Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address
Help students understand the power of language and literary technique in this close study of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-11
For use with:
- The American President
website biography of Abraham Lincoln
- "The Professional Politician" video from
The American President series
Critical Analysis Through Primary Sources: A Key Skill
The popular Advanced Placement history technique has been modified for use with students of varying levels. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-12 First Ladies' Speeches: A Woman's Perspective on the Issues of the Day
Students take on the roles of the first ladies, writing speeches to reflect the women's point of view
on issues of the day. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-11
For use with:
- The American President
website biographies
"I Pledge Allegiance…": The History of the American flag
Researching the history of the flag and designing a flag for our times, students consider what this symbol has meant and still means to Americans. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 6-11
For use with:
- Any of The American President videos
- Any of The American President website biographies
Meeting of the Minds: Family Ties
A role-playing discussion between four presidents whose family ties helped them attain the presidency, and presidential hopefuls George W. Bush and
Al Gore. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 11-12
For use with:
- "Family Ties" video from The American President series
Pamphlets of the Presidential Homes
Students produce brochures detailing the actual homes of the nation' leaders in this creative research and writing activity that teaches students about the presidents, their
values, interests and personalities.
Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-11
For use with:
- The American President
Biographies
Presidential Geography: A Journey Across America
A varied interdisciplinary journey across America to visit the homes of the presidents of the United States. Students investigate and plan a summer journey including
routes, cost, where to stay, where to visit, and what to do for fun. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 5-11
For use with:
- All of The American President video series
- All of The American President website biographies
Presidents' Children
Students explore the impact of a campaign and presidency on the lives of children. This unit also examines the similarities and differences of the lives of political children throughout
history. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 6-8
For use with:
- "Family Life" sections of The American President website biographies
The Presidents Speak Out on the Presidency
A research and writing activity using quotations of the American Presidents to help students develop an understanding of the nature of what it means to be
an American president. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-11
For use with:
- The American President
Biographies
President Truman: Presidential Decision-Making on the Atomic Bomb
Students play roles on both sides in this controversial decision-making activity. Politicians, military leaders, scientists all take part in what is still a much
debated decision. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 11-12
For use with:
- "Happenstance"
and the Harry Truman Biography
A Test of Our Liberty: Communism in Eisenhower's America
Students explore the fear and analyze the threat of communism to Americans in the 1950s.
Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 10-12
For use with:
- "The Heroic Posture" video from The American President series
- The American President
website biographies on Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon
Theodore Roosevelt: Trust Buster? Cartoon Analysis
An example of a
worksheet guided cartoon analysis to introduce students to Theodore Roosevelt's trust busting activities. A model for innumerable cartoon analysis lessons on almost any subject. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 7-12
For use with:
- "An Office and Its Powers" video from The American President series
- The American President
website biography of Theodore Roosevelt
Voting Patterns in Presidential Elections
A group project that explores the role that states play in national politics.
Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 11-12
For use with:
- The American President
website biography section index on campaigns and elections
Who Would You Carve into Mt. Rushmore?
Through critical analysis, students determine and must defend which president of the 20th century they would add to Mt. Rushmore. This lesson includes a brief article by Hugh Sidey. Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-11
For use with:
- "The Heroic Posture," "Professional Politician," "The American Way," and "An Office and Its Powers" videos from The American President series
- The American President
website biographies on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Why Not Print More Greenbacks?
A short simulation designed to answer a common question: Why doesn't the government just print more money to pay the debt? Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-12
For use with:
- "The Heroic Posture"
and the biography of Ulysses S. Grant
- "An Office and its Powers"
and the biographies of Andrew Jackson and Grover Cleveland
- "The World Stage"
and the biography of Woodrow Wilson
You Decide: Iranian Hostage Crisis
The whole world is watching as students participate in a role-playing activity simulating one of the most trying times faced by a president since World War II. Students will come to understand the complexity of the issues
facing President Carter and the difficulty in making decisions that affect a nation.
Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 9-12
For use with:
- "An Independent Cast of Mind" and the biography of James Earl Carter.
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