PreK-6 Menu of
Classroom Activities:
President Obama’s Address to Students
Across America
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education September 8, 2009
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? 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?
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? Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us? What would you like to tell the President? Teachers could encourage students to participate in the Department of Education’s “I Am What I Learn” video contest. The Department will invite K-12 students to submit a video no longer than 2 min, explaining why education is important and how their education will help them achieve their dreams.
Create posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants or puzzle pieces or trails marked with the labels: personal, academic, community, country. Each area could be labeled with three steps for achieving goals in those areas. It might make sense to focus on personal and academic so community and country goals come more readily. Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals. Write goals on colored index cards or precut designs to post around the classroom.Interview and share about their goals with one another to create a supportive community. articipate in School wide incentive programs or contests for students who achieve their goals.
Write about their goals in a variety of genres, i.e. poems, songs, personal essays. Create artistic projects based on the themes of their goals.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are intended as humor and are not those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of Dvorak Uncensored… kinda sorta.
# 65 Uncle Patso
I agree. I think this whole post is a proxy for the RePUCKaTons election loss.
So, to rub some salt in the RePUCKaTons wounded ego, about their hated loss, BIG LOSS!!!!
Votes matter, Obama/Biden 365 beat, smashed, crushed McCain/Palin 173 with a huge victory.
As McCullough proves, the Feeble-minded (Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh followers) just can’t get over their black boogie man fears.
Deal with it!
#63-67-noname-just can’t get over their black boogie man fears…
Don’t be so hard on yourself maybe someday you’ll get over your obsession with color.
You could begin the healing by just thinking of Obama as Massa Boogie Man.
# 69 pedro
Pedro the simpleton troll has spoken. Move along donkey.
# 68 Dr Dodd,
“You could begin the healing by just thinking of Obama as Massa Boogie Man.”
WoW, you must really think you are smart, and what a clever little retort. Your brain pathology really is sadly significant!
“just thinking of Obama as Massa Boogie Man.”
#71-noname-just thinking of Obama as Massa Boogie Man.
At least you’re thinking – what an unexpected change. Whatever it takes.
# 72 Dr Dodd,
For a Dr. your clever, Wow, how bogus!
The Hitler youth image in association with Obama goes back at least as far as March 8, 2008. It’s easy to find the complete image above as early as April 11, 2009. At that time, he had been in office ten weeks.
If the originators were soooo prescient, why can’t they predict our way out of recession, war and debt?
Hie thee to a roulette table!
What if…
Anything said on Sept 8 has zero to do with the slant of this story?
I don’t joke about people being like nazis. They either are, like the fascist Shrub administration, or aren’t. And it’s no laughing matter either way.
Don’t feed the astro-turf, neocon talking point hysteria with such drivel as this.
#73-pedro-don’t be confusing a neural spasm to an actual thought.
You could be right, but noname has to start somewhere. Besides, anything is better than the same old tired rants from the democratic party playbook.
I don’t ask for much – one original thought will do.
There’s no way his handlers will let him screw his pet goat on TV.
Can we please stop this Hitler reference! Using the “Hitler Youth” poster is offensive.
That’s a BS piece of ‘artwork’ there. It’s Republican thugs who have been in the Town Hall Meetings acting like Brown Shirts and you know it. And if any President fits the bill of being Hitler like it’s GWBush (remember ‘I wish I was a Dictator? That GWBush?) He’s the one who got his ‘Patriot Act’ which would have made Stalin proud. The fact of the matter is that the American People voted for Obama and did in fact vote for Health Care Reform and it’s clueless idiots like the picture maker who don’t want to grasp onto that simple fact of American Life – we had an election, these issues were on the table, and the people voted. Sorry if this upsets the Insurance Companies and lawyers who get to grind up the little people for their homes and property when they get sick. Just simply clueless and racist.
Yah #82 – I know, I remember watching Olberman self immolate when it happened, and sure, in a perfect world we could line up and shoot every single person who did the wrong thing. – But then you’d be completely alone on this planet and then you’d have to go home to yours. But as it is, we had a choice between two slime ball politicians and there were certain issues on the table. Health Care was one of those issues that caused people to pull the lever. Obama’s vote on FISA was on the table as well but see here’s what happened and it’s not a sneeering one liner – it’s adults looking and deciding what were the most important issues and fortunately enough we had enough people who thought things like Health Care reform, getting the heck out of Iraq and trying to stop the Economic Hemorrhaging caused by George W and his horrific economic and military policies were more important than one ‘gotcha’ vote. Life isn’t black and white, people cannot be defined by one vote or one issue or one sentence of one speech. Sorry, it’s more complicated than that.
#83, To paraphrase:
“It’s ok if Obama did it.”
SO I’m confused ‘boys’ – do you object to the Patriot Act or do object to Obama having voted for it and therefore object to everyone who voted for it or is it just Obama you object to. Is it the perceived ‘Hypocrisy’ of this one vote or do you look at all votes that a representative or Senator votes for and identify the ones that are politically expedient or compromises in order to achieve a higher goal? I don’t expect actual answers, – whatever you can write that says the least in as snide a fashion as you think is ‘cool’ I’m assuming you’re all just Obama snipers without actual reasoned, thought out positions.
I object to the PA and anybody who does support it. However, this isn’t his only ass-up. Bailouts galore also piss me off. And Gitmo. And Rendition. And . . .
There is no gray area between right and wrong. A little evil is still evil. The lesser of two evils is still evil.
Cool 87. You are right, there is no gray area between right and wrong. Especially when we’re the ones defining what black and white, good and evil means. Unfortunately we didn’t get any choice between black and gray and white. We got Black and gray as our options. Bailouts, Gitmo and renditions started with Bush and it’s taking some time to undo what he’s done. It’s easy for you and I to have black and white definitions of good and evil but you’ll notice every one of those guys who gets up there in power who has actual responsibilities doesn’t get off that easy. Obama said we’re closing Gitmo day before yesterday – his lawyers, military, everybody – tells him it’s not that easy and here’s why. Result – close it in a year while trying to clean up all the problems legal and moral left by Bush/Cheney. What a mess.
Help me out, is this a joke? I’m a teacher and I NEVER heard about this before. Regardless, I won’t be showing or discussing this speech, I’m a math teacher and this has nothing to do with my curriculum.
#88, We got Black and gray as our options.
No, we had a multitude of different choices. The majority of people just chose to look at McCain and Obama.
Obama said in front of a camera he wanted to take money away from some people and give it to others.
That is evil, IMO. The republicans did say it, but they did it. Nothing either party is doing is convincing me otherwise.
I just dont see how you can compare a man who is trying to reform America with a man who killed 6 million jews for no better reason than “I didnt like them”
Libertylover sez – Obama said in front of a camera he wanted to take money away from some people and give it to others.
– Dude, when the Republicans did it they called it ‘trickle down economics’ – tax cuts to the rich and saying that it would benefit the economy and ‘trickle down’ to you and me. Which left a bigger burden of the taxes to you and me. When you and I do it it’s the result of a vote on a tax increase or decrease, our property taxes, our income taxes. That is all taking it away from some and giving to others. Sometimes we’re the others – roads, police, military and sometimes it’s kid lunches and sometimes it’s a grant to that Art center in your town that gets you mad. Republicans smile and steal your money and their fatcat banker friends get rich and richer and when the Democrats say anything about it the Republicans wrap their fat asses in the flag and call the other guy a commie. Much as the clueless ‘artist’ associates Obama with Hitler. – It’s part of the same ‘Big Lie’ campaign going on to try to make sure Big Insurance can take your mom’s house from her when dad gets sick. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who buy the ‘OMG – Obama is trying to take my rights away’ idiots out there.
#91-govenator
Hitler didn’t start out as a mass murderer only had a lust for power and a hatred for Jews.
Obama is just starting out with a lust for power and a hatred for white people.
Obama has alread set off many danger signals and it would be reckless not to keep a close eye on him. Judging from history once absolute power is acquired there it no place human depravity won’t go.
‘Dr Dodd’ sez – Obama is just starting out with a lust for power and a hatred for white people.
What a seriously racist, BS thing to say based on nothing but your own racist fears. I read the same crap coming out of Drudge and WorldNetDaily – they find some bill being drawn up and trying to slap it all over Obama. It’s OMG OBAMA is trying to take over the NATIONAL GUARD! OBAMA IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE INTERNET! – just ludicrous vile lies by scared people writing from their bunkers waiting for the world to end. They scream the headlines – the words when they have anything at all to link too has nothing to do with the fear headlines. Shouldn’t you just continue to fill your bunker with water purifiers and cans of tuna – gotta rotate those ones from when the Soviets were coming and then the tuna from when Clinton was President.
#94-gadlaw
It never hurts to compare historical events in an effort to keep from making the same mistakes.
People are people so when you discover similar trends it would be foolish not to consider the what-if’s.
#92, Republicans did it they called it ‘trickle down economics
I know. I’m defending them.
But it sounds to me like you are defending Obama and his policies, which look quite a bit like every other president for the last 100 years, and saying, “It’s OK because he’s Obama.”
Or are you saying, “It’s ok because the other presidents did it, too.”
A rose by any other name?
#96 – ARRG.
I know. I’m NOT defending them.
(stupid syntax checker . . .)
I personally think that all that the dept of education is trying to do is get kids involved in politics. There is no hidden agenda or subliminal message in the speech. I know a lot of teachers, and I doubt that they will spend more then 10 minutes on this. That is if they show it. It isn’t mandatory. Even higher up a math teacher said he wouldn’t show it because it has nothing to do with math.
Then again it is more fun to pretend.