President’s Day Lesson Plans

Presidents’ Day will soon be here. If you are a teacher like me then you have some lesson plans ready for that special day. I will share some basic core lesson plan concepts that you can expound upon for your students. They range in ages from Kindergarten to grade 2.

Kindergarten

Unit objectives:

The student will be able to identify who the president is and what that person plays.

The student will be able to identify that George Washington was the first president of the United States.

The student will identify that Presidents’ Day is the day that the United States celebrates to honor the role of the president.

Students will identify who the President is today.

Materials required:

Several books on Presidents’ Day.

Several books on George Washington as the first president.

Several books on who is President today.

Core curriculum activities that center around identifying George Washington’s first president.

Core curriculum activities that center around identifying who our President is today.

Kindergartners can easily accept the fact that we had a president that was the first president who’s name was George Washington. Once they have identified that part of our history the teacher can move on to identify who our president is today. Then have them understand through their own exploration of the materials what being a presidential represents. Complete the unit by talking about the fact that President’s Day honors this position in our country. At this age it is most appropriate to have a celebration of the unit in order to feel that they have accomplished their goal. It helps them identify closure in the lesson.

Grade 1:

Unit Objectives:

The student will identify who the President is and what role that position plays in our nation.

The student will identify that we’ve had several different presidents in our nations’ history.

The student will identify who our current President is today and what role that plays in our country.

The student will identify what President’s Day is and how it commemorates that role.

Materials required:

Several books on our current President.

Several books on how the President does his or her job.

Core curriculum incorporated into the theme of the President.

Core curriculum activities that show how President’s Day is important in our nation.

Students at grade level 1 are able to grasp more about how there have been various presidents. They also understand that we have a different president today. They can expound on how our President today is the leader of our nation. Complete the unit with the students sharing a report that they have compiled during this unit. That shares their knowledge that they have achieved during the unit.

Grade 2:

Unit Objectives:

The student will identify that President’s Day is how we commemorate the role of the President.

The student will show comprehension of the fact that we have had several presidents in our nations history.

The student will identify the first 5 presidents in order.

Materials Required:

Several books on the role of President’s Day in our nations history.

Several books on the first 5 presidents in our nations history.

Core curriculum that focuses on researching the first 5 president’s in our nations history.

Materials to complete that research.

Examples of how to compile a research report. (Be sure to demonstrate this to the students as an example. Use guided practice first. Then allow Independent practice for the research on this subject.).

Students at grade level 2 are able to expound on the role of the president. They should be able to follow the sequence of the first 5 presidents’ and how they affected our nations’ history. They will complete the unit by sharing a research project on how these first 5 presidents affected our nation’s history.

Conclusion:

President’s Day is a fun lesson plan to cover with your students. It allows you to share a bit more of who they are as members of their own country. It also allows you to show them the importance of this role in today’s world.Using thematic centers for the lesson plans allows you as the teacher to reach each student independently as they feel a sense of accomplishment in themselves through their own work and research.