DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM
Education Department Mission Statement
Teacher Resources
Primary Sources | Workshops | 5 Star Leaders | School House to White House
DDE Life Series | WWII Spy Kit | Presidential Campaigns | The Electoral College
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library offers a variety of educational experiences tailored to furthering the Eisenhower experience for teachers and students.
Working With Primary Sources
Onsite research experiences for secondary students may be tailored to the needs of the students and the requirements of the class. Teachers who would like more information about bringing a class of students to the Eisenhower Library for original research should contact the archives staff.
Primary Sources
The manuscript and audiovisual archives at the Library contain many documents and photographs that may be useful to students working on historical papers, exhibit projects, media or dramatic performances. Scanned copies of original documents and photographs relating to topics such as the Interstate Highway System, the development of the Interstate Highway System, The Salk Polio Vaccine, World War II, The Jewish Holocaust and many more are included in The Digital Documents & Photographs section.
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Educators Workshops
Teachers come to the Eisenhower Library to research with original documents, to develop document-based curriculum, and to attend conferences and workshops on a wide variety of topics related to the life and times of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the presidency.
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Five Star Leaders Program
What is Five Star Leaders?
Five Star Leaders is an experiential-learning leadership program which challenges students in grades 8-12, college students, and adults to work together to solve a problem, confront a crisis, or accomplish a mission. Armed with original documents and knowledge of history and leadership, students take on the same challenges as those experienced by historical figures.
Teachers and students complete four classroom modules to prepare for a half-day experience at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas. On site, students assume the roles of historical characters while immersed in an historic event. What they experience mirrors, as closely as possible, the authentic experience of the original history makers. At the conclusion of a challenging and exciting day, students depart with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the requirements of democratic leadership and decision making.
What are the classroom modules?
Module 1 —Students explore the concept of leadership. They learn about theories of leadership and come to realize that effective leadership is a complex, yet essential, endeavor in a democratic society.
Module 2 —Students apply what they have learned about leadership by identifying and evaluating examples in documents that address leaders and leadership situations.
Module 3 —Students acquire the historical background and context for one of three pivotal historic events. In addition, they become acquainted with the historic characters they will portray and that character’s role in the overall operation.
Module 4 —Working in teams, students read and analyze documents as they prepare for the half-day onsite module at the Eisenhower Library.
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What will students experience at the Eisenhower Library?
Module 5 —Students come to the library to recreate the sequence of events associated with one of three historic scenarios. As they progress through the module, students put into practice what they have learned about leadership, decision making, and history while completing their mission.
What happens after the onsite experience?
Module 6 —Returning to the classroom, students will reflect on all they have learned about democratic leadership and decision making and how they might apply the principles of Five Star Leadership to the challenges of today and tomorrow.
To read more about Five Star Leaders.
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School House to White House
Curriculum sets have been developed for the exhibit "School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents" which will be on display at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library from March 3 - May 31, 2008. These learning activities are targeted for Kindergarten through 8th grade levels:
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
Middle School
The Eisenhower Life Series (grades 5-12)
The Eisenhower Life Series traces the life and times of Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1890 until 1969 utilizing primary sources from the holdings of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library. This series is published by the Eisenhower Foundation.
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World War II Spy Kit: The Great Nazi Intelligence Coup
by David Haight, Archivist
World War II Spy Kit: The Great Nazi Intelligence Coup
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and The Eisenhower Foundation invite teachers and students to download materials from World War II Spy Kit: The Great Nazi Intelligence Coup. This engaging simulation/project is designed to introduce students to primary source material by having them participate in an exercise in historical "what might have been". Students will engage in critical thinking and document analysis and through the process, will learn more about Operation OVERLORD and World War II in general.
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Presidential Campaigns
The Living Room Candidate - Presidential Campaign Commercials, 1952-2004 This American Museum of the Moving Image
online exhibition presents more than 250 television commercials from every election year beginning in 1952, when the first campaign ads aired, to ads from the 2004 campaign. The site includes a searchable database and features commentary, historical background, election results, and navigation organized by both year and theme. For the 1968 election, for example, the site features commercials for Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, and George Wallace. Material included: Lessons plans, video, and essays.
Electoral College
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/
National Archives and Records Administration, Office of the Federal Register
Kinds of Materials: Documents, data, teaching resources
Describes the Electoral College, provides information for state officials, and presents historical election results.
Visit The Reader's Digest Eisenhower Foundation Education Center on the Eisenhower Foundation website for additional teacher resources.
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Student Resources
We prepared The Student Resources Section to assist students in obtaining information that may apply to research projects or general interest areas. This information was compiled from the most requested topics received by the Library staff. Please select Student Resources from left menu for more information.
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Educational Program Mission Statement: To preserve and make available to the general public, to students and teachers, to scholars, and to all interested citizens, the history of General of the Army and President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the times in which he lived, through dynamic outreach, creative onsite programs, relevant educational materials, and online resources.
For more information about the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum Education programs contact the Education Office at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library and Museum at 1- 877-RING IKE or by email: kim.barbieri@nara.gov.
The Eisenhower Foundation
The Eisenhower Foundation's mission is to honor Dwight D. Eisenhower and to perpetuate his important legacy; to encourage and support educational activities relating to citizenship; and to support the non-federally funded operation of the Eisenhower Presidential Center. Your membership by joining others in the Friends of the Eisenhower Foundation will play a key role in celebrating the life of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
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