Family Ties A role playing discussion between John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Harrison, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Kennedy, presidents whose family ties helped them attain the Presidency, and George W. Bush, Republican presidential hopeful and son of our 41 st president. Happenstance A role playing lesson plan among John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, and Harry Truman presidents who all took office as a result of a predecessor's tragic death. Included in the activity is Vice President Al Gore, next in line for the presidency under Clinton and currently running for the presidency. Students examine this issue and select a running-mate for a current candidate. In this political party simulation, students discover the importance of compromise and cooperation.
Students evaluate connections between four presidents' political philosophies and their actions.
A scavenger hunt activity in which students use the Constitution to understand the system of checks and balances. Through critical analysis, students determine and must defend which president of the 20th century they would add to Mt. Rushmore. This lesson includes a brief article by Hugh Sidey. The American President website biographies on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.