Classroom Ideas from Past Festivals

2009 Laughter Study Guides

Art and History Teachers

Programs by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and playwright Jules Feiffer and University of Illinois art historian Jennifer Greenhill bridge the worlds of visual art and history. Study guides on their programs will appeal to art classes as well as classes on American history.

Study Guides:
Jules Feiffer [PDF, 146 KB]
Jennifer Greenhill [PDF, 270 KB]

History and Social Studies Teachers

Teachers who concentrate on American history and social studies might incorporate into their classes study guides on programs by Civil War scholar and author David Blight; author and cultural commentator Barbara Ehrenreich; comedians Firoozeh Dumas & Sandra Tsing Loh, and African American history scholars Glenda Carpio, Gerald Early, and Werner Sollors.

Study Guides:
David Blight [PDF, 101 KB]
Barbara Ehrenreich [PDF, 190 KB]
Carpio/Early/Sollors [PDF, 84 KB]
Firoozeh Dumas & Sandra Tsing Loh [PDF, 362 KB]
Tony Kushner [PDF, 459 KB]

Math and Economics Teachers

The study guide on Robert Reich's program focuses on economics.

Study Guides:
Robert Reich [PDF, 120 KB]

Science Teachers

Teachers with a focus on science and cognition will find our study guides on animal researcher Irene Pepperberg, neuroscientist Robert Provine, and psychology of play researcher Stuart Brown particularly interesting.

Study Guides:
Irene Pepperberg [PDF, 237 KB]
Robert Provine [PDF, 206 KB]
Stuart Brown [PDF, 154 KB]

Past Festivals & Events

The Chicago Humanities Festival has a rich tradition of providing educational materials to foster interest in the humanities and to help teachers to build the Festival into their lives and curricula. Teachers should feel free to adapt or modify any of the lesson plans archived here to suit their students' needs.