past to Empower the Future

    Grade: 10

    A six-day active lesson plan designed for 10th grade US History curriculum. Developed by K.W. Semrad, a US History teacher in Cincinnati, Ohio.

  • Civil Rights

    Grade: 11th & 12th Grades and College Level

    Discussion based lesson plans developed by Susan Williams, when she was a Graduate Student in the History Department at Miami University.

    • Lesson Plans for Adults

  • Student Activism in the 1960s and Today

    Grade: College Level

    An active learning social studies lesson developed by Dr. Alysia Fischer for university and college students.

  • Adult Level -- Freedom Summer Lesson Plan: Civil Rights

    Grade: Adult

    An active learning lesson developed for adults by Dr. Phil Cagwin.