Did you know that the FBI gathered a file on Fulton Sheen? From 1943-to the mid 1950s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation kept tabs on Fulton Sheen, including his speeches, travels, and writings.
What did they find? Rather than discover something bad, the FBI file reveals Sheen’s holiness and good work in the world. I've used excerpts from Sheen's FBI file in my classroom as a high interest investigation for my students about his life. They are curious what kind of information the FBI might have collected, and by reading the articles, correspondence, and reports, they come to know some of the character of this future Saint.
In particular, there is a four page report that summarizes the observations, some humorous, that the agents recorded about Sheen. After reading that report, my students have been able to list characteristics that Fulton Sheen was known for, even to an outside observer. It's an engaging way for them to learn more about his life!
I've used this in both my classroom with junior high students as well as at a large family event with a variety of ages.
Supplies:
- FBI File Excerpt (recommended section linked below, can reuse with more than one student)
- Memos (copies for the students to write their own report)
- Optional- Highlighters (Fun to have them mark the significant facts about Sheen that they "discover")
- Optional- Stamps (I got this Top Secret stamp and it was a HUGE hit. Old date stamps, a seal, etc. make the activity more interactive)
- Optional- File Folders (I intentionally pulled out old, marked up file folders to store the reports in. You could write on them, stamp them, etc. Or use a sealed manila envelope that the students get to open!)
- Optional- Magnifying Glasses (also just a fun, interactive element. I grabbed this set for our big family program.)
- Have children pretend to be an undercover agent and examine one of the FBI files on Fulton Sheen. They can use the magnifying glasses and highlighters.
- Once they have discovered some facts about Sheen in their investigation, have them write a memo to their FBI supervisor about three facts they’ve observed about Fulton Sheen.
- They can use the stamps to mark their memo “top secret” and take it with them!
You can find the entire FBI file here.
Click here for the FBI "Memo" the students can fill out. (I created this using scraps and artifacts from the FBI file):
Click here for brief instructions for this activity:
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