There is nothing wrong with the President of the United States giving a speech to our students. However, the Obama administration sent out a recommended curriculum on how to make this a learning experience. I have my own curriculum on how to make this a learning experience for students of both liberal and conservative parents.
PreK-6 Menu of Classroom Activities:
President Obama’s Address to Students Across America
Before the Speech:
Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about former presidents.
Perhaps ask the questions, Who is the President of the United States? Who ran against him in the election? What do you think it takes to be President? To which political party does the President belong? What are the major political parties in the United States? Why do we have different parties in the United States?
Teachers can ask students to imagine being the President delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States. What would you tell students? What can students do to help improve our schools? Teachers can chart ideas about what they would say.
Ask questions like, “Why is it important that we listen to the President and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor?” “Why is what they say important?” “What happens if we disagree?”
During the Speech:
As the President speaks, teachers can ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful. Students could use a note-taking graphic organizer such as a Cluster Web, or students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children can draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following: What is the President trying to tell me? What is the President asking me to do? What new ideas and actions is the President challenging me to think about? Do I agree with what the President is asking?
Students can record important parts of the speech where the President is asking them to do something. Students might think about: What specific job is he asking me to do? Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people? Is this something I feel I should do? Why or why not?
Students can record any questions they have while he is speaking and then discuss them after the speech. Younger children may need to dictate their questions.
After the Speech:
Teachers could ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes or stick notes on a butcher paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, i.e. citizenship, personal responsibility, civic duty.
Students could discuss their responses to the following questions: What do you think the President wants us to do? Does the speech make you want to do anything? Should we do what President Obama is asking of us? Why or Why not? What would you like to tell the President?
Finally, encourage the children to discuss these questions with their parents.
Extension of the Speech: Teachers can extend learning by having students
Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help meet their educational goals. These would be collected, shared with parents and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their educational goals.
