Lessons on the Series

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Lessons on Specific Programs

Lesson Plan Browser:

The Series

Presidential History

Election 2000

 Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Using primary sources (i.e., inaugural speeches and political cartoons), students examine the political philosophies and actions of four presidents.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 9-12
For use with:

Browse the Issues to Ponder Biography Index

Join Us
  • "The American Way" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Ronald Reagan

Balance of Power: Storyboards on the Presidents
In this creative and analytical project, students form their own PR firms to examine the power of the presidential image making.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s):  9-11
For use with:

  • "Balance of Power" video from The American President series

Building an Ideal President
After examining independent-thinking presidents, students assume the role of campaign managers for fictitious presidential candidates.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-11
For use with:

  • "An Independent Cast of Mind" video from The American President series

Compromising Choices:  Settling For Less?
Students analyze the importance of political compromise and synthesize their perspectives in a position paper.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s):  8-12
For use with:

  • "Compromise Choices" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies of Franklin Pierce, James Garfield, Warren Harding, and Gerald Ford

Compromise and Leadership Choices
Why are Presidents Pierce, Garfield, Harding and Ford not considered among the best chief executives?  This lesson examines the politics and circumstances surrounding their rises to power.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s):  9-12
For use with:

  • "Compromise Choices" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies on Franklin Pierce, James Garfield, Warren Harding, and Gerald Ford

Expanding Power: A Study in Extension of Power by Four Presidents
A flexible lesson on the powers of the presidency, this exercise helps students to understand the intersections of the Constitution and presidential history.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-12
For use with:

  • "Expanding Power" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies of Andrew Jackson, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Richard Nixon

Foreign Policy News Show
A creative activity where students develop news shows based on four presidents' foreign policy initiatives.  Students analyze the importance of foreign policy in the creation of presidential legacies.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-12
For use with:

  • "The World Stage" from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies on Monroe, McKinley, Wilson and Bush

Four Men, Four Presidents: Who Would Win if the Election Were Held Today?
Students simulate a contemporary election while playing the roles of four presidents.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-12
For use with:

  • "The American Way" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies on Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Ronald Reagan

A Heartbeat Away from the Presidency: Presidential Succession and the Constitution
Students use the Constitution and historical examples to examine the concept of presidential succession.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 11-12
For use with:

  • "Happenstance" video The American President series
  • The American President website biographies of John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Chester A. Arthur, Andrew Johnson and Harry Truman

The Heroic Posture:  Do the Words Military and Politics Go Together?
In this analytical exercise, students explore the historical successes and failures of military presidents.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 7-12
For use with:

  • "The Heroic Posture" video from The American President series

An Independent Cast of Mind:  A Lesson for Schools and the Presidency
Students examine the decisions of four independent presidents in this role-playing activity.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s):  11-12
For use with:

  • "An Independent Cast of Mind" video from The American President series

Meeting of the Minds: Family Ties
A role playing discussion between John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Kennedy, presidents whose family ties helped them attain the Presidency, and George W. Bush, Republican presidential hopeful and son of our 41st president.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 11-12
For use with:

  • "Family Ties" video
  • The American President website biographies of John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy

Meeting of the Minds: Happenstance
A role playing lesson plan among John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, and Harry Truman—presidents who all took office as a result of a predecessor's tragic death.  Included in the activity is Vice President Al Gore, next in line for the presidency under Clinton and currently running for the presidency.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 11-12
For use with:

  • "Happenstance" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies on John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, and Harry Truman

Now Who Supports the Vice President?
What role does the vice president play in electoral politics?  Students examine this issue and select a running-mate for a current candidate.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-12
For use with:

  • "Happenstance" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies on John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur and Harry S. Truman

Presidential Narrative: The American Way
Students take on the roles of historical voters and take a stand on the candidates of the day.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-12
For use with:

  • "The American Way" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies on Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Ronald Reagan

Principles, Politics and Practicalities
 In this political party simulation, students discover the importance of compromise and cooperation.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 8-11
For use with

  • "The Professional Politician" video from The American President series

A Smaller Simpler Government-True or False?
Students evaluate connections between four presidents' political philosophies and their actions.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 9-12
For use with:

  • "The American Way" video from The American President series
  • The American President website biographies on Thomas Jefferson, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Ronald Reagan

General Lesson Plans

Checks, Balances and the U.S. Constitution
A scavenger hunt activity in which students use the Constitution to understand the system of checks and balances.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s):  5-12

Making the Connections
or use with any episode of The American President, this is a versatile lesson in which students explore and analyze connections between historical terms and events.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s): 7-12
For use with:

  • The American President video series
  • The American President website biographies

Media Survey Project: Television News Coverage of the Presidential Election
Students track the quality and amount of news coverage given to different aspects of a presidential campaign.  Get the PDF
Target grade level(s):  8-12
For use with:

  • OurVote student magazine candidate news and biography pages

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.