This is a "Wordle" which was made at the site http://wordle.net. Wordle allows you to insert words to create these colorful word clouds. The one below is a Wordle created by President Obama's Inauguration Speech. The words that are larger represent that they were the most repeated.
You can make your own Wordles on their site. You can also change fonts and colors. Because it is a Web 2.0 tool, you can do this all online and for free.
Below is a set of online lesson plans and activities for teaching students about the Inauguration process as well as about the history of our Presidents.
Handouts and other resources are linked on each of these pages below.
Dear President Obama: Grades K-8
Students write letters to the President. Ask them to include goals they would like to see the administration to achieve and good wishes to the President and his family.
Portrait of a President: Grades K-5
Students use current photographs to create portraits of the President.
Inauguration Firsts: Grades 6-12
Students find fascinating firsts and facts about past US Presidential Inaugurations and answer questions about what they learn.
Inaugural Weather in History: Grades 6-12
Students learn fascinating facts about weather conditions during past US Presidential Inaugurations and complete a worksheet about the information.
Comparing Inaugural Addresses: Grades 6-12
Students compare and contrast Inaugural Addresses of past presidents of the United States.
Inaugural Poetry: Grades 6-12
Students compare and contrast the poems that Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and Miller Williams wrote and read at past Inaugurations.
Inaugural Pennant: Grades 3-8
Students study pennants designed for previous Inaugurations and design souvenir pennants for the 2009 Inauguration (site was from 2001 but can be adapted for 2009).
"I do solemnly swear": Grades 6-12
Students complete a vocabulary work sheet about the Oath of Office.
Also linked on this site.
Inauguration Interview: Grades K-12:
Students develop questions that a reporter might ask during an interview with the new President.
The Inauguration and the Media: Grades 6-12:
Students track media coverage of the Presidential Inauguration in various types of media - television, print, and online.
How Old Were They? Grades K-8
Students graph the President's ages at Inauguration. Who was the youngest? The oldest?
Other Resources:
C-Span - Inauguration Information with handouts and lessons covering George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and George W. Bush.
TeacherVision 's Inaugural Poetry - Grades 5-8
EL Civics for ESL Students: Grades 3-12
Great site for teaching Civics Lessons for ESL students. Tons of onlne resources and a special page just for covering the Presidential Election Process.
Other ideas:
1) Student Reporters: Have students put together a post-inaugural newspaper or online blog at the school with reports from other students. Work with student groups or classes to determine various angles to cover (ie: weather, the children in the crowd, the parties, the fashion, etc.). Have them do some research in advance and while they are watching the Inauguration, have them take notes for their stories. Following the Inauguration, have students discuss their pieces and publish their work.
2) Call to Service: Barack Obama has launched a national organizational effort on the eve of the Inauguration to engage Americans to service. This national day of service will fall on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 12, 2009. Unlike past calls of service, President-elect Obama is calling on all Americans to do more than just offer a single day of service to their cities, towns, and neighborhoods. He is asking all of us to make an ongoing committment to our communities.
Discussion topics for students:
What is one thing that the president speaks about on which you think you can have an impact?
How might you accomplish this?
3) Four Column Chart:
Use a four column chart for a more open viewing experience. Prior to watching the event, share the chart with students. At the top of each column, have students brainstorm unique headings for what they'll be looking for when they view the event. (ie: favorite quotes, people I recognize, what surprised me, what am I excited about, what people are wearing, etc.) Following the event, have students discuss what they found and write an overview of their findings from the one column they found most interesting.
4) Text Reporter
For the cell phone enthusiast! You can Text Message the word HISTORY to 56333 for the latest Inauguration Information. As part of the Presidential Inauguration Committee's commitment to hosting the most open and accessible Inauguration in history, they are offering a variety of resources via SMS text messaging to keep people in the know about the activities. Assign a student or student groups to follow these messages and keep the school up to date using text messaging.
From a blog called "SMARTboards in the Classroom" - includes interactives and Notebook files to use on a SMARTboard.
Download SMART Notebook file here.
Inaugural Lesson: Campaign Posters of US Presidents
Inaugural Lessons: Speeches
Inauguration Voices - Using VoiceThread
VoiceThread is a unique web environment that allows a place for video and audio commenting. Interested teachers and students can join the Inauguration Day Voices group which was created to try to capture the voices of individuals exploring and expressing their own perspectives on this historic event by responding to President-elect Obama's mantra, "Yes we can!", and calling on students to share their thoughts on what it is they think we can all do.
Other online resources:
Inauguration Resources Searching
- From School Library Journal
Inauguration 2009 resources - From the History Tech blog
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