1. Book and lesson: All the Way to the Top, by Annette Bay Pimentel, tells the childhood story of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, who climbed all the way to the top of the stairs of the US capitol in 1990 to encourage congress to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). K-4.
2. The Keep S’myelin Activity Book is a 28-page colorful, engaging, informative, and reassuring interactive publication to help children and their parents talk and learn about MS together. It is filled with stories, interviews, games, and activities on a variety of topics related to MS. Grades 1-4.
3. Learning for Justice: Change Agents in Our Own Lives: Students identify individuals in their own lives who embody heroism and think about the various roles people play in conflicts, Grades 3-5 and 6-8.
4. Expressing Emotions: Explore a Feelings Wheel with students as a tool for describing feelings. How can we better communicate about our feelings using words? Using art?
5. Disease: Create an opportunity for children to talk about diseases that have touched their own lives. Jessie had multiple sclerosis (MS), which affects the nervous system. Read the account of 14 year old Allison who had MS. How did Jessie use art to express her emotions about her disease?
6. Protest Signs: What is a protest? What did Jessie Jane Lewis protest, and how? What other protests have you heard about? How can you use art in protests? What is something you would want to protest?
Middle School
1. Poetry Inspired by Art: Students look at the work of Jessie Jane Lewis to understand that art & poetry can both be meaningful tools for expressing difficult feelings.
2. Multiple Sclerosis: Allison's Story: Students will make connections between art and other disciplines by viewing Ms. Lewis' artwork and reading the account of Allison, a girl diagnosed with MS at age 14.
3. Accessibility: What is it? What does it mean? How can buildings be made inclusive to people with disabilities? Visit your local public library with an eye for disability. Are there any potential obstacles for someone in a wheelchair, or for someone who is blind?
4. Bees: Some say honeybee venom is medicinal. Ms. Lewis used bees to sting herself--on purpose! She said it helped her combat fatigue, gave her bursts of energy and brought back feeling to her legs. Does anyone still use “bee venom therapy” today? If you had MS, would you try it? Why do you think Ms. Lewis tried it?
High School
1. Access is a Civil Right:This lesson plan is a guide for how you can have a discussion with your students about the history of the ADA and, more specifically, the Capitol Crawl, which was a protest that was successful in urging congress to vote on the ADA. The lessons center around a 9 minute video that tells the story of the Capitol Crawl. There is a worksheet that goes with this lesson. Grades 7-9.
2. Perspectives taking: what might it feel like to have a disability? How would you want people to interact with you? How would you want people not to interact with you? What are microaggressions for people with disabilities?
3. Voting rights: What did Ms. Lewis fight for when it came to voting rights? What was the problem? What does it mean for every citizen to have the right to vote? When are citizens not able to vote? What are absentee ballots? Why was Ms. Lewis against them? How has the use of absentee ballots changed since the early 2000’s? Do you think Ms. Lewis would be against absentee ballots today?
K-12
1. Drawing Emotions in Art: Students will examine how artists have expressed emotion through use of line, color and shapes. Students will show awareness and understanding on non-objective art, explore how lines and shapes can express emotions, and communicate a variety of emotions using line, shape and values to create form. Students can then view the the JJL exhibit in person or online to explore the expression of emotion in Ms. Lewis' work.
2. Explore the quotes throughout this website. Write about one the speaks to you.