This U.S. President lesson could be an integrated language arts and social studies research project. Students could choose to research information about George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt or even Bill Clinton.
Requirements for Project
Tell students the requirements for the cooperative learning project. Each team will need to create a five-to-ten minute presentation on an U.S. President of interest. Each person in the team must help complete the research, make a visual aid, write the speech, organize the presentation and speak during the presentation.
Assessing the Presentation
It is best if the presentation is assessed using a rubric. Criteria for the rubric could be content/information presented, organization, teamwork, eye contact, volume and rate of speech, use of visual aid, bibliography included, etc. Make sure to give students the rubric when the project is introduced.
Preparation for Project
Place students in pairs so that each team can select a president of interest. Set aside several days of class time to complete research in a computer lab or the library. The students will be researching information to write a speech for the presentation. However, they will need to make a bibliography or works cited page of their sources. If students are unsure of how to make one, spend time reviewing the proper way to cite sources.
Students will need note cards for their speeches. In addition, they will need poster board and markers to create an informational poster or access to Power Point software and computers to make the visual aid.
Areas for Presidential Research
Students need to research four basic areas about their president. Make sure to tell students that each section should include about the same amount of information. Middle school students tend to spend too much energy researching the president’s childhood.
- Describe what the person’s life was like before becoming president. This could include birthplace, parents, schooling, jobs and/or political positions.
- Explain any historical events that may have happened while he was in office, such as the Great Depression, Civil War, falling of the Berlin Wall, etc.
- Tell about his greatest accomplishments while in office, such as peace treaties, solid economies, laws signed, special agreements or pacts with other nations, etc.
- Discuss any other information that was important to his presidency that was not already listed. This could include items of interest that happened after his presidency, such as appointments held, libraries made, charities he helped, etc.
This lesson covers the research, communication, reading and writing standards and indicators. In addition, students enjoy working in small groups and feel more secure when presenting information with a partner in front of the class.
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