When I was a student in elementary school, we celebrated two Presidential holidays. Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was on February 12th and George
Washington’s was on February 22nd. Little attention was paid to the
other Presidents. Today, students everywhere can acknowledge the efforts of all
of our Presidents on Presidents’ Day. These activities take on an even greater
significance as 2016 happens to be a Presidential election year (if you haven’t
noticed we are already in Primary season!).
There is a wealth of information on the Internet with
websites full of classroom activities for all grade levels and abilities. Hera
are a few that you may wish to review.
Nea.org. The National Education website has links,
pdfs, printables as well as interactive maps for students to sink their teeth
into. There is an abundance of Presidents Day activities here.
Scholastic.com – The publishers of Scholastic Magazine’s
and books also have many activities for classroom use. Their materials include
worksheets “ What was Life Like in George Washington’s Time?” There are also
reprintable articles, craft suggestions and art project. There are also of
course opportunity to purchase Scholastic books and DVDs about the Presidents. One
activity that could be enlightening is “ If you were President, How would you
run the Country?” How would you balance a budget? Who would you select for your
cabinet or advisors?
Educationworld.com- this site has useful times lines and a discussion
of the President’s role under the US Constitution.
Presidential
Libraries.
Each of the past 13 Presidents has Presidential Libraries
throughout the country. Their web sites provide an in depth look at that President’s
life and accomplishments. (Example -www. Jfklibrary.org).
Library of Congress- (loc.gov) This web site will enable students
to search the government archives for news articles speeches and photos.
There is certainly no shortage of materials to make this
Presidents Day a meaningful one.
C.2016 J. Margolis
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