Teacher Name: Teri Vestal, Greenwood I.S.D.

Grade Level: Elementary/Intermediate

My Unit Plan: Social Studies

Title: Presidential Match-Fascinating Facts about U.S. Presidents

Grade Level: 5th

Overview: The history books are full of great facts about U.S. Presidents, but there's more! Discover some little known quirky, funny, and fascinating facts about some of America's most famous and most interesting presidents!

Assessment: Ask students to demonstrate their knowledge about U. S. Presidents. Inform students that some of the most fascinating facts about these historical figures never make it to the history books.

My Best Lesson(s) for This Unit

Lesson Plan Title: Presidential Match!

Grade Level: 5th

Duration: 30-45 minutes

Student Goal: The student will demonstrate learning of selected U. S. Presidents by matching unique presidential facts to names.

Student Objectives: The student will be able to match presidential facts with president names.

List Materials: 11 name tags for names of selected U. S. Presidents; 22 to 33 name tags for presidential facts (2-3 facts per name); Social Studies: United States Presidents(PDF) -- a content sample from the Scholastic Branded Social Studies Notebook by Mead, available early summer 2004 in the Teacher Store.

Set Up and Prepare: To get started, explore how much prior knowledge students have by asking these questions:
  • Name the three requirements for becoming a U. S. President.besides winning the election! Answer: Candidates must be 35 years old, must be born a United States citizen, and must have been a resident of the U. S. for 14 years.
  • How many men have served as U. S. President? Answer: 43
  • Who was the first U. S. President to ever live in the White House? Answer: John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States. When he and Mrs. Adams moved in, the paint was still wet!

Directions: Now the fun begins as you enlighten students with fascinating presidential facts. As a group, read and discuss each presidential fact.

PART I: Fascinating Facts about U. S. Presidents: (years served in office)

  • George Washington- 1st President (1789-1797): At the time of his inauguration, Washington had only one tooth; dentures were made from ivory, lead, cattle, hippopotamus, and human teeth; only president to not live in the White House.
  • Thomas Jefferson- 3rd President (1801-1809): First president inaugurated in Washington, D. C.; Library of Congress was started with his collection of 6000 books, sold to Congress for approximately $23, 950.00; invented the swivel chair, dumb-waiter, and letter copying machine.
  • James Madison- 4th President (1809-1817): First president to wear long trousers instead of knickers; shortest president at 5 feet, 4 inches; lightest president weighing under 100 pounds; Wife, Dolly, made history by sending the first personal message via Morse telegraph in 1844.
  • John Quincy Adams- 6th President (1825-1829): Graduated from Harvard College in 1787; traveled world serving as U. S. Minister to Russia, the Netherlands, and Prussia; first president to be photographed; liked to take 5 a.m. swims in the Potomac River.in the buff.without any swim trunks!
  • James Knox Polk- 11th President (1845-1849): Installed gaslights in the White House; survived gallstone operation at the age of 17.without anesthesia or antiseptics! Wife, Sarah, hosted first annual White House Thanksgiving dinner.
  • Abraham Lincoln- 16th President (1861-1865): Known as "Honest Abe"; first president born outside of original thirteen colonies; first president to wear a beard; the first president photographed at an inauguration; first president assassinated.
  • Grover Cleveland-22nd and 24th President (1885-1889 and 1893-1897): Only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms; answered the White House phone personally; only president married in the White House. The Baby Ruth candy bar was named after Ruth Cleveland, the President's baby daughter!
  • Warren G. Harding- 29th President (1921-1923): First newspaper publisher elected president; first to ride to inauguration in an automobile; first president to own a radio and speak over airwaves.
  • Gerald R. Ford- 38th President (1974-1977): First president to have been Eagle Scout; first President to officially visit Japan; first president to release full medical report; hosted first senior prom in White House for daughter, Susan.
  • William Jefferson Clinton- 42nd President (1993-2001) Born in Hope, Arkansas; former Arkansas Attorney General (1976-78); former Governor of Arkansas; served split terms (1978-80 and 1982-92); played saxophone on national television
  • George W. Bush- 43rd President (2001- present): Governor of Texas (1995-2000); former managing partner for Texas Rangers baseball club; won 2000 election by narrow margin of slightly over 500 votes cast in Florida.

Step 1: Give each student either a president's name tag, or a tag with a presidential fact on it.

Step 2: It's time to mingle about! Encourage students to discover who their matching partners are by asking questions, or listening for clues. Each name should have at least 2-3 matching partners. Teams sit down when they find everyone in their group. Then students switch tags and repeat activity. Fun challenge: Time the groups.

Assess Students: Assessment for this activity can be through observation of each student's participation during matching activity.

Lesson Extension: Assign groups or individuals to find interesting facts about other presidents not on the list to share with the class.

Evaluate Lesson: Evaluate individual knowledge by creating a name/fact matching exercise for independent work.

ORGANIZATIONAL TIPS FOR SUCCESSFULLY ORGANIZING A GROUP ACTIVITY:

Learning can be spontaneous and fun in a well-organized group activity like the "Presidential Match." Remind students they can reference more interesting presidential information in the Scholastic Social Studies Notebook by Mead (color-coded orange):

Help students in a group or cooperative setting experience learning by using these ideas: Inform students of lesson goals and the activity's purpose.

  • Before group activities, be sure ample material has been presented and student understanding is at an appropriate level for success in the activity.
  • Present students criteria for the activity such as time limits, group structure, rewards, etc.
  • Encourage students to organize into their own groups. This may take some guidance on the teacher's part, but can be a useful strategy for future activities.
  • Review rules or special situations that might arise during activity and possible conflict resolutions for disputes regarding rules or conduct.
  • Assign a person to record results.
  • End the activity with a discussion on the activity's success and benefits related to lesson goals.

Some of the resources on this page are in PDF format. To download them, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Software.

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