Lesson Introduction

_{Step 1  |  3–5 minutes}
Activity

Bellringer journal prompt: “How might friendship between people in power reshape our communities? Describe any examples you can think of.”

1. Teacher might provide students with specific examples of friendship in the public sphere, such as “The Squad” or even the famed members of Destiny’s Child reuniting for the end of Beyoncé’s tour.
2. Briefly discuss student responses then introduce the goal of the lesson: to explore the power of friendship and community in driving social and political change.

_{Step 2  |  3–5 minutes}
Activity

Brief gallery walk or slides viewing.

1. Provide students with slides of the four changemakers or print out for a gallery walk.
2. Students view profiles and choose one changemaker.
3. Students respond to the following questions regarding their chosen changemaker:
   •  What issue/social cause seems most important to this person? Why?
   • What challenges do you think they might have faced? Why?
4. Students may record responses digitally, on paper or verbally as class discussion.

_{Step 3  |  3–5 minutes}
Activity

Collaborative discussion using Nearpod or another discussion tool of the teacher’s choice. Students share their personal reflections on the overarching question What needs to change to make the world a better place? by answering/discussing the following questions:

1. What is one thing you wish were different in your school, neighborhood, or the world?
2. What challenges do you think you might face in trying to make these changes?
   • Briefly introduce the idea that students will create Civic Action Portfolios focusing on the desired change(s) they identified.
      

Direct Instruction (I Do)

_{Step 1}
Introduce the Four Changemakers

1. Briefly introduce Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Patricia Roberts Harris by reviewing the gallery stations/slide deck, providing students with additional information and context from the NWHM biographies.
2. Review vocabulary words.

_{Step 2}
Model Source Analysis

1. Choose one changemaker (e.g., Pauli Murray) and guide students through a sample primary source using the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool.
2. Highlight the historical context, the role of friendship/collaboration (if present), and the social issue addressed.

_{Step 3}
Set Purpose for Learning

1. Explain that students will explore how these women used personal relationships and community ties to push for social and legal reforms.
2. Clarify that students will gather evidence to present in a Community Forum.

Slides
Lesson Introduction, Hook and Direct Instruction  |  Slides 1–20 
Download +
 

Guided Practice (We Do)

_{Step 1}
Station Rotation Setup

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Assign each group a starting station (Roosevelt, Murray, RBG, or Harris).
3. Provide printed or digital access to primary sources and changemaker biographies at each station.

_{Step 2}
Station Analysis

At each station, students use the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool to guide their reading/viewing. The tool can be printed for student use or downloaded and typed into.

In addition to the primary source tool, students answer the following questions by writing their responses on poster-sized Post-it notes:

• What is the central issue discussed?
• How does friendship or community appear in the biography/primary source?
• What civic strategies are used or implied? 

Note: If completing a physical gallery walk, Post-it posters can be hung at each station for students to write on. If completing a digital gallery walk, Post-it posters can be provided directly to each group.

_{Step 3}
Community Forum

After rotating through stations, students discuss their findings as a class, referencing the notes taken at each station.

To save time, teachers may want to assign each group to complete the work for only one changemaker, incorporating the jigsaw learning strategy into the Community Forum:

Students from each station are “experts” on their assigned changemaker and teach their peers what they’ve learning during the Community Forum.

Slides
Changemaker Station Rotation  |  Slides 22–36
Download +

This slideshow includes 3 versions of the station rotation: 

Virtual
Students access the slides from their devices and “walk” through each station virtually

Digital
QR codes can be printed and hung up around the classroom for students to access sources digitally while still physical interacting around the room

Printed
Printable sources provided for students at each station throughout the classroom while video and audio sources can still be accessed via QR code.

1. Pauli Murray Print Materials
   •  Pauli Murray  |  National Women's History Museum
   • Image 69 of Evening star (Washington, D.C.), November 15, 1963  |  Library of Congress
   • Image 7 of The Michigan chronicle (Detroit, Mich.), June 24, 1944  |  Library of Congress
2. Eleanor Roosevelt Print Materials
   • Eleanor Roosevelt  |  National Women’s History Museum
   • Pauli Murray Correspondence with Eleanor Roosevelt and FDR  |  American Civil Liberties Union
3. Patricia Roberts Harris Print Materials
   • A Higher Standard: Patricia Roberts Harris  |  National Museum of African American History and Culture
   • Boundary Crossing for a Better Future: Pauli Murray, Patricia Roberts Harris, and the 1982 Mayoral Election in the District of Columbia  |  Unfolding History
4. Ruth Bader Ginsburg Print Materials
   • Ruth Bader Ginsburg  |  National Women's History Museum
   • In Unseen Interview, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Honors Pauli Murray  |  TIME
      

Independent Practice (You Do)

Further Breakdown: Slides 37–44
Download +

_{Step 1}
Introduce Portfolios

1. Remind students of their earlier reflection: “What needs to change to make the world a better place?”
2. Explain that Civic Action Portfolios will use lessons from the four historical changemakers as a blueprint.

_{Step 2}
Student Planning

1. Students identify one local, school-based, or community issue they are passionate about.
2. Using digital tools (Canva, Google Slides, etc.), students draft a Civic Action Portfolio that includes:
   • The issue they’re addressing
   • Why it matters
   • Possible challenges
   • Proposed actions inspired by Murray, Harris, Ginsburg, or Roosevelt
   • Any friends, allies, or mentors they could involve

_{Step 3}
Presentations

Students are given an opportunity to share their Civic Action Portfolio (as time allows).
 

Closure/Exit Ticket 

Prompt
“Which changemaker’s story resonated most with you—and why?”

Students write a brief reflection to assess emotional engagement and conceptual takeaways.