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Rotation in Office
Eleventh graders explore the concept of the spoils system. In this presidential history lesson, 11th graders examine Andrew Jackson's Inaugural Address as well as a letter to him from Mary Barney in order to gain an understanding of the...
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President Writing Prompt
In this writing prompt worksheet, students write a story using the writing prompt, 'If I were the President, I would...' Students write their story on the provided lines.
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The Inaugural Speech: Setting The Tone For The Administration Of A President
Students investigate the Inaugural Speech of the President of The United States while comparing two speeches. They conduct research to find the two speeches on the internet and look at them side by side. The lesson includes background...
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A President's Home and the President's House
Students examine the differences between the White House and Monticello. In small groups, they complete a virtual tour, complete a graphic organizer, take notes during the tour, and identify activities taking place at the White House.
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Saddam Hussein and Modern Iraq
Take your class through a moment in modern history in this presentation, which details the rise of Saddam Hussein and the dynamics between Iraq and its neighbors during the Persian Gulf War and the current Iraq war. Though slightly...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: The Bush and Clinton Years
Examine how the Bush and Clinton years are an example of political dynasties. This cartoon provides a way to explore the concept and activate critical thinking skills in order to better grasp U.S. Politics. A fun and educational way to...
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Electoral College: Does My Vote Count?
How can a candidate get the most votes, yet still lose the race for the presidency? This is has happened more than once in American history, including in the elections of 2000 and 2016. Using an activity for creating group notes, young...
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Teaching Summarization
Examine the process of summarizing a piece of text using the book So You Want to Be a President? Kids review the definitions for main idea, topic sentences, superordinate terms, and supporting details. Next, they work in small...
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Andrew Jackson and the Formation of Political Parties
Eighth graders explore the political election process. They identify how the system changed during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Students use analogies and discussion, and answering questions to explore Jackson and his cabinet. ...
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Choosing the Next President
Students use comparative Internet research to formulate a prediction regarding the next president of the United States. They give presentations each week on how his or her candidate is faring in the political race.
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Like Father, Like Son: Presidential Families
Students examine the role of the President. They discuss the President's responsibilities and compare both father/son presidents (Adams and Bush).
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Writing Prompt - Letter to the President
In this letter to the president instructional activity, students use the letter format that includes the students' address and President Barack Obama's. Students then write a letter to President Obama.
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Adding and Subtracting for President's Day
In this adding and subtracting for President's Day worksheet, 3rd graders use the example to find a president's birthday on the calendar.
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Lincoln 2.0
Students investigate the Presidential history of Abraham Lincoln by completing a multimedia project. In this U.S. politics lesson plan, students examine the image of Lincoln on a penny and work in groups to research Lincoln's life...
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Judicial Void
Students explore the impact of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. They research potential nominees to replace her, in light of her resignation, and write letters to President George W. Bush to share opinions of the...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: A Parody of Broken Promises
Parodies of political figures are the lifeblood of the editorial cartoons in a free press. North Korea's nuclear threat provides young political scientists an opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills as they analyze a...
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Bombs Away!
Examine the different perspectives on the future of United States Navy bombing exercises taking place on Vieques, Puerto Rico with this lesson plan from The New York Times. Here, young learners read "Islanders to Vote on Vieques Bomb...
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Current Events Quiz #3
Useful as a blast from the past, this current events activity is outdated (Fall 2001). Many global events are part of these fifty questions, but quite a few of them are very specific to pop culture and sports. This could be helpful in a...
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Exploring the Controversial Plan to Drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Students examine the Bush Administration's plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from varying points of view. They work in small groups in order to perform their research, but they compose individual journal writes...
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3 Branches of Our Government
This straightforward fill-in-the-blank activity could be used for a variety of purposes. Young historians are given 10 sentences about the branches of government; they fill in the blanks with terminology that is related to the United...
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Getting to Know the Presidents
In this presidents worksheet, students use given web site sources to complete a graphic organizer comparing pairs of presidents, 5 pairs total.
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The Art of Speech
Young scholars discuss President Bush's goals for his second term in office. After reading an article, they identify the major themes of his second inaugural address. In groups, they brainstorm ideas and create murals to illustrate them...
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Presidents and the Constitution: George W. Bush and the Case of Bush v. Gore (2000)
Students examine the impact of court decisions. In this Supreme Court lesson, students read the Bush v. Gore case study regarding the presidential election of 2000. Students take notes on the case and respond to discussion questions...
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The Brief American Pageant: The American People Face a New Century
The political landscape of Y2K is the focus of this series of slides, which cover the later years of the 20th century. Charts detail the poverty and social welfare rates in the 20th century, as well as a pie graph displaying the sources...