inauguration lesson guide

7/30/2019 Inauguration Lesson Guide

1/12

I N A U G U R A T I O N L E S S O NL E S S O N

In twodaysThe 57th Inaugural Ceremonies

Why are Presidential inaugurationscelebrated?

Overview

Students assume the role of ball goers and attend a

ball in honor of the fifty-seventh inauguration. Each

student has a unique piece of inaugural history she shares

in the reception. Students are then asked to rank three ofthe most interesting facts they learned.

Preview Students view President Obamas oath of office.

Activity In an Experiential Exercise, students assume the

roles of party goers attending an inaugural ball. Each

student is armed with one interesting detail or fact

regarding Presidential inaugurations. In a reception,

Materials

Live streaming or recording

of President Obamas

inauguration. (If you do this

lesson prior to Jan. 21st, use

2009 or an earlier

inauguration.)

1 copy of the Inaugural

Interactive Student Notebook

for each student

1 inaugural fact cut out from

Student Handout 1 for each

student.

5-6 copies of Student

Handout 2 (on cardstock

preferably)

1 copy of Student Handout 3

for each student


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g g g pfor each student

P r o c e d u r e s

PreviewSuggested time: 60+ minutes

1. Greet students at the door. Distribute a copy of the

Inaugural Interactive Student Notebookto students as

they enter the room.

2. Have students watch the 57th Inaugural Ceremony.

Either as part of class or prior to coming to class,

have students watch the inaugural ceremony,including the oath of office and address. Have

students complete the preview as they watch.

3. Debrief the inaugural ceremony. Ask the students a

series of questions to debrief the ceremony.

What is purpose of presidential inaugurations?

Aside from President Obama, and Vice President

Biden, who are some of the VIPs you took note

of?

Which part of the ceremony do you think is most

memorable for people?

Why do you think Presidential Inaugurations are

celebrated?

Inaugural Preview


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P r o c e d u r e s

2. Greet students at the door with invitations and ball

materials. As students arrive to class, give each an

invitation to the Inaugural Ball, a fact card, and a

strand of pearls or a bow tie. Tell students they will

need these materials for the activity but will be

handing them back in at the end of class.

3. Project Inaugural Ball Reception Directions.

Project the Activity Procedures for students andreview the procedures for participating in the

Inaugural Ball. Make sure you explain to students that

while it is necessary for them to share their fact (and

thus they might need to carry it with them), it is NOT

necessary to write anything down.

4. Begin the Inaugural Ball Reception. Have the

students line up outside the class with their invitation.

Project Visual 1: Inaugural Ball, darken the room,

and play some school-appropriate music. Allow

students to come into the reception and begin

mingling/sharing. Let them do this for 10 minutes or

until you feel like the reception has gone on longenough.

Inaugural Ball

Reception Directions

Visual 1: Inaugural Ball


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P r o c e d u r e s

ProcessingSuggested time: 30 minutes; complete for homework

1. Challenge students to create a blog post detailing

the most interesting fact. Direct the students to the

process assignment in theirInaugural Interactive

Student Notebook. Tell students that their blog post

must include the following items:

A catchy title

A paragraph that details the mostinteresting fact learned about presidential

inaugurations and why it was interesting

A paragraph that answers the Essential

Question Why are presidential inaugurations

celebrated?

A picture (photograph or drawing) with the

image source if its not original

Writing that is free from spelling or

grammatical errors

---------------

Source for Inaugural History:The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies -

http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/facts-and-firsts

Inaugural Blog Post

Directions
http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/facts-and-firstshttp://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/facts-and-firstshttp://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/facts-and-firstshttp://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/facts-and-firstshttp://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/facts-and-firstshttp://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/facts-and-firsts


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Inaugural Interactive Student Notebook Preview Activity

The 57th Inaugural Ceremonies

Why are presidential inaugurations celebrated?


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Inaugural Interactive Student Notebook Inaugural Ball Reception Directions

Inaugural Ball Reception Directions:

Photo by US Army: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/3214865685/

1. Read the inaugural fact a few times. Try to share it from memory, but

carry it with you in case you need to refer to it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/3214865685/http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/3214865685/


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Inaugural Interactive Student Notebook Processing Assignment

Blog Post Directions: Compose a blog post about your experience at the Inaugural

Ball. Your blog must include the following: A catchy title

A paragraph that details the most interesting fact learned about

presidential inaugurations and why it was interesting

A paragraph answering the Essential Question Why are presidential

inaugurations celebrated?

A picture (photograph or drawing) with the image source if its notoriginal

Writing that is free from spelling or grammatical errors

Alternately, you may choose to do a video blog post using the same criteria.


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The 56th inaugural event for President

Obama in 2009 had the largestattendance of any event in the history of

Washington, DC. The incoming resident

was a Democrat, the outgoing President

Bush was a Republican. The nation was

at war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2001, President George W. Bush

hoped to use the same Bible that George

Washington used. Due to inclement

weather, a family Bible was substituted.

Bush was a Republican replacing

Democrat Bill Clinton.

The first inaugural event to be streamedon the internet was President Clintons

(Democrat) in 1997.

President Reagans (Republican) second

inauguration in 1985 was the coldest

inauguration on record at 7 degrees. The

ceremony was moved indoors.

In 1977, President Carter was the first to

walk from the Capitol to the White

House in the parade following the

swearing in. Carter was a Democrat

replacing Republican Gerald R. Ford.

President Lyndon Johnson (Democrat)

was the first president to ride in a bullet-

proof limo to his inauguration in 1965.

The nation was at war in Vietnam.

The first poet to participate in inaugural

ceremonies was Robert Frost (aged 87)

for John F. Kennedys inauguration in

1961. Kennedy was a Democrat

replacing term-limited Republican

Dwight Eisenhower.

The first inauguration to be televisedwas when Harry Truman (Democrat)

was sworn in for a second term in 1949.

The nation was at war in Korea.

In 1937, FDR (Democrat) was the first

president to be inaugurated on January

20th, a change made by the 20th

amendment to the Constitution. Thenation is mired in the Great Depression.

President Hoover (Republican) was the

first president to have his swearing in

recorded by talking newsreel in 1929.

When President Coolidge (Republican)

took the oath in 1925, he was sworn in

by former President William Howard

Taft, who was then the Chief Justice of

the Supreme Court.

When William McKinley was

inaugurated in 1897, it was recorded bya motion picture cameraa first.

McKinley was a Republican replacing

Democrat Grover Cleveland.

Upon taking the oath again in 1893,

Grover Cleveland (Democrat) was theonly President to serve two, non-

consecutive terms. He had previously

served from 1885-1889. President

Benjamin Harrison (Republican) served

from 1889-1893.

In 1881, President Garfield (Republican)

was the first president to review the

inaugural parade from a stand built in

front of the White House.

Outgoing President Andrew Johnson

(Democrat) did not accompany

President-elect Ulysses S. Grant

(Republican) to his inauguration in 1869.

He was signing last-minute legislation.

StudentHandou

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Source for facts: The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies - http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/facts-and-firsts


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President-elect Abraham Lincoln

(Republican) rode to his inauguration in

1861 under armed guard for fear an

assassin would try to kill him as the

nation was on the brink of civil war.

The eighteenth inaugural ceremonies of

James Buchanan (Democrat) in 1857

was the first to be photographed.

Franklin Pierce (Democrat) was the firstpresident to affirm rather than swear his

oath of office in 1853.

President James K. Polks (Democrat)

inauguration in 1845 was the first to be

covered by telegraph. Polk was

replacing former Whig-turned-Independent President Zachary Taylor.

In 1841, William H. Harrisons (Whig)

inaugural address was 10,000 words, the

longest. He did not wear a hat or gloves

despite a storm. Following the

swearing-in, Harrison contracted

pneumonia and died a month later.

When Martin Van Buren (Democrat)

took the oath of office in 1837, he was

the first to NOT be born a British

subject.

In 1829, President-elect Andrew Jackson

(Democrat) was the first to beinaugurated on the steps of the Capitol.

He had defeated President John Q.

Adams (Democratic-Republican).

President John Q. Adams (Democratic-

Republican) became the first son of a

president to assume the same office in

1825. His father, President John Adams,

served from 1797-1801.

President James Monroe (Democratic-Republican) was the first to take the oath

of office and deliver the inaugural

address outdoors in 1817.

The first Inaugural Ball was held the

evening of March 4, 1809 in honor of

President James Madison (Democratic-

Republican). It was held at Longs

Hotel and tickets cost $4 each.

The first inauguration to take place in

Washington, DC was in 1801 for PresidentThomas Jefferson. This was the first

inauguration to mark the peaceful transition

of parties. From outgoing President John

Adams (Federalist) to Jefferson

(Democratic-Republican).

President John Adams (Federalist) was

the first President to receive the oath of

office from a Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court.

George Washington (Independent) gavethe shortest inaugural address at 135

words when he was sworn in for a

second term in 1793.

The first inauguration took place in New

York City in 1789. President George

Washington (Independent) was sworn in

on the balcony of Federal Hall.

StudentHandou

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Source for facts: The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies - http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/about/facts-and-firsts


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Cut out and tape to yourself one of the following


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inauguration lesson guide

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