Teaching and Learning about the U.S. President: Activities for an Election Year
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Social Studies and the Young Learner 25 (1), pp. 22–26
©2012 National Council for the Social Studies
Teaching and Learning about
the U.S. President: Activities
for an Election Year
Bárbara C. Cruz and Jason L. O’Brien
Amanda, a third grader, was dressed simply: black pants, a Amanda invited questions from her peers and responded
white button-down shirt, and a tie. She swaggered to the front to them one by one, staying in character: “How did you feel
of the class clutching a cowboy hat in one hand and note cards about becoming president after President Kennedy was as-
in the other. “Howdy,” she said. “My name is Lyndon Baines sassinated? For how long did you serve? You said you had
Johnson and I am the 36th president of the United States of been a teacher—did you ever wish you would’ve continued in
America. But you can call me ‘LBJ’ for short.” that job? What did you miss most about Texas when you were
As her peers listened attentively and took notes, Amanda living in the White House?”
recounted pertinent details of President Johnson’s child- Some of the questions the student was able to answer, hav-
hood, trajectory to the presidency, and major achievements ing read about the topics when she conducted her research.
and challenges while in office. In particular, she mentioned For others, she formulated an answer on the spot, based on
Johnson’s Great Society, the Civil Rights Acts, and his ap- what she knew of President Johnson.
pointment of Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court. She This assignment was part of a culminating project on presi-
also spoke about his years after the presidency and recounted dential elections and the democratic process. It came after
that he died in his home state of Texas. students learned about the qualifications needed for the of-
22 Social Studies and the Young Learner
fice, held extended discussions about the personal character-
istics most important to be president, and a study of past U.S.
Additional Resources presidents. In this article, we describe the learning activities,
review the literature that supports the instructional strategies,
for Teaching about and provide direction on how the activities can be carried out
in the intermediate level (grades three to five) elementary so-
the Presidency cial studies classroom.
Best Practices
C-Span. American Presidents Resources www.american In the past few decades, Americans’ political participation
presidents.org/classroom. Based on C-SPAN’s television and civic involvement has declined significantly,1 and many
series, American Presidents: Life Portraits , this site includes young adults are not knowledgeable about democratic princi-
video clips, classroom activities, and lesson plans. ples. 2 Exposing elementary-aged children to the political pro-
cess is a good way to begin to nurture a life-long interest and
Discovery Education. Portraits of Power: American Presi- awareness of political issues. By capitalizing on the media
dents www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson- attention associated with presidential elections, teachers can
plans/portraits-of-power-american-presidents.cfm Although use a timely and relevant current event to capture students’ in-
this lesson is intended for secondary school students, el- terest and educate them about the election process first hand.
ementary teachers can modify some of the activities to use As an added benefit, students learn, in a real-world applica-
with younger students. tion, that voting and political participation are important
components of citizenship.3
KidsKonnect. Presidents of the United States www.kidskon Researchers have long known that students who are encour-
nect.com/subject-index/29-social-studies/359-presidents. aged to discuss political issues in a supportive and open class-
html. This portal web site provides dozens of links to re- room environment are more likely to have higher levels of civic
sources related to U.S. presidents. knowledge, political efficacy, and political interest as adults.4
The learning activities in this lesson support this interaction
PBS. The Perfect President. The Democracy Project and thus foster the development of democratic ideals.
pbskids.org/democracy/parentseducators/perfectpresident.
html. This week-long lesson allows students to brainstorm Activity: Who is Qualified to be President?
criteria for the “perfect president,” create a job description, The activity “Who is Qualified to be President?” encourages
and write a newspaper article to advertise for the position. students to reflect on their own values and consider what per-
sonal and professional characteristics are essential for the of-
National Geographic. Where Were the U.S. Presidents Born? fice.5 Working in small groups, students practice negotiation,
Xpeditions www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/ communication, and collaboration skills that are hallmarks
lessons/01/g35/presidents.html This activity develops map of a democracy. And by permitting students to choose the
and spatial perspective skills by having students locate presi- president whom they will research, students are allowed a de-
dential birth sites. gree of choice in their learning, which researchers have found
increases both student motivation and quality of work.6
Smithsonian Institution. Teacher Materials. The American
Presidency americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/5a3.html A Think-Pair-Share
number of excellent lessons can be found on this site includ- Ask students to consider the question: “What qualities make for
ing letters written by children to different presidents, chil- a good president of our country?” Set a timer for two minutes
dren who lived in the White House, and an opportunity to and have students work independently, writing down as many
analyze the daily agenda of a past president. qualities as possible in their notebooks. After two minutes
have elapsed, have students turn to a partner and share their
Teachnology. American Presidents Lesson Plans www.teach lists, comparing their responses. After two more minutes have
nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/history/government/ passed, ask students to share their responses in a whole-group
presidents Dozens of lesson plans on the American presi- format, creating a composite class list on the board.
dency are available through this web site; worksheets and
other downloadable resources also included. Whole-Class Discussion
Facilitate a whole class discussion by asking the following ques-
tions, probing and prompting as needed. Some of the questions
are phrased to provoke a lively response.
September / October 2012 231. How old should a president be? date got the fewest number of votes? Why do you think that
2. Should a president be a man or a woman? candidate was seen as least qualified? Did the class activity
3. How much education should a president have? Elemen- make you reconsider some of the characteristics for president
tary school? High school? College? Why? that you first listed?”
4. Should a president be married? Why or why not?
5. Should a president have children? If so, how many? Activity: Presidential Role-Play
6. What is a good job a president could have before being Role-play requires the enactment or re-enactment of a situa-
elected? tion in which the players assume certain roles, in this case, the
7. Does it matter if a president has brothers or sisters, or is role of an American president. This strategy offers a degree of
it better to be an only child? Why? engagement that can “breathe life into a character from history.”7
8. Should a president own a pet? If so, what kind? By participating in historical role-plays, students can explore
9. What should a president look like? different viewpoints and a variety of topics,8 acquiring empathy
10. Should a president play sports? If so, which one(s)? toward characters in history. Moreover, role-playing naturally
11. Should a president be religious? Why or why not? highlights affective content in the social studies, engaging
12. What other personal qualities should we consider in students emotionally and helping them present alternative
selecting a president? perspectives by adopting them as their own.9 The benefits of
this role-play are twofold: students get to hone their research
Students should consider the three qualifications for the presi- skills, and they also get to practice their public speaking skills,
dency stated in the U.S. Constitution. Article II, Section 1, as they present their president to their classmates in a supportive
Clause 5 states that the person must be a natural born citizen environment. Interpersonal skills are one of the essential skills
of the United States, be at least 35 years of age, and have been of citizenship.10
a permanent resident of the United States for 14 years. Ask
students: Do you think the Constitution provides enough Research
direction regarding the qualifications a president should have? After presenting students with a list of all the U.S. presidents,
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having so few allow each student to choose one to research and then to re-
requirements for such an important office? enact in a role-play. Research is guided by a presidential report
based on five note cards, each of which includes:
Small Group Cooperative Learning
Place the students in groups of three or four and give each group 1. Introduction
a set of Candidate Cards (Figure 1). Explain to students that • Full name
they’ll be “voting” for a president of the nation from among • Time in office
several candidates. Each card describes a real person, but • State from which the president came
does not reveal his or her name. Some of these “candidates”
are historical figures, and some are living. After reading each 2. Childhood
candidate card, students should discuss the qualifications of • When and where the president was born
each candidate and then place the cards in order from “most • Schooling (high school and college, if applicable)
qualified” to “least qualified” for the presidency. • Career before the presidency (in politics or other fields)
Whole Class Debriefing 3. Presidency
After allowing sufficient time for each small group to discuss • List three accomplishments during term in office
and rank order their cards, bring the groups back together as a • Each accomplishment should have at least two sentenc-
class. Read aloud the card describing Candidate A. Ask: “By es of explanation
a show of hands, how many of you selected this candidate as
your first or second choice for president?” Ask for volunteers 4. Retirement
to explain why their group chose that candidate. • List at least two accomplishments after leaving the
Pause briefly, and then disclose the name of candidate A. presidency, as applicable
Ask the students to make and keep a mental tally as to which • List the date and cause of a historical president’s death
candidates are most popular among classmates. Repeat this
process with each candidate card, B through H. 5. Legacy
Close the lesson by asking: “Did any of the true identities • Summarize what this president is most remembered for
of the candidates surprise you? Which candidate’s description in his presidency
got the most votes in our class? Why do you think that students • Describe what you think the president should be re-
thought that this candidate was most qualified? Which candi- membered for
24 Social Studies and the Young LearnerFigure 1. Descriptions of Hypothetical “Candidates for President”
Candidate A Candidate B
GENDER: Male GENDER: Male
AGE: 37 AGE: 51
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Attended several colleges including Morehouse COLLEGE ATTENDED: None
College, University of Pennsylvania, Boston University, & Harvard Uni-
versity
JOBS: rail splitter, store owner, postmaster, lawyer, U.S. Repre-
sentative, state congressman, Captain in U.S. Army, noted public
JOBS: Protestant minister, teacher of philosophy at Harvard, president of speaker
a civil rights organization, Nobel Prize Winner, noted public speaker
BROTHERS/SISTERS: 2
BROTHERS/SISTERS: 2
MARRIED: Yes, 19 years
MARRIED: Yes, 15 years
CHILDREN: 4
CHILDREN: 4
PETS: cats, dogs, goats, rabbits, horse
PETS: No
SPORTS/HOBBIES: playing with his pets, walking, wrestling
SPORTS/HOBBIES: hunting, fishing, riding horses—but not very often
Candidate C Candidate D
GENDER: Female GENDER: Male
AGE: 52 AGE: 57
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Tennessee State University COLLEGE ATTENDED: None
PREVIOUS JOBS: radio announcer, TV reporter, talk show host, movie PREVIOUS JOBS: planter, farmer, extensive military service, served in the
actor Continental Congress
BROTHER/SISTERS: None BROTHERS/SISTERS: 5
MARRIED: No MARRIED: Yes
CHILDREN: None CHILDREN: None
PETS: dog PETS: horse
SPORTS/HOBBIES: giving to charity, reading SPORTS/HOBBIES: fishing, horse riding
Candidate E Candidate F
(use information describing a person known to student in a local leader- GENDER: Male
ship position—e.g., mayor, school principal, classroom teacher, sports
AGE: 65
coach)
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Stanford University and Brigham Young University
JOBS: Business Management Consultant, Business Owner, Governor
GENDER: ______________________________________________________
BROTHERS/SISTERS: Two sisters/one brother
AGE: _________________________________________________________
MARRIED: Yes
COLLEGE ATTENDED: ___________________________________________ CHILDREN: Five sons
BROTHERS/SISTERS: ____________________________________________ PETS: Dogs
MARRIED: _____________________________________________________
CHILDREN: ____________________________________________________
PETS: _________________________________________________________
SPORTS/HOBBIES: ______________________________________________
Candidate G Candidate H
GENDER: Male GENDER: Female
AGE: 51 AGE: 65
EDUCATION: Columbia University, Harvard Law School EDUCATION: private secondary school in England
JOBS: civil rights lawyer, teacher at the University of Chicago Law School, JOBS: teacher, journalist, United States delegate to the United Nations,
senator public speaker, finalist for the Nobel Peace Prize, member of the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights
BROTHERS/SISTERS: 6
BROTHERS/SISTERS: 1
MARRIED: Yes, 19 years
MARRIED: Yes, 27 years
CHILDREN: 2
CHILDREN: 6
PETS: dog
PETS: dog
SPORTS/HOBBIES: cooking, basketball, dancing, spending time with his
family SPORTS/HOBBIES: football, bike riding
September / October 2012 254. Carole Hahn, “Comparative Civic Education Research: What We Know and What
We Need to Know,” Citizenship Teaching and Learning 6, no. 1 (Spring 2010):
• Discuss any debate regarding how the president should 5–23.
be evaluated 5. This activity is based on Allan O. Kownslar, ed., “Who is Qualified for the
• Discuss the most interesting fact you found about your Presidency?” Teaching American History: The Quest for Relevancy (NCSS 44th
Yearbook) (Washington, DC: NCSS, 1974): 183–187.
president 6. Adele Gottfried, “Academic Intrinsic Motivation in Young Elementary School
Children,” Journal of Educational Psychology 82, no. 3 (September 1990): 528–538.
Role-Playing the Presidents 7. Bárbara Cruz and Shalini Murthy, “Breathing Life into History: Using Role Playing
to Engage Students,” Social Studies and the Young Learner 18, no. 3 (January/
Ask students to consider how they might put together a simple February 2006), 4–8.
costume with items that they have at home and in the classroom. 8. Ambrose Clegg, “Games and Simulations in Social Studies Education,” Handbook
During their presentations, students may use their note cards of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learning (James P. Shaver, ed., New
York, NY: MacMillan, 1991): 523–529.
as they assume the identity of their respective presidents and 9. Meg Philbin and Jeanette Myers, “Classroom Drama: Discourse as a Mode of Inquiry
report the information to their classmates in the first-person. in the Elementary Social Studies,” The Social Studies 82, no. 5 (September/October,
After listening attentively, students in the class may ask ques- 1991): 179–182.
10. National Council for the Social Studies, National Curriculum Standards for Social
tions of “the president.” If students are asked a question to which Studies: A Framework for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (Silver Spring, MD:
they do not know the answer, they should be encouraged to do NCSS, 2010).
their best to answer as their respective president might, based
Acknowledgments
on the student’s research of that president. The authors would like the thank Renee Stembridge of the Hillsborough
County School District in Tampa, Florida, as well as Steve Davis of the
Huntsville City School District in Huntsville, Alabama, for allowing the
authors to teach these lessons in their classrooms.
Bárbara C. Cruz is a professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa
Jason L. O’Brien is an assistant professor at the University of Alabama
in Huntsville
Conclusion
The activities we propose here offer teachers a research-based,
interactive, and relevant framework of study that can effectively
introduce students to the presidential election process as well Answer Key:
as encourage students to begin thinking about what types of
leaders they will vote for in the future. The exercises embody Hypothetical
the best instructional practices of differentiated instruction, “Candidates
cooperative learning, and authentic assessment. Further, the
for President”
structure of the activities gives students a voice in the classroom
and in their own learning. Taken as a whole, they can serve as
A: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
an important component of a curriculum designed to prepare
B: Abraham Lincoln
the citizens of tomorrow.
C: Oprah Winfrey
D: George Washington
Notes
1. William Galston, “Civic Knowledge, Civic Education, and Civic Engagement: A E: (A local leader)
Summary of Recent Research,” International Journal of Public Administration 30,
F: Mitt Romney
no. 7 (May 2007): 623–642.
2. Judith Torney-Purta, “What Adolescents Know about Citizenship and Democracy,” G: Barack Obama
Educational Leadership 59, no. 4 (December 2001-January 2002): 45–50. H: Eleanor Roosevelt
3. Joe Kincheloe, Getting Beyond the Facts: Teaching Social Studies in the Twenty-
First Century (New York, NY: Peter Lang, 2001).
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