Middle School Programs
Campaigning with Character
Are your students ready for the upcoming presidential campaign? Help your student understand political commercials through Campaigning with Character. Grounded in President Ford’s 1976 campaign, students will learn about the characteristics of great leaders and how to communicate these characteristics when running for office. Students will explore the Museum, and apply what they have learned by creating a campaign commercial for Ford today. All needed supplies and technology are provided.
Grades: 3-5; 60 students maximum
Program Lengths: 2 hours, 3 hours, or 4 hours
Taking a Stand: Making Choices with Integrity
Based on the story of a 1934 football game in which Georgia Tech refused to play the University of Michigan unless Willis Ward, an African American player for U of M and friend of Gerald Ford, was benched during the game. In this lesson, students will explore how the concept of integrity relates to making decisions when faced with a dilemma and using one’s voice to help solve the problem. Students will examine how Ford faced a dilemma that he later described as a personal crisis as he decided whether or not to play in a football game that excluded a player based solely on race. Students will discuss the responsibility we all have when faced with injustice and will learn that they, too, can create change.
Grades: 6-8; 60 student maximum
Program Length: 4 hours
Amending the Constitution
Our nation’s Constitution has been amended 27 times since its ratification. Help your students understand how the Constitution is amended in this lesson about the 25th Amendment and Equal Rights Amendment, both important to Gerald and Betty Ford’s lives, while giving students a taste of the complexity of the amendment process. Museum exhibits and primary source documents provide students with content and context.
Grades: 6-8; 60 student maximum
Program Length: 2 hours, 3 hours, or 4 hours
Unlocking the Character Code: The Gerald R. Ford BREAKOUT Game
This activity helps students to engage with the Museum in new ways. After a guided tour of the Museum, students work together in teams to solve character-related clues throughout the exhibits in order to unlock a secret code and reap the reward. This activity is great for team-building and developing critical thinking skills. “Unlocking the Character Code” can be added onto one of our other programs, or can serve as a stand-alone experience.
Grades 6-8; 40 student maximum
Program Length: 2 hours or 3 hours
Model of Courage: How First Lady Betty Ford Used Her Voice to Enact Positive Change
Through an interactive Museum tour and exploration of primary sources such as letters and video, students will learn about First Lady Betty Ford’s courage in using her voice to bring awareness to important issues such as health care and women’s rights. Students will then be challenged to use their voices for good as they create their own public service announcements to bring awareness to an issue of importance in today’s world.
Grades: 5-12; 60 student maximum
Program Length: 2 hours, 3 hours, or 4 hours