Students will hear and see a lot of media about the inauguration during the days leading up to the swearing-in of a popular presidential candidate. Teachers can harness the sense of history that an inauguration creates with classroom activities that have already been tried and tested.
Elementary Inauguration Worksheets
School and Family 's website offers a great collection of PDF files that teachers can print off for almost every event, and the presidential inauguration is no exception. The social studies section of the site offers teachers downloadable files to use, and because the topic is of current event interest, even secondary students might find the elementary word search fun. On School and Family, teachers can find the following titles:
- Inauguration Day Writing Prompt asking students to put themselves in the new president's shoes
- Inauguration Word Scramble Worksheet
- Inauguration Day Word Search
- Inauguration Day Acrostic Poem
- Inauguration Day Missing Letters Worksheet
The School and Family site is unusually easy to use. It is not necessary to register or give any personal information. To download a file, click "get it", and the lesson will download and open in a pdf reader. The lessons indicate recommended grades, instructions, and necessary supplies.
Secondary Inauguration Lessons
PBS offers teachers detailed lesson plans that are thorough enough to meet any teacher's exacting standards. Most of the lessons include:
- topic overviews
- grade level intention
- instructional objectives
- background information
- classroom activities
- evaluation suggestions
- extension ideas
Although the PBS site categorizes inauguration lessons by the year (example, the 2005 Inauguration), many of the activities are appropriate for any presidential inauguration. Secondary teachers should consider:
- The Inauguration and the Media (looking at how the news covered the 2001 inauguration)
- The Inauguration and the Constitution (looking at the laws in place for an inauguration)
- George Washington: The President Without Precedent
- Thomas Jefferson: The Revolution of 1800
- Andrew Jackson: King Mob or Champion of American Democracy?
Finding the lessons takes some digging; it is easiest to go to the Inauguration 2005 section and use those lessons as a starting point, as PBS has moved some of the 2001 lessons over. Teachers can also search for the lessons by title and find them.
After preparing students for the new president to be sworn in during the inauguration with classroom worksheets and lessons, teachers might consider some of the online resources that are available for students. Teachers and students will definitely want to watch some past inaugurations and watch the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20th, and there are viewing options available for the special day when students get to witness history.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
