Teaching Ideas on the Inauguration
Teaching ideas on the inauguration enable students to explore an important ceremony that ushers in a new president. By studying the inaugural addresses of presidents, students comprehend how the nation's chief executive articulates his vision, intentions, broad policy objectives and the ways in which the new administration will address the nation's problems. The inaugural address also communicates the new president's goals regarding the rest of the world.
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Past Inaugural Addresses
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Have students compare and contrast inaugural addresses delivered by past presidents. Define inaugural address and discuss the context of the address with your students. Ask them when and why the inaugural address is given by a new president. Instruct them to select two different speeches. For example, George Washington's brief inaugural address consisted of only 135 words whereas William Henry Harrison's address lasted an hour and 40 minutes, according to Education World. Direct students to create charts with spread sheets, accounting for the similarities and differences between the selected speeches. Have them do research on the presidents to explain reasons, including historical, political and economic factors, for the differences seen in the inaugural addresses.
Write an Inaugural Address
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Expand on the first lesson by asking students to write their own inaugural addresses as if they had just been elected president. Have them study the four renowned inaugural addresses of Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. Brainstorm current problems that the nation faces and the ways in which a new president may tackle them once in office. Ask students to prioritize the nation's problems, and have them outline policy ideas to communicate to the nation. Instruct them to write an attention-grabbing opening line and use parallel construction to write a persuasive speech. Emphasize that their speech must instill confidence in the people of the United States, if not the rest of the world, and deliver a planned course of action for a new administration. Have the students present their speeches in class so they can practice their oratorical skills.
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Media
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Ask the students to analyze local versus national media coverage of President Obama's inauguration by creating a comparison chart. Have them sift through images, photos, cartoons and online and print articles related to the inauguration. Direct them to note the differences in the following: the symbols used for the ceremony, how President Obama prepared for the inauguration, reactions from national, state and local viewpoints and opinions by people in other nations. Ask them to locate two editorials, one from a national newspaper and the other from a local one. Have them write a paragraph summarizing each editorial and conclude by either agreeing or disagreeing with the author's viewpoint.
Poetry
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Hand out poems that were read during inaugurations, which include Robert Frost's "The Gift Outright" for John F. Kennedy, Maya Angelou's "On the Pulse of Morning" for Bill Clinton's first inauguration and Miller Williams's "Of History and Hope" for Bill Clinton's second inauguration. Divide the students into groups and have them research the poets, their backgrounds and body of work. Ask students to compare the poems, listing differences in language, style and content.
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