Lesson Plan : A Very Presidential Podcast
Just in time for Presidents Day/Week, here is a podcasting project for you to do with your students. It is from my Podcasting Across the Curriculum book, available exclusively from MusicFirst. Also, there is still time to sign up for my FREE podcasting course that begins on March 1. You can register for the course HERE. I hope this project is useful!
Project Description:
In this project, students will produce a podcast about a U.S. President, including biographical information, a recap of their Presidency, and their impact on U.S. history.
Students will work individually or in groups to research the life of their assigned President, create a script using the Draft>Edit>Revise process, gather any audio clips of speeches of the President (if available), produce the podcast, and distribute it – ideally for President’s Day in February.
Suggested Resources
White House website – US Presidents: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/
University of Virginia – Miller Center: https://millercenter.org/president
Library of Congress Resource Guide: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/presidents/
National Geographic President site: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/topic/us-presidents
Presidential Podcast – Washington Post podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4qhNTktED1AX5OY3eBps1T
[Abridged] Presidential Histories podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1uWvuCb2F4LVKY5xAthsdq
Presidencies of the United States podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZRBiyuvyC4J5oAguxVqh0
University of Virginia – Miller Center – Presidential Recordings: https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/secret-white-house-tapes
US Presidential audio recordings: https://lib.msu.edu/vvl/presidents/
Hail To The Chief recorded by the United States Marine Corps Band: https://www.marineband.marines.mil/Audio-Resources/Hail-to-the-Chief/
Student View
Each year, on the third Monday of February, we celebrate the lives of U.S. Presidents on President’s Day. President’s Day is also known as Washington’s Birthday, who was born on February 22nd, 1732. Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is also in February (he was born on February 12th, 1809) and was celebrated by Americans until a Federal Law was passed in 1968 to officially designate President’s Day as a national holiday. So, why do we celebrate our Presidents? What makes them so important?
In this project, you will produce a podcast about a President assigned by your teacher. Your podcast should inform the listener about their life, their Presidency, and the impact they had on U.S. history. You can include audio recordings to enhance your podcast. Have fun, be creative, and be sure to include all the elements of your podcast listed below.
Project Requirements:
Your podcast should be 5-10 minutes in length, no more than 15 minutes.
Include as much biographical information as you can, including:
The name of the President
Biographical information including:
Birth date
Hometown
Information about their childhood, parents
Education information
Personal life (spouse, children, etc.)
Date of death (if applicable)
Presidential campaign
What year was the election in?
Who did they run against?
Who was their running mate (Vice President)?
What political party did they belong to?
What political issues did they run on?
What was the outcome of the election? Was it close? Was it a landslide?
Presidency
What were their achievements?
What historical events occurred during their Presidency?
Did they get elected to a second term – or more?
Legacy
What impact did your President have on U.S. History? World History?
Was their Presidency seen as successful? A failure?
You can include audio recordings to enhance your podcast. You might include the song “Hail to the Chief” which has been used as the official Presidential song since 1815. You can also include clips of famous speeches they gave (if available).
When you have completed your podcast, submit it to your teacher for assessment and distribution.
