KU Council for the Social Studies (KUCSS)

KU Council for the Social Studies is an undergraduate education student group affiliated with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).

The Public Education Coordinator mentors students and assists on presentations at NCSS’s annual national conference. The KU students, in turn, produce high quality, peer- and teacher-reviewed lesson plans with classroom experience.

Activities & Materials

One Person’s Journey toward Equality for Those with Disabilities: Moving from the Personal to Global

Senator Bob Dole and the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Grade level: Middle and High School

These instructional materials include background on Senator Bob Dole’s life prior to and after his injury in WWII, which set the foundation for his later life as a public servant.

Authors: Joe O’Brien, Tina M. Ellsworth, Caitlin Scheckel and Chris Fellows

Contributors: Audrey Coleman, Senior Archivist, Dole Institute of Politics. Acknowledgements: Thank you to Zach White, Social Studies Teacher at Greensburg High School in Greensburg, Kansas, for his feedback on the materials.

Bipartisanship and the ADA: Past, Present, and Future

Senator Bob Dole and the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Grade level: Middle and High School

In this lesson, students will explore the meaning of bipartisanship through practice and critical thinking. In practice, students have the opportunity to challenge real life situations and decisions through the application of the Accessibility for Disabilities Act on the local and federal level.

Authors: Chris Fellows, Joe Segraves, and Eric McGrane

Contributors: Audrey Coleman, Senior Archivist, Dole Institute of Politics; Joe O’Brien, University of Kansas; Tina Ellsworth, University of Kansas.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to Zach White, Social Studies Teacher at Greensburg High School in Greensburg, Kansas; and Mark Schiltz, Bonner Springs High School, Bonner Springs, Kansas for their feedback on the materials.

The ADA Goes Global: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Grade level: 9-12 (Civics, Government)

During this two day lesson students use primary sources to analyze arguments that were presented in 2012 when the U.S. Senate considered the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). In separate groups students first consider one argument in depth and then present each argument to their peers in a second group. The class then comes together to deliberate whether the U. S. should ratify the CRPD. This lesson helps students to understand the mechanisms for treaty ratification, as well as the consequences of ratifying the CRPD. Additionally, students practice valuable skills in document analysis and argumentation.

Authors: Kelsey Consolver, Sean Duff, Ben Honeycutt, Joey Franzitta, Josh Lutz, and Julie Clover, Public Education Coordinator – Dole Institute of Politics

Contributors: Joe O’Brien, University of Kansas and Tina Ellsworth, University of Kansas

Presented as part of the session, "Commemorate Social Justice: Bipartisanship and the ADA!" at the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference on November 14, 2015, in New Orleans, LA.

Government Food Programs Across Time: A Healthy Recipe for Equity and Peace?

Grade level: 9-12 (Civics, Government)

This lesson plan is designed to introduce students to the idea of food and hunger’s role in inequality and the government’s ability to address inequality through food programs such as WIC, Food for Peace, Food Stamps, and School Lunches.

Authors: Kelsey Consolver, Josh Lutz, Noel Miller, McKenna Jones, Kate Ebbert, Ashley Singharaj

Contributors: Joe O’Brien, Tina Ellsworth, and Julie Clover

Presented as part of the session, "When Liberty and Equality Collide: Discrimination within Equal Protection Clause?" at the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference on December 3, 2016 in Washington, D.C.