Signing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Bill. [LBJ Library photo by Frank Wolfe #C148-30-WH65]

Education

"I hope that visitors who come here will achieve a closer understanding of the presidency and that young people will get a clearer comprehension of what this nation tried to do in an eventful period of its history." - Lyndon Baines Johnson

Jump to: Education Programming | Bus Scholarships | Education Outreach Program
Special Programming | Professional Development | Curriculum Resources
Download our Group Visitor Guide

Education Programming

Below you'll find a list of activities and tours that students or adults can participate in at the LBJ Library. For a full list of guidelines and to make a tour or activity reservation, please visit our Group Tours page.

Is your school doing a self-guided tour while you're here? Plan ahead and download our helpful exhibit guides.

Standard Tours

Mini Presidential Tour
1 hour | Grade Level: PreK-3rd

The Mini Presidential Tour is a docent-led tour focusing on the role of the president. It includes a tour of the Oval Office, the Great Hall, LBJ's limousine, "What is an archive?" activity, and storytime. This tour is one hour and best suited for grades PreK-3rd.

Presidential Tour
1-2 hours | Grade Level: All

The Presidential Tour is a docent-led or self-guided tour which includes the Oval Office, Life in the White House, The First Ladies Gallery, LBJ's Presidency, and A Legacy of Liberty. This tour is approximately one to two hours and is suitable for all grade levels. Groups are encouraged to spend 30 minutes outside of the tour in our temporary galleries, when available.

Immersive Classroom Experiences

Note: We are not offering immersive classroom experiences for PreK-12 student groups this 2019-2020 school year. Our Introduction to Holdings experience is only available to college and university groups. (Please see below for primary source based curriculum from the LBJ Presidential Library education team.)

Introduction to Holdings
1 hour | Grade level: College and university

Participants will learn about the history of presidential libraries and will be introduced to the LBJ Library’s rich archival holdings and museum collection. An education specialist will also give a brief overview of how to conduct research at the library, as well as go over the resources available to conduct research online. Tip: Take a self-guided tour after participating in this activity and see how our holdings and collection items come to life.

Virtual Field Trip

Can't make it to the Library? No problem! Join us on a virtual field trip that takes you through the highlights of the Library's museum exhibitions. Listen to telephone conversations, watch historic film footage, and see key documents from President Johnson's time in office.

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Bus Scholarships

Made possible through the generous support of our Amplify Austin donors, we are offering bus scholarships to economically disadvantaged Pre-K-12 grade schools through the 2019-2020 school year. Transportation costs up to $250 will be reimbursed. Apply today!

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Education Outreach Program

The LBJ Presidential Library Education Outreach Program strives to extend library resources to schools, teachers, and students in communities across Texas. An education specialist from the LBJ Library can travel to your school, school district, or education service region to provide:

• Professional development for teachers (TEA CPE Provider)
• Educational programming for students
• TEKS-aligned lesson plans and resources

Topics include, but are not limited to, the presidency, civil rights, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the 1964 election. All costs associated with bringing an LBJ Library education specialist to your site will be covered if any of the following qualifications are met:

• Title I school
• Over 50% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch
• Rural school or community

Request a specialist today. For questions about the LBJ Library Education Outreach Program, please contact Education Specialist Mallory Lineberger at [email protected].

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Special Programming

Liberty! Equality! and Fireworks!

The Pollyanna Theatre Company returns to the LBJ Auditorium annually to perform Liberty! Equality! and Fireworks!, a powerful production that takes a new generation of theatergoers into the world of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. The action is set in a history museum where the play's characters, a group of 4th-grade students (portrayed by adult professional actors), experience key elements of our national history when iconic images from that period come to life. These characters entertain and enlighten, taking children on a fascinating journey through history. The play was written as a commission by award-winning playwright Gregory Perrin for the Pollyanna Theatre Company. It is intended for students in grades 3-7. 

Stay tuned for the 2021 performance dates.

Explore UT

The University of Texas at Austin hosts a campus-wide open house every year. Stay tuned for the 2021 date.

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Professional Development

The LBJ Library is certified by the Texas Education Agency as a provider of Continuing Education Credits (CEU) for Texas educators. Our workshops are open to educators and feature primary sources from our document, photo, and museum archival holdings. The workshops are created with teachers in mind, with goals to help educators expand their curriculum and develop their own skills in research and primary source work. Workshops can be arranged at any point during the year on a weekday when the museum is open to the public, in addition to pre-scheduled workshops.

Contact an Education Specialist for more information.

Upcoming

• June and July 2020. Educator Summer Webinar Series.
• June 8-9, 2020. Professional Development with Teaching Tolerance. Postponed
• July 13-17, 2020. LBJ Presidential Library Educator Institute.  Postponed

Past Workshops

• Feb. 26, 2020. From Grassroots to Government: Teaching the Civil Rights Movement with Primary Sources.
• June 10-13, 2019. Why Women Organize, four-day summer institute. View photos.
• June 25, 2019. Discover the 1960s through Primary Sources at the LBJ Presidential Library, one-day workshop. View photos.
• March 8, 2019. Inside the Executive Mansion: 200 Years of White House History, one-day workshop. View photos.

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Curriculum Resources

Exhibit Guides
Download exhibit guides to enhance your self-guided visit with your school.

The Spy's Dilemma
Age: Upper Elementary School to High School
Topics: Cold War, Space Race

Become a Soviet spy and evaluate documents from President Johnson's secret files to determine the most valuable information to bring back to Moscow. Download

A Civil Rights Investigation: Mississippi Burning
Age: High School
Topics: Civil Rights, Freedom Summer, Voting Rights

Investigate the disappearance of three civil rights workers during the Freedom Summer of 1964 using telephone conversations, oral histories, and documents as evidence to solve the case. Download

This frequently used lesson has also now been adapted to an online format ideal for independent and virtual learning settings. Visit it here.

We Shall Overcome: The Fight for Voting Rights
Age: High School
Topics: Civil Rights, Voting Rights, Bloody Sunday, States Rights

Follow the journey from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 using primary sources, including telephone conversations with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and telegram correspondence with Alabama Governor George Wallace. Download

Continuing the Great Society
Age: Middle School and High School
Topics: The Great Society, War on Poverty, Civil Rights, Education, Environment, Healthcare, Immigration, Voting Rights

Evaluate primary source documents related to President Johnson's Great Society programs and choose one program to update for today. Propose your updated legislation and take a vote to see which bills could be sent to the president’s desk. Download

Election Collection
Age: All grades
Topics: Presidential elections, political parties, political topics of the 1960s

Learn about the presidential election of 1964 by analyzing and evaluating objects from the Johnson and Goldwater campaigns. Make connections to other presidential elections through the National Archives platform, DocsTeach. Download

Piecing Together History: Gulf of Tonkin
Age: Middle and High School
Topics: Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam War, Presidential Decisions

Should the U.S. increase their military presence in Vietnam following the events of the summer of 1964? Participants will work in teams to gather evidence to determine how to advise the president, competing against other advisers to determine the order in which the president will hear your input. Download

Piecing Together History: The Voting Rights Act
Age: Middle and High School
Topics: Voting Rights, Civil Rights, Selma, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Governor George Wallace

Follow the journey for voting rights and evaluate primary sources to determine whether or not the Voting Rights Act was necessary. Teams will gather evidence to support a stance on voting rights legislation and will work towards completing a final secret task. Download

Presidential Powers
Age: Upper Elementary to High School
Topics: The presidency, presidential powers, roles of the president, Article II of the Constitution, United States government

The formal powers of the president were outlined in Article II of the Constitution, however the informal roles and responsibilities of the president have continued to evolve over the history of the United States. In this activity, students will examine primary sources to determine which presidential power it best represents. Download

Vietnam: A Presidential Decision
Age: High School
Topics: Vietnam War, Foreign Policy, Cold War, Presidential Decisions

Become part of the Johnson administration and learn what it takes to advise the president. In this simulation, students will advise President Johnson during a meeting with his National Security Council on whether or not he should escalate the bombing in Vietnam. Download

Highlights From Our Holdings: The Vietnam War
Access primary sources on the topic of the Vietnam War, including documents around the Gulf of Tonkin and escalation of the war, as well as telephone conversations with President Eisenhower, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy. Download

DocsTeach
DocsTeach is an online platform from the National Archives that allows teachers to explore thousands of primary sources, as well access or create primary source focused online activities. The activities listed below were created by the LBJ Presidential Library education team. For more information on how to use DocsTeach and create your own activities, here are some helpful instructional guides.

• Civil Rights or Freedom? When Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement Clashed
• The Path of Justice: Selma & the Voting Rights Act
• The Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution
• The Vietnam War Timeline: Understanding the Nature of a Controversial Conflict

History Channel Documentary - What the Hell is the Presidency For?
Lyndon Baines Johnson passed some of the most important civil rights legislation of the 1960s, which continues to impact Americans today. Discover how he used the power of the presidency to strike deals, make trades and form an alliance with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to bring civil rights to the forefront of American politics. A digital copy of the documentary and a viewing guide can be found here.

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