C-SPAN
Evaluating Historical Presidential Campaign Ads
Political ads flood the airwaves each election cycle. An activity including more than a dozen political ads from iconic presidential campaigns helps learners unpack how the sausage gets made during election "silly season." Using the...
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Why Was the United States Filled With Self-Doubt at the End of the Carter Administration?
Learners research the events of the 1960s and 1970s using the internet. In groups, they draw their own political cartoons about one of the events. They also write a summary about how one specific event of their choosing gave the United...
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Red, Undecided, and Blue
Students analyze voter preferences in past elections, and then write letters to a presidential candidate, recommending winning strategies drawn from their research.
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Why a President? Why not a King?
Students research how and why a country elects to have an executive branch of the government. They study the office of the Presidency of the US.
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Presidential Interview: a Panel of Presidents
Eighth graders identify and analyze domestic and foreign policy. They develop analytical questions to ask a panel. They develop a sequence of events of each presidential office holder.
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Using Primary Sources: Letters from the Presidents
Students research the life of a president by reading personal letters on the American Presidents web site, and explore the ways that the character and personality of the president affected the ways they handled historical events.
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Paths to the Presidency
Seventh graders investigate a timeline of the career paths that US presidents took before they became the president. They how these career choices prepared these men for the presidency.
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Poetry and the American Presidents
Fifth graders choose a poetry activity in order to focus their research about American presidents.
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President Notebook
Students make presidential notebooks which they add to throughout the year. They arrange information about each president into an informational chapter.