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American Presidents Lesson Plans
Obama and G.W. Bush | Clinton and G. H. W. Bush
Reagan, Carter and Ford | T. Roosevelt and Wilson
F. Roosevelt and Eisenhower | Nixon, LBJ and JFK
The 1st through 10th President of the USA | Political Parties?
The 11th to 20th President | Campaigns and the Electoral College
The 21st to 31st President | Elections and Voting Lesson Plans
Primaries and Caucuses and Super Tuesday | Voting
U.S. Presidents Resources | Presidents Worksheets
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- 44 Presidents - The goal of this lesson is to give students a fun and creative way to remember the 44 Presidents of the United States.
- Presidential Election Timeline - The student will be able to list the major events in order that lead up to Presidential election.
- A Day for Our Presidents- No school on Monday! It is a national holiday. Do students understand the meaning and history of our national holidays? Students are invited to listen to, view, and discuss Presidents' Day, the national holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February.
- A President's Home and the President's House- How does the White House differ from a presidential home such as Monticello?
- Abraham Lincoln- The students will work cooperatively to decide whether the index card that contains the pre-written fact or accomplishment is correct or incorrect. The index cards were created in a Word Document file.
- Abraham Lincoln Classroom Activities- Complete unit on Honest Abe.
- Are U.S. Presidents Leaders or Figureheads?- Students analyze three presidents. They create a graphic organizer explaining how three influences for each president affected the development of the New Nation.
- Birthplace of John F. Kennedy: Home of the Boy Who Would Be President- Visit JFK's birthplace and consider the effects of culture and community in shaping character and personality.
- Choices and Commitments: The Soldiers at Gettysburg- Trace the course of this Civil War battle and consider the wrenching personal choices that were made by soldiers on each side, and evaluate Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and its impact in regard to the occasion it was written to commemorate.
- Choosing Presidents - This purpose of this lesson is to help fifth grade students explore the concept of what makes a person a good leader.
- Class President- Have you wondered what kind of person makes a good president? Students learn strategies to develop reading vocabulary and learn to identify comparison and contrast as an aid to comprehension as they follow Julio and his secret desire to become class president.
- Classroom Lincoln-Douglas Debate- "Students will understand a position well enough to be able to respond to arguments against it."
- Determining the President of 1860- The learner will determine who won the U.S. Presidential election of 1860. Students will find the information online, create a database, manipulate a spreadsheet and present findings.
- Exploring our US Presidents - This lesson will involve in-depth research, both library research and online research, on one of the US Presidents.
- Franklin Roosevelt and the Dime- Franklin Delano Roosevelt served four terms. Learn about his life, presidency, monument, and tributes to him through stories and poems. Students will also learn the attributes of a dime.
- George Washington: The Precedent President- What important developments occurred during George Washington's tenure as the first "President of the United States"?
- Growing into Public Service: William Howard Taft's Boyhood Home- Visit the home of the only man to serve the country both as president and chief justice, and meet the rest of his public service-oriented family.
- Harry Truman and Independence, Missouri: "This is Where I Belong"- Learn why the life of the 33rd U.S. President serves as an example of civic duty and explore the town that helped form his character.
- Herbert Hoover: Iowa Farm Boy and World Humanitarian- Consider the impact of Hoover's boyhood years on his desire to help starving children as the administrator of the Belgian Relief Commission during World War I.
- How and Why Has the White House Changed?- What changes were made to the exterior and why?
- How Was the White House Designed?- What process was used for choosing the initial design of the White House?
- Jefferson on a Nickel- Who wrote our Declaration of Independence? Our third president, Thomas Jefferson, was the main writer. Learn about his life, presidency, monument, and tributes to him through stories and poems. Students will also learn the attributes of a nickel.
- If I Were President ...- "Students compose a brief essay telling what they would do to solve problems in the United States if they were elected president."
- Like Father, Like Son: Presidential Families- How unusual is it that a father and son become President of the United States? How often has this happened? Who were the families?
- Martin Van Buren's "Return to the Soil"- Follow Van Buren's life and political career from his youth in Kinderhook, New York, to his retirement years at Lindenwald.
- Memories of Montpelier: Home of James and Dolley Madison- Visit the Madisons' plantation home and their world of social prominence, and explore some contemporary views of slavery.
- President/Executive Branch- To be able to distinguish a duty of the president from duties of the other branches. A student will be able to identify different roles that the president fills.
- President Who?- Using their reading comprehension skills, the students will demonstrate their knowledge of basic facts on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln through a question and answer game format.
- Presidents - This learning structure will allow the students in groups to review information in a question/answer game format.
- Presidential Campaigns and the Electoral College Set- This lesson discusses the steps in running for president and explains the Electoral College. Includes reading passages, multiple choice, answer keys, and free response questions.
- Presidential Sweet- Students learn about Presidents' Day, the individuals commemorated on this holiday, and their importance in history. They write a letter to a president stating things they have learned.
- Presidential Trading Cards- Students will gather data using the Internet to create products related to technology.
- Springwood: Birthplace and Home to Franklin D. Roosevelt- Understand how Springwood was the keystone in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's public as well as private life by playing host to some very dramatic events in American history.
- System of Checks and Balances- Students will be able to identify the powers delegated to the three branches of government, illustrate how the system of checks and balances work and determine how the checks and balances system can be seen in today's modern democratic system.
- Thaw in the Cold War: Eisenhower and Khrushchev at Gettysburg- Delve into a superpower meeting and see how President Eisenhower's diplomacy temporarily eased Cold War tensions.
- The President's Role and Succession- This lesson shows the role the President of the United States plays in American government and the order of succession of cabinet members.
- The President's Roles and Responsibilities: Communicating with the President- Through these lessons, students learn about the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. president and their own roles as citizens of a democracy.
- The Battle of Horseshoe Bend: Collision of Cultures- Consider the complex political and cultural differences that existed between European Americans and American Indians during the early 19th century, and learn how the campaign against the Creeks increased Andrew Jackson’s popularity among American citizens, which helped him win the presidency.
- The Washington Monument: Tribute in Stone- Understand why George Washington was so revered during his lifetime and beyond, and learn why it took 100 years to complete this famous monument in his honor.
- The Watergate Crisis- This lesson will explain how the Watergate crisis called attention to how the power of the President of the United States can be abused.
- Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site: Birthplace of the Modern Presidency- Examine the circumstances under which Theodore Roosevelt first became President of the United States and how his policies and actions modernized the presidency.
- Thomas Jefferson's Times- "Students explore an online resource to learn about Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States."
- Toontime- In this lesson, students write an essay about the governmental issues that surrounded Andrew Jackson's presidency. They discuss how editorial cartoons are made and create an editorial cartoon of their own about a president.
- Top 10 Tips for Incorporating President's Day Themes in Your Classroom- History is often a difficult subject to teach. Students frequently have a hard time understanding how something that happened long before they were born can affect them today.
- U.S. President: Facts - "Students will become familiar with the names of the presidents of the United States."
- Washington and the Quarter- Why is George Washington called the Father of our Country? Learn about the life of this president, his monument, and tributes to him through stories and poems. Students also learn the attributes of a quarter.
- Where Were the U.S. Presidents Born?- This lesson uses maps to process and report information from a spatial perspective. Students will identify the states that have presidential birth sites and will differentiate the states with more presidential birth sites on a map.
- Why Bother To Vote In Florida?- This lesson provides opportunities for students to gain knowledge about the Florida 2000 Presidential Election, proposed changes in the process, and to practice communication skills, including listening and speaking.
- Woodrow Wilson: Prophet of Peace- Examine Wilson's struggle to achieve lasting world peace following World War I.
- Write a Letter to the President- "Students will write a letter or send an email to the president of the United States."
