Curated OER
Drawing the Line on Financial Reform
Use this political cartoon handout to give a humorous edge to learning about financial reform legislation. Background information helps analysts "read between the lines," and questions prompt analysis of symbolism and message. Because...
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Kids Get School Named for Obama
Students read about the renaming of a school for Barack Obama. In this political lesson, the teacher presents vocabulary words from the news article, then the students read the article and answer comprehension questions. Lesson includes...
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Our Unfinished Work
Students investigate the racism elements after the election of President Barack Obama. In this racism lesson, students read a recent article about 'post-racial' society. Students compile a list of achieving a post-racial society and...
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Helping Students Do History on the First Day of Class
Students watch a video about Barack Obama and problems he faces as the president. In this president lesson plan, students write their own list and then compile a class list of problems and discuss them.
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Presidential Election One Year Away
Students identify political parties, then read a news article about the 2008 election. In this current events instructional activity (written prior to the 2008 election), the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
C-SPAN
Presidential Candidate Firsts
Hilary Clinton may have been the first woman to run for president on a major party ticket, but she was only one example of an historic candidacy. Class members use video clips curated from C-SPAN to examine historical firsts in...
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Candidate Obama Support and President Obama's Agenda
Students research categories within President Obama's agenda and create a PowerPoint presentation. In this President Obama agenda instructional activity, students research a category within President Obama's agenda and present their...
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Navigating the Road to the White House
Students explore U.S. politics by researching the Presidential requirements. In this electoral process lesson, students identify the main requirements to become a Presidential candidate and the two main political parties. Students...
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From the Post Office to the Oval Office
This Presidents' Day, have your pupils write letters to the presidential family. They will read an article about writing letters to President Obama, identify topics they feel are important, and finally discuss if...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: The Veepstakes!
Take a step back in time with this political cartoon analysis activity, which features editorial cartoons from the 2008 presidential campaign. Background information allows pupils to "read between the lines" in their analysis, and three...
C-SPAN
Presidential Birth Requirement
Every president of the United States must be a natural-born citizen, but the definition of natural-born is not as straightforward as it seems. Secondary scholars examine two points of view surrounding the constitutional requirement...
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Defenders of Justice
Students research abolitionists, civil rights advocates, and their allies to learn about racism and justice. In this racism and justice lesson, students define justice and sing a song about activism. Students review the biographies...
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Perks and Perils
Students research the life of the first family. In this U.S. Government lesson, students take a White House quiz, read an article about the first family and write in their journals about a typical day in their lives versus what a day...
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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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Pass This Jobs Bill
It seems that print media is slowly being replaced by electronic versions. Get your kids reading the New York Times e-style. They'll read the provided article entitled, "Pass This Jobs Bill" then answer six comprehension questions. Two...
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Does Rick Warren Represent Diversity?
The topic of this lesson focuses on whether or not Obama was able to convincingly defend his choice of choosing Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. This is considered a controversial or hot topic because it...
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If I Were President?
Students are ushered into the Oval Office with our patriotic Presidents Day activities. In this civics lesson plan, students explore the presidency as they research an American president and participate in up to 11 activities.
PBS
Analyzing the Candidates in the 2008 Presidential Election
High schoolers research the 2008 presidential candidates and the required process for becoming an American presidential candidate. The class discusses both the process and the candidates, and some of the reasons someone might want to run...
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Obama as a Writer
Twelfth graders examine the writings of President Obama. In this Current Events lesson, 12th graders read and analyze two articles by President Obama. Students discuss their reactions to these articles.
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Breaking English News - Obama Says BP Must Pay for Oil Spill Clean-up
In this ESL/ELL reading comprehension learning exercise, students read or listen to an article entitled, "Obama Says BP Must Pay for Oil Spill Clean-up." They participate in discussion activities, and complete a variety of question types...
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Get up, Stand up. Stand up for your Civil Rights.
Fourth graders study civil rights leaders. In this Civil Rights instructional activity, 4th graders investigate what it means to stand up for something you believe in after reading about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Obama....
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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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Poetry and the American Presidents
Fifth graders choose a poetry activity in order to focus their research about American presidents.
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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.