Tuesday, December 2, 2014

U.S. Presidents

Teaching students about current and past U.S. Presidents, even as young as Pre-K, is important for students to learn about U.S history, voting, roles, culture, and diversity. However, in my experience too many teachers, activities, and lesson plans focus on three Presidents, and three Presidents only: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and the current president, which is Barrack Obama.  All three Presidents are extremely important to our history, but so are other presidents. I created the video below using iMovie to show be able to show students the face to the name. The video can be adapted for Pre-K classes as well as older students. 



The above images are from the official White House website. 

The following video along with other materials can be used to teach Pre-K students the following:
  • How people have changed over time by comparing and contrasting the first president to the current president 
  • Learning important events in U.S. history and the role the president played 
  • Different leaderships roles that people play, such as student, principal, president, etc. 
  • Voting as a means of making choices and the different ways in which one votes 
  • U.S symbols and the meaning behind the American flag and Pledge of Allegiance  
  • Coin identification 

Below are images of different resources to use when teaching about U.S. Presidents with links to each 


Above is a bulletin board using silhouettes of the students and former U.S. Presidents. I found this idea on Pinterest. 


Above is an image of a Time for Kids Presidents of the United States in print and there are also resources online that teachers can use for flashcards and other resources. 


 Above is an image of an art activity that students could create based off of U.S. Presidents that could be used in dramatic play and other activities. This art activity is from Pinterest. 

 The above image could be used for coin identification by discussing the different Presidents that are on each coin and by making the coins into finger puppets the coins could also be used in dramatic play. A great technology resource to use to help with coin identification is the following: ABC Learning Coins

The above image could be used as a writing activity for students to write about what they would do if they were President. This writing activity could be adapted for different ages by changing the length of the writing. This worksheet is from another teachers blog, A Cupcake for the Teacher

What activities and resources have you used to teach about U.S. Presidents?

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