The Presidential Inauguration Committee has teamed up with both national teachers’ unions on lesson plans related to the swearing in of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States and the nation’s first black commander-in-chief.
The plans include ideas for connecting the current events with history, and particularly with the inauguration of another president from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln. There are reading lists, activities, and documents available for download and printing.
A number of other organizations and agencies are also offering resources for use in the classroom. They are designed for various grade levels, and include everything from simple crafts projects to more in-depth research projects and classroom discussions. Here’s a sampling:
The National Endowment for the Humanities has some ideas for teaching about the ceremony and inaugurations throughout history at its education site, EDSITEment.
TeacherVision has these lessons dedicated to inaugural poems.
Education World’s site offers presidential portraits and trivia hunts.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has posted lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school levels on its website, with detailed information about how they satisfy state academic standards. I’m sure other state agencies have done something similar.
Have you found any helpful resources? Send them along.
