TeachersFirst: Resources for U.S. Presidential Inaugurations

US Capitol steps at inauguration TeachersFirst Resources for U.S. Presidential Inaugurations

Every four years, the U.S. celebrates the peaceful transition of power from one administration to the next. 2009 is an especially historic year in U.S. history, with the juxtaposition of Lincoln's 200th birthday and the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

No matter what grade level you teach or candidate you support, Inauguration Day is an important event worthy of notice in your classroom.

This list of reviewed resources from the TeachersFirst database will help you find ways to include the inauguration and its historical significance in the context of your curriculum.

Since news sources often generate specialized but temporary web resources just in time for Inauguration Day (January 20), you will also want to use a Google News search for the most timely information, such as news articles and images. Combine these with the historical background and ideas below to help students gain perspective and a deeper understanding.

13 record(s) found - search again

Inauguration Day Events Grade 3 to 10 - Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies- 3600

This site shares Inauguration Day events: Morning Worship Service, Procession to the Capitol, Vice President's Swearing In Ceremony, President's Swearing In Ceremony, Inaugural Address, Departure of the Outgoing President, Inaugural Luncheon, Inaugural Parade, and the Inaugural Ball. Each topic has a Learn More link and provides authentic photos and historical information.

In the Classroom:
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector on Inauguration Day. Divide your class into nine groups and have each group learn about one of the "events" of the day. Have the groups share their "event" with the class on a PowerPoint.

A New Birth of Freedom Grade K to 12 - Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies- 5484

Are you gearing up for Inauguration Day with your students? Check out this site, dedicated to the "New Birth of Freedom." Visit the History link, learn about the events for the 2009 Inauguration, see photos, view video clips, and more. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Assign a student "pre-inaugural reporter" from the class each day during the month of January to share the latest news and plans about the Inauguration. Have cooperative learning groups compare historical information on inaugurations. Then have the students write a paper or blog entry explaining what their own inauguration would be like if they were ever elected president.

I Do Solemnly Swear...Presidential Inaugurations Grade 4 to 12 - The Library of Congress- 9711

The Library of Congress has created this excellent resource that features over 400 images and 2,000 digital files related to the inaugurations of George Washington through George W. Bush (in 2001). There are video clips, references, diary entries, letters, and more. This site requires Real Player and/or QuickTime. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Why not feature an "inauguration a day" during the week prior to the current inauguration? Use the many images to create a Simplybox (explained here) of inauguration information for students to dig though. With older students, have cooperative learning groups create their own Simplybox. All of the Library of Congress resources are in the public domain, so students can USE these images to create new products, such as a photomontage of an inauguration topic: bands, dress, buzzwords, etc.

Presidential 09 Inauguration Grade 2 to 12 - - 9734

Here is an excellent site for students to explore to discover what life will be like in Washington, D.C. during Inauguration Day (and probably the entire week). Don't miss the link to the Fun Facts! There are also links to information about Obama, Biden, an events calendar, various maps (mostly by Google Maps), emergency information, photo gallery, and more!

In the Classroom:
Share this site (and the impact on life in DC during inauguration day). Challenge students to write a mock ad to rent out their apartment for the inauguration or to plan a mock trip to the inauguration (including plans for what they will do while DC). Or have students describe the events of the day (after the fact) in a letter to their future grandchildren.

TeachersFirst Resources for U.S. Presidential Inaugurations Grade 1 to 12 - TeachersFirst- 9748

Every four years, the U.S. celebrates the peaceful transition of power from one administration to the next. We all note 2009 as an especially historic year in U.S. history, with the juxtaposition of Lincoln's 200th birthday and the inauguration of President Barack Obama. No matter what grade level you teach or candidate you support, Inauguration Day is an important event worthy of notice in your classroom. This list of reviewed resources from the TeachersFirst database will help you find ways to include the inauguration and its historical significance in the context of your curriculum.

In the Classroom:
Since news sources often generate specialized but temporary web resources just in time for Inauguration Day (January 20), you will want to use these resources in combination with a Google News search for the most timely information, such as news articles and images. Assign older students to compare historical background and current practice in a chosen aspect of the inauguration and create a multimedia presentation, wiki page, or mock "news" video about the day's events. Share selected images and explanation with younger students using your projector or interactive whiteboard.

Online NewsHour: Inaugural Fashion Grade 4 to 12 - PBS- 9660

Are you looking for a new way to get your students attention in history class? This site is perfect for those students who view fashion as the only thing worth their attention! The site focuses on the gowns that the first ladies wore to the inaugural ceremony (from a variety of time periods). The significance of the gowns is discussed. Several photos are included. The video clips date back to 2001 and no longer work. For commentary and speculation on what Mrs. Obama and the Obama children will wear, see this article from Womens Wear Daily

In the Classroom:
Share the pictures of the gowns on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students research an inaugural ceremony and write a blog entry (from the first lady of their choice) discussing the inaugural ceremony (and what they wore). Or have your budding journalists write a mock-commentary on the political "message" sent by a chosen first lady via her fashion choices.

Inauguration Scrapbook Grade 3 to 12 - Inauguration Scrapbook.com- 4058

This site offers a very eclectic sampling of publicly-submitted photographs (slideshow) from the 2009 inauguration of President Obama. Photographs include captions, personal stories, items created to celebrate the event (for example, a skateboard), ice sculptures, and MANY others. If you plan to print any pictures, be sure to check on the permission to re-use. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Share this slideshow on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Choose a picture to use as a writing prompt. Share this site around President's Day. Have students find (or create) their own picture or photo of President Obama. Challenge students to narrate the photo using an online tool such as VoiceThread (reviewed here).

Lincoln's 200th birthday coincides with Obama inauguration Grade 6 to 12 - The Earth Times- 9720

This website is essentially a news article highlighting the inauguration of Barack Obama (the first African-American president in U.S. history) and the celebration of the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. This article compares the two American heroes. The theme of Obama's inauguration is Lincoln and how the two men are similar. Both took office during critical times in U.S. history, both faced huge challenges, both are from the state of Illinois, and both are known for their inspirational speeches.

In the Classroom:
Share this article with your students. Have your class compare Lincoln and Obama. If they both had cellular phones, what do you think they might text to each other? Have students research the two men and then create a fictitious wiki that the men might have written back and forth to one another. Have students write their own articles comparing the two men.

Presidents of the United States Grade 3 to 8 - - 3989

Although TeachersFirst doesn't typically review hotlists, this one provides a great deal of information on the presidents, Inauguration Day, the White House, and other "presidential" topics. There are printables, lesson plans (many with standards), photos, video clips, and more. The link Presidential Inaugurations lists countless resources to use in your classroom. Some of the links require Adobe Acrobat or Flash. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Have students use this site to investigate one aspect of the presidency as an Inauguration Day or Presidents Day project. Cooperative learning groups could choose a topic of interest and then create a wiki page or Tikatok book reviewed here on their topic.

The Presidents Grade 4 to 12 - George Welling- 1473

This Dutch site is an index of information on the presidents of the United States. Included are speeches, writings, and biographical information. Excellent resource for creating research reports.

In the Classroom:
Share the inauguration speeches with your students on President's Day.

ePals Grade 2 to 12 - ePals, Inc.- 10090

TeachersFirst Edge Review: for slightly adventurous technology users. ePals, a global community, offers students the chance to connect with other students around the world (200+ countries). The free student email feature is one of the most useful features of ePals, since complete teacher moderation is available. You may be able to convince a more conservative school administration to permit student email using this tool. This site is the largest worldwide community for global collaboration. Don't worry about the language barrier, there is built-in language translation! This content-rich site also offers lessons, interactives, printables, and more. The "Focus Areas" include Biodiversity, Black History, Election/Inauguration, Geography Central, and Human Rights. In addition, you can click on the "Projects" link to find several ready to use projects (Habitats, Maps, Natural Disasters, Water, and others). Click on "ePals Tour" to view an informative video clip about the site, downloadable brochures, and more. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Skills Needed: Navigating this site is rather simple. Simply click on one of the tabs across the top of the website: Home, Focus Areas, Projects, Connect, Forums, How-To, and ePal Tours. Parts of this site require log-in. Registration does require an email address. The site does offer SchoolMail, the leader for FREE "kid-safe" email.

Safety/Security Concerns: A lot of safety features are already put into place at this site. The SchoolMail (email service offered at this site) offers monitored mail, instant translations, spell-check, anti-spam filters, and virus protection. To learn more about the safety features at this site, check out the ePals Tour link.

Possible Uses: This site offers an amazing assortment of class activities and possibilities. Collaborate with schools in Africa (or 200 other countries) for a geography project. Have your students find ePals to correspond with and practice writing skills in English or in a language you are studying. Use the ready to go lessons and interactives at the "Focus Areas" and "Projects" links. Get additional ideas for projects, by visiting the "Projects" link or propose one of your own based on ideas from TeachersFirst suggestions you read in other reviews, lesson plans, and articles. After viewing one of the informative videos, challenge your students to study one of the topics available at this site and create their own videos. Use a tool such as TeachersTv to share the video clips reviewed here.

Speak Out- PBS Kids Go! Grade 1 to 6 - PBS and National Black Programming Consortium's - 9800

PBS Go’s Speak Out encourages your students to have a voice about civic issues. Students submit ideas they would like to discuss with President Obama. Putting democracy to work, students vote on which ideas they like best. The winning issues are featured at this site in the form of video or written message to the President. The digital messages will change over time, depending on the youth’s changing concerns and recommended solutions. At the time of this review the issues included: Our Earth, Our School, and Staying Healthy. Your students vote on which of the three is the most pertinent issue in their lives. They also may leave comments that may be published online at this site. Check your school’s Acceptable Use Policy regarding posting students’ work, photos, or videos. And be sure to obtain parental permission. This site requires Flash. You can get it at the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Make a “Speak Out” bulletin board, and videotape your students as they speak out on issues that relate to your school, community, and nation. Issues may be submitted for voting by going to Big Dialog (explained here). Click on the ‘About’ link at this site for submission voting information.

Wordle Grade 2 to 12 - Jonathan Feinberg- 9465

This site takes any quotation or poem and creates a "word clouds" (graphical display) of the words in a passage of text. Paste in any passage or the URL for any blog entry or web page (including newspapers online) to create a wordle of the text. If you make a Wordle, you can choose your own colors, type of display, and font. The most frequent words appear larger and darker. Students can view creations others have made (see warning above), or make their own with or without saving them to the database of clouds. You can also print creations, open them in a window without borders, or link to them from a home page (html code is provided for the link). This site requires Java. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

Important note: Since the public can enter text and create their own Wordles, some of the examples that appear on the home page for "recent" Wordles might possibly include objectionable text. Teachers should preview immediately before sharing this site with a class or use the site as a teacher-only activity. TeachersFirst's review team has not witnessed any objectionable examples, but we have heard from some teachers that some do occasionally appear. Carefully weigh the value of this tool vs any risks you may take in using it with students. In today's world, a brief lesson or honest discussion on ignoring, clicking out of, or avoiding the inappropriate on the web might be worthwhile, depending on the age and maturity of your students.

In the Classroom:
This is a terrific visual tool to share on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Paste in a passage or URL for a political speech to visualize the politician’s “message.” Analyze advertising propaganda by visualizing the language used in TV or print ads. Create wordles of historical texts of inauguration speeches as time capsules of the issues of the day. Use this site as a way to help students see and memorize text, especially visual learners. Use it also when writing poetry or reading passages of great literature to “see” themes and motifs of repeated words and images. Have students paste in their own writing to spot repeated (and monotonous) language when teaching lessons on word choice. Students will be surprised to see what words appear to be dominant. ESL and ELL students will eagerly use this site since word order will no longer be a problem for them. Have students work in groups to create word posters of vocabulary words with related meanings, such as different ways to say “walk” or “said” and decorate tour classroom with these visual reminders of the richness of language.

Another idea: use this site during the first week of school. Have students create “Wordles” about themselves and create a “Wordle” bulletin board introducing your students (and yourself). Remember that the most frequently appearing words will appear larger so plan accordingly.