How to Create a President's Day Lesson Plan
Many elementary schools use President's Day as an opportunity to teach their kids about American history, and about the contributions of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other U.S. presidents to our country. Teachers can create a President's Day lesson plan using just a few quick steps tailored to their classes. Parents might also want to think about teaching President's Day lessons to their kids, as a fun way of spending the holiday.
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Instructions
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Tell the class to create a President's Day timeline. Draw a timeline on paper starting with either Washington's or Lincoln's birth and ending with their death. Put it up at the front of the classroom. Divide the children up into groups and ask each group to cover a specific period in either Washington or Lincoln's life. They may use the library or the Internet to find information about the president. Have each group come up with at least five items in their time period, and present them to the class. Each time they list an item, write it on the timeline in the appropriate place.
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Plan a discussion of the president's duties and responsibilities. Block out each of the president's duties in simple, easy-to-understand words, and explain them to the children. Be sure to draw attention to the separation of powers, and the things that Congress and the courts can do that the president cannot. Include some easy hypothetical questions, describing various historical situations.
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Tell each student to write a letter to the president. If you want to make it topical, you can have them write a letter to the current U.S. president. If you want to focus the lesson on history, have them write it to Washington or Lincoln. Ask them to thank the president for accomplishments they think are important, and to suggest ideas for making the country better.
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Talk about some of the legends surrounding the presidency (George Washington and the cherry tree, for example) and how they reflect on our impressions of the U.S. presidents. Stress the difference between folk tales and real life, and explain how stories that are technically untrue help shape our impression of the people involved.
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Hold a presidential treasure hunt, in which the students follow clues throughout a large area to reach a prize at the end. Each clue should contain a piece of information about Washington, Lincoln, or the presidency in general and move chronologically forward, turning the treasure hunt into a march through history.
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Tips & Warnings
If you're covering contemporary presidents when you create your lesson plan, stay aware of any political tensions in the classroom. While elementary school students rarely have strong opinions about current events, they may pick up things from parents that can lead to arguments or fights. Work to keep the tone positive, stress historical examples, and look at the presidency as an institution rather than as a reflection (good or bad) on whoever happens to be in the White House at the time.
