Procedures

• SET-UP:

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handouts and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resources for students to use with this lesson.

  Vocabulary Chart: Autopsy of President (Google Doc)

  Graphic Organizer: Autopsy of President (Google Slide)

  Rubric: Autopsy of a President (Google Doc)

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• INTRODUCTION:

  As a class, view the following video clip to establish background information on the topic. Use the questions that follow to guide class discussion.

  Video Clip: C-SPAN Presidential Survey - Ranking U.S. Presidents (2:50)

  • How are presidents being evaluated in this survey? Which categories do you feel are the most essential? Why?

  • Describe two changes you see in the individual rankings over time.

  • Identify one formal power of the presidency and describe how it may influence these rankings.

  • Identify one informal power of the presidency and describe how it may influence these rankings.

• PROCEDURE:

  Divide the class into large groups of 4-5 people. Have each group choose a president they would like to research (you may want to stipulate that you can only have one of each president per class period). Students will then work together to research their president and fill in the Autopsy of a President Graphic Organizer. Once you have approved the information on the graphic organizer, students will use craft paper to create their representation of their president using all of their research.

• EXPLORATION:

  Students will use the C-SPAN PRESIDENTS website to find the information they need to complete the graphic organizer and create their president. Students should select one president to research from the following list:

  • John F. Kennedy
  • Lyndon B. Johnson
  • Richard M. Nixon
  • Gerald Ford
  • James “Jimmy” Carter
  • Ronald Reagan
  • George H.W. Bush
  • William “Bill” Clinton
  • George W. Bush
  • Barack Obama

• Students should put the name of their president along with the dates in office at the top of the craft paper. Then, ask them to draw a large representation of their president on that paper. Have students add their research from their graphic organizer to their drawing:

  • Head: Major accomplishments
  • Eyes: Hopes/wants to accomplish as president/campaign promises
  • Mouth: Famous quote or part of a speech
  • Arms: Foreign Policy – success and failures
  • Hands: Political Party
  • Heart: Background/Beliefs that contributed to his Presidency
  • Legs: Domestic Policy – success and failures
  • Feet: Major Legislation & Supreme Court Decisions

• ACCOMODATIONS/DIFFERENTIATION:

  • Edit the graphic organizer to include different or less aspects of the president
  • Allow a student to create a smaller version of the project on smaller paper
  • Allow students to choose which aspects of the presidency that they are interested in to research

• CONCLUSION:

  Introduce your president! Have each group present their completed drawing to the class. Each member of the group can choose which topics they would like to present.

• EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  THE OBITUARY:

  Use the information from your graphic organizer and from C-SPAN PRESIDENTS website to create an obituary for your president. Make sure to include the significant events of the president's life.

  • The years of the Presidents Life
  • Major Accomplishments
  • Any other information that you believe is important

• THE GALLERY WALK:

  Hang up the president representations in the hallway or classroom. Have students visit each president and record the important information about each one. Students can then compare and contrast the policies of different presidents in a venn-diagram or written essay.