Title: Mr. President, Mr. President, Sir

Grade Level (s): 4, 5, 6

Subjects(s):

• Social Studies
• Language Arts
• Technology

• The student will research six presidents  that are mentioned in their Social Studies lessons, that was involved in their local and state history, or that was president when he/she was born.
• The student will publish a brochure on one of the six presidents.
• The student will research information on the Internet about the presidents.

Materials:

• Index cards
• Social Studies textbook
• State or local history textbooks
• Reference books on the Presidents

• Internet
• Adobe/Acrobat Photo Del
• Printer
• Microsoft Word

• Students will need a signed AUP on file.
• Material can be adapted to comply with the students' IEPs.
• Students will be working in groups that are teacher generated.
• Choose Presidents that are mentioned in the textbooks or have impacted the area in which the students live.

1. Introduce presidents  - each was a human being with hobbies, pets, friends, and other jobs by reading Wooden Teeth Jelly Beans - Tupperman Files by Ray Nelson, Douglas Kelly, Ben Adams, and Mike McLane, pages 2-5.
2. Using index cards, put the President's name on one index card and an interesting fact on another index card. Do this for the six Presidents that were chosen.
3. Have the class try to match the President with the correct interesting fact. At first, tell the students only how many matches are correct; but not which ones.  Encourage them to think of the Social Studies units and local history to help decide.  After five to ten minutes, help the students by telling them which are the correct matches.

1. George Washington - First official Thanksgiving was established when he was president.  His family owned land in the area. Another link to Washington.
2. Thomas Jefferson - He hired Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase. He visited Jefferson County. More data on Jefferson.
3. James Madison - His residence was burned by the British,  painted white, and is now called the White House. He married Dolly in Jefferson County at Harewood. Additional facts on Madison.
4. Abraham Lincoln - He was President when W.Va. became a state. He was the President during the Civil War. More information on our 16th President.
5. John F. Kennedy - He set a goal for a man on the moon, and we studied Cape Canaveral in Social Studies. Another source is his library and museum.
6. George H. Bush/Bill Clinton - the student will select the one that was the President at the time of their birth date. Library and museum of President Bush is another source. Additional information on Clinton.
7. An educational virtual museum for primary students on President Lincoln and President Washington will provide additional resources.
3. Divide the class into two political parties, the parties choose a name, and each party selects two or three individuals to role-play running for President. Have a primary election and a general election to learn how a president is elected.
4. Divide into groups to research the six presidents the class has chosen. Each group creates a folder to collect information about the President that was chosen. Each group will search the Internet for data, put it in their folder, and use Microsoft Publisher or other software to create a brochure. A worksheet to use to collect information is included.
5. The students will present their brochure to the class and display them in the classroom or in the hallway. Teacher uses a rubric to score the presentations.

• Modifications need to be adapted according to students' IEPs.

• When the students role-play electing the President, this activity can be extended to create banners and posters using Microsoft Publisher or another software.
• The students can research the campaigns of former or current candidates for Presidents.
• The students can research the Internet for newspaper headlines on the day after an election.
• The students can search for information on other Presidents that interest them and create a game for the class.
• The students can create a Concentration game emphasizing the Presidents that were studied.

West Virginia IGO's:
Social Studies 4.1, 4.2, 4.4,  4.35,  4.36, 4.37, 4.40, 4.46, 4.47, 4.48, 4.53, 5.35, 5.37, 5.38, 6.40, 6.58, 6.63, 6.64 
    English Language Arts 4.69, 4.70, 4.81, 4.83, 5.162, 5.164, 5.180, 5.182, 5.50,
5.62, 5.63, 6.33, 6.66, 6.136, 6.143, 6.156

National Standards:
    Grades K-4 History Standards:
3. Understands the people, events, problems, and ideas that are significant in creating the history of their state.
    Historical Understanding Standards:
2.Understands the historical perspective
     Language Arts Standards:
Writing - 4. Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
            Reading - 7. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts.
     Technology
1. Knows the characteristics and uses of computer hardware and operating systems.

Job/Career Clusters: Fine Arts and Humanities

References:

1. Resources cited
• Wooden Teeth - Jelly Beans - The Tupperman Files by Ray Nelson, Douglas Kelly, Ben Adams, Mike McLane (ISBN 0-590-97439-4)
2. Additional resources
• Mr. President: A Book of U.S. Presidents by George Sullivan (ISBN 0-439-23566-9)
• Lives of the President -FAME, SHAME (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull (ISBN 0-439-16830-9)
• How to be President of the U.S.A by Murray Suid (ISBN 1-878279-47-5)
• Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Presidents and Their Times by David Rubel (ISBN 0-590-25986-5)
• The President Who Pardoned a Turkey by Allan Zullo, published by Watermill Press, an imprint and registered trademark of Troll Communications L.L.C.
• New Big Book of U.S. Presidents - A Young Reader's Guide to the Presidency by Todd Davis, Marc E. Frey
• So You Want to Be President? (Caldecott Medal Book, 2001) by Judith St. George, David Small

South Jefferson Elementary
 

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Overview

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5