Obama's Address to Students Across America (PreK-6)

President Obama’s Address to Students Across America (PreK‐6)
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education September 8, 2009 

Speech Link:

http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html

Before the Speech

- Build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama. Teachers could motivate students by asking the following questions:

- Who is the President of the United States? What do you think it takes to be president? To whom do you think the president is going to be speaking? Why do you think he wants to speak to you? What do you think he will say to you?

- Teachers can ask students to imagine that they are delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States.
- If you were the president, what would you tell students?
- What can students do to help in our schools? Teachers can chart ideas about what students would say.

- Why is it important that we listen to the president and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?
 

During the Speech

- As the president speaks, ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful. Students could use a note‐taking graphic organizer such as a “cluster web;” or, students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children could draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following:
- What is the president trying to tell me? What is the president asking me to do? What new ideas and actions is the president challenging me to think about?

- Students could record important parts of the speech where the president is asking them to do something. Students might think about the following:
What specific job is he asking me to do? Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?

-  Students could record questions they have while he is speaking and then discuss them after the speech. Younger children may need to dictate their questions.
 

After the Speech

- Ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes, or place notes on a butcher‐paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, such as citizenship, personal responsibility, and civic duty. Students could discuss their responses to the following questions:
What do you think the president wants us to do? Does the speech make you want to do anything? Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us? What would you like to tell the president?
 

Extension of the Speech

Extend learning by having students:

- Create posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants, puzzle pieces, or trails marked with the following labels: personal, academic, community, and country. Each area could be labeled with three steps for achieving goals in that area. It might make sense to focus first on personal - Write letters to themselves about how they can achieve their short‐term and long‐term education goals. Teachers would collect and redistribute these letters at an appropriate later date to enable students to monitor their progress.

- Write goals on colored index cards or precut designs to post around the classroom. 

- Interview one another and share goals with the class to create a supportive community. 

- Participate in school‐wide incentive programs or contests for those students who achieve their
goals. 

- Write about their goals in a variety of genres, such as poems, songs, and personal essays.   

- Create artistic projects based on the themes of their goals. 

- Graph individual progress toward goals.

The President Song!

The President!  

Is in charge of the Nation!  

Let's all have a celebration!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDJB0QbT32A

President Autobiographies, Biographies & Memoirs!!

Autobiography
An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt 

by Theodore Roosevelt

Boyhood and Youth, The Vigor of Life, Practical Politics, In Cowboy Land, Applied Idealism, The NY Police, The War of American the Unready, A Manly Letter and MORE!!!

Biography
James Madison 

by Jeremy Roberts

In Full Flight
“It is my good fortune... 

to have the path in which I am to tread, 

lighted by examples of illustrious services.” 

- James Madison

Small Beginnings
Revolution
A New Constitution
Lion of the House
Love and Hate
Secretary of State
War on The Horizon
Triumph at Last

Biography
Yes We Can: 

A Biography of President Barack Obama 

by Garen Eileen Thomas

Obama, Barack
African Americans
African American legislators
Legislators- U.S.
United States, Congress, Senate
Presidential candidates- United States
Racially mixed people- United States

Memoir
The Boyhood Diary of Theodore Roosevelt, 

1869-1870: Early Travels of the 26th U.S. President 

(Diaries, Letters, and Memoirs) 

by Shelley Swanson Sateren

Early Travels of the 26th U.S. President

President Picture Books

Picture Book Biographies

by David A. Adler
illustrated by Alexandra Wallner, John Wallner

A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln

Follows the life of the popular president, from his childhood on the frontier to his assassination after the end of the Civil War.


A Picture Book of George Washington

This biography provides an account of the life of the "Father of Our Country," from his birth in Virginia through the Revolutionary War to his two presidencies.


A Picture Book of Thomas Jefferson

This biography traces the life and achievements of the architect, bibliophile, president, and author of the Declaration of Independence.

President Poems

Poems

Like Washington
by Helen M. Richardson
"I wish that I could be as great
As Washington," said Joe.
"You can, my dear," his mother said,
"If you but will it so."
"But how?" urged Joe. "I cannot do
The things he did - to be
As great as he was would just mean
A General, you see."
"A General, my little lad,
You can be if you will.
A climbing boy can always reach
The summit of the hill.
"But to be great, we first must be
Brave, kind and good and true;
And Washington was all of these,
Though but a boy like you."
"Perhaps," said Joe. "I'd better try
To be just good, and when
I am as old as Washington
I may be like him then."


Our Presidents
by Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr.
A jingle to help recall the order of Presidents from George Washington - Woodrow Wilson
George Washington, Adams and Jefferson three
First rulers of Uncle Sam's land of the free:
Then Madison, Monroe and Adams again
All clever and upright and good honest men;
The Jackson, Van Buren and Harrison first,
Tyler and Polk whose terms were so curst
By war with the Mexicans who lost in the fray - 
Then Taylor and Fillmore and Pierce held their sway.
Buchanan and Lincoln, Johnson and Grant,
Then Hayes, martyred Garfield, despiser of cant,
Arthur and Cleveland, Harrison (Ben)
McKinley the martyr, beloved by all men;
Then most energetic and strenuous Teddy
And plump William Taft for a second term ready
When Wilson was placed in this nation's great chair
And promised to always rule wisely and fair.

George Washington’s Teeth
By: Deborah Chandra & Madeleine Comora
Age: 3-6 (Beginning Reader)
George Washington is well known not only as the first President of the United States, but also for his legendary dental problem. The rhyming countdown (as GW heads toward no teeth at all) introduces an historical figure with humor, verve, and real (if unusual) information.

If I Were President

If I Were President
By: Catherine Stier
Age Level: 3-6 (Beginning Reader)

What does the President of the United States actually do?

The president must "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States," as agreed when sworn into office. The president must live in the White House and be in charge of the armed forces. Some of the perks of the job--that the president can go bowling at home and throws the first pitch of baseball season. Notably, while the text is a first person account of life as a president, the accompanying illustrations present the president with a wonderfully multicultural set of faces. Sometimes the president is a boy, at other times, a girl, and sometimes he's dark-skinned and other times he's light-skinned. The book provides a clear, enthusiastic description of a great job!

 

Traditional Literature 

Lion for Mayor!  

Mouse for Mayor! 

A mouse wakes up a lion and makes the lion very angry.  The mouse begs the lion to let him go.  The mouse says the lion might need his help someday. 

The lion lets the mouse go, although the lion can't see how such a small creature could ever help him.

Sometime later, the lion is caught in a hunter's net.  The mouse chews through the net and frees the lion.  The lion learns that size doesn't always matter. 

Imagine that both the lion and the mouse were running for mayor.  Whom would you vote for? 

Folk Tale Favorites!

Folk Tales

Longer stories that feature human and/or animal characters.  

Some are meant to entertain, and others teach community values and social mores.

My favorite beautifully illustrated folk tale is "Aladdin"!  I love and will always love Aladdin's magic carpet!  The legendary carpet that can be used to transport people who are on it instantaneously and quickly to their destination!!  My other favorite folktales include "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel and Gretel"!!

Ms. Cadi’s Thematic Plan

Inside the White House

Attention! Attention! Let’s read all about it!

Soon our country will elect a new president.  There will be new residents in the White House in Washington, DC.  Let’s read about the White House in fact and fiction - and meet a variety of presidents in the pages of these books!

Grades: K-2

Objectives
Why are there elections?
What does the President do?
Who were some of the young, unusual, or past residents of the presidential mansion?

Books (Age: 3-6 Beginning Reader)
George Washington’s Teeth
By: Deborah Chandra & Madeleine Comora
Age: 3-6 (Beginning Reader)
George Washington is well known not only as the first President of the United States, but also for his legendary dental problem. The rhyming countdown (as GW heads toward no teeth at all) introduces an historical figure with humor, verve, and real (if unusual) information.

If I Were President
By: Catherine Stier
Age Level: 3-6 (Beginning Reader)
Children describe the basic duties of the U.S. President, from campaign speeches to lighting the national Christmas tree. Cheery illustrations, simple text, and the position’s more pleasurable duties create a fine introduction to the office for younger children.

My Teacher for President
By: Kay Winters
Illustrated by: Denise Brunkus
Age Level: 3-6 (Beginning Reader)
Since Oliver's class has been studying about elections and voting, he decides to nominate his teacher for President, and contacts a local television station, clearly stating her many qualifications! Humor abounds as the teacher's assets are juxtaposed with U.S. presidential duties — and with a real sense of child-like appreciation for what the teacher does.

Books (Age 6-9: Beginning Reader)

What to Do About Alice?
By: Barbara Kerley
Age Level: 6-9 (Beginning Reader)
What must it be like to live in the White House, especially if you’re not at all like other children of your time? Read about Alice — Theodore Roosevelt’s oldest child — and her unconventional approach to life in the White House.
Books (Age 6-9: Independent Reader)

Grace for President
By: Kelly Dipucchio
Age: 6-9 (Independent Reader)
An inspired teacher, the discovery of the fact that all U.S. Presidents (so far) have been male, and a tenacious girl provide the basis of a satisfying, surprisingly plausible story that explains the voting process in this country — including the Electoral College.
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out
By: National Children's Book & Literacy Alliance
Age Level: 6-9 (Independent Reader)
Over 100 well-known authors and illustrators have provided pieces to this fascinating compendium about the White House. An introduction by historian David McCullough sets the stage for the varied offerings by diverse contributors. This handsome volume is ideal for sharing at home or in classrooms.
Wackiest White House Pets

By: Katherine Gibbs Davis
Age Level: 6-9 (Independent Reader)
How are dogs, alligators, sheep, cats, and a host of other animals similar? They’ve all been residents of the president’s house as presidential pets! Comical illustrations combine with the often laugh out loud funny tales of pets in the White House.

My first blog!

Welcome to my Children's Literature in The Reading Program Blog!! Please enjoy!