Summer 2020 Education Series
JFK Library Teaching and Learning Tuesdays
From the Library's Department of Education and Public Programs Team
July 28, 2020
Summer, Sky, and the Space Around Us


Featuring a "visit" to the Library and the JFK Centennial exhibit, as well as resources and activities focusing on Space initiatives then and now
Visit our Pavilion on Dorchester Bay!
JFK Library Pavilion 360
Museum visitors end their tour of the JFK Library in the 115-foot-high glass pavilion designed by I.M. Pei. Courtesy of Google, you can now explore this space from the comfort of your own home! Find the American flag that I.M. Pei included to represent the presidency as President Kennedy did not want any statues of himself at the Library.
Virtual Exhibition Highlight
JFK 100 - Milestones and Mementos
This exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s birth with a presentation of items drawn mostly from the collections of the Kennedy Library. 
Primary Sources
President Kennedy Tours Cape Canaveral Video
Watch this silent motion picture containing scenes of President John F. Kennedy visiting Cape Canaveral, Florida on September 11, 1962. The very next day, on September 12, 1962, he would give his "We Choose to Go to the Moon" speech at Rice University in Houston, TX.
Television and Radio Remarks
Following the Flight of Astronaut Gordon Cooper
Explore this sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s radio and television address following the flight by Astronaut Gordon Cooper on the Faith 7 spacecraft, the final manned Space mission of the US Mercury program.
Congratulating Major Cooper on Orbital Flight
Listen to this brief sound recording of a telephone conversation held on May 16, 1963, in which President Kennedy congratulates Major Gordon Cooper on his orbital flight.
Activity of the Week
Origami LEM
John F. Kennedy set a goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s. On July 20, 1969, three American astronauts fulfilled President Kennedy's vision. Your students can make their own Origami LEM (Lunar Excursion Module) to explore this historic moment and learn more about the technology of spaceflight.
ISS Near You
Image Credit: NASA
Spot the Space Station
Several times a week, Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, determines sighting opportunities for over 6,700 locations worldwide. If your specific city or town isn't listed, pick one that is fairly close to you. The space station is visible for a long distance around each of the listed locations.
Additional Resources
Space Resources at the JFK Library
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation have created many resources and held numerous events about the “Space Race” and the legacy of the President's challenge to the nation to send a man to the Moon and return him safely to Earth by the end of the 1960s. On this page, you will find two resources that highlight these activities and extensive materials with applications for classroom use.
Bonus Activity and Podcast
Spot the Space Spinoff
Advancements in Space travel technologies have led to changes in everyday technology. Try this activity to learn about the different ways that spaceflight has changed everyday life.
Apollo 11 at 50:
International Astronauts
Astronauts Dr. Tracy Caldwell Dyson (US) and Koichi Wakata (Japan) discuss what it's like to live in space and the future of Space exploration.
In Case You Missed It...
JFK Library's Teaching and Learning Tuesdays 7/21
Last week's email featured John Lewis' acceptance speech for the Profile in Courage Award; his reflections on receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor; his oral history from the Kennedy Library Archives ; " Literature on the Civil Rights Era for Young Readers," "Leaders in the Struggle for Civil Rights: John Lewis," and "Summer Reading for Teachers and Older Teens" resources; " Investigating the March on Washington - for Online Learning" lesson plan; the 1963: The Struggle for Civil Rights interactive timeline; and "The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom " panel and keynote, and "The March on Washington" Forum transcript.

In addition, all past emails from this series are available on the Library's website.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Columbia Point, Boston, MA 02125
(617) 514-1600
Open 7 Days 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.