Video-Based Lessons With a Presidential Twist

LESSON DESCRIPTION: Many students know that Barack Obama is the current president of the United States. They may even know a few biographical details about him. But often their awareness of the nation's 43 preceding presidents is limited or nonexistent.

For this lesson, students work in pairs to create a comprehensive "Hall of Presidents." The project includes a digital component in which students operate Flip Video camcorders to film and edit footage of each other summarizing their research findings, and an artistic component in which they create life-size posters highlighting their chosen presidents.

Each duo selects a president to research using teacher-vetted websites. They must answer these questions: What is your president's full name, date of birth and date of death? Against which candidates did he run? Who was his vice president? How long did he serve as president? To which political party did he belong? For what is he remembered? What did he look like?

Next, students create posters illustrating their presidents and paraphrasing their research findings. Completed posters are displayed as they would be in a portrait gallery, in the hallway outside the classroom. The project culminates with student-produced short videos in which they serve as experts on the subject of their respective presidents. The videos are shared with schoolmates, other classes, parents and – via the web – the world.

SUBJECT AREA: This activity focuses on fifth-grade history subject matter, but it can be adapted to any research topic for students in grades three through 12.

CURRICULUM STANDARDS: This lesson meets several curricular standards for History and Government, Economics and Geography set forth by the Kansas State Department of Education for fifth-grade students:

• Benchmark 3: Students use a working knowledge and understanding of the American Revolution and the United States becoming a nation. Indicator 7 requires students to recognize the importance of the presidency as defined by George Washington.
• Benchmark 4: Students engage in historical thinking skills. Indicator 6 requires students to use research skills to interpret a historical person or event and note the source(s) of information.

RESOURCES:

• The White House: whitehouse.gov/about/presidents
• American Presidents at pppst.com: americanhistory.pppst.com/presidents.html
• ipl2's Presidents of the United States: ipl.org/div/potus

GRADING RUBRIC: Students are graded on their ability to:

• work collaboratively with a partner to complete the project;
• research their president using the questions provided and paraphrase their findings;
• create a poster that summarizes their research in an engaging way; and
• produce a video, filmed in front of their posters, in which they answer the research questions.