Civics & American Government
The Executive Branch Unit
The President Project
Background: The office of the President and the powers it holds over the Executive Branch and the nation has evolved since its creation set forth in the Constitution. The citizens of our country that have held the office of President have left a historical imprint on our nation. Some, more than others, will be remembered for their efforts to advance the principles of our democracy.
Role: You are a library of Congress Presidential biographer
Task: Create and present a poster representing a President and detailing their Presidency
Purpose: To inform newly naturalized citizens about a President and their role as chief executive
Elements: The poster must include ALL of the following:
A. Shape - Poster must be in a shape that represents your President. For example, George Washington’s poster could be cut into the shape of a boat to symbolize Washington’s crossing the Delaware. Teddy Roosevelt was known for his love of the outdoors and is recognized as the original Rough Rider; his poster could be cut into the shape of a horse. Remember: You will need to design this carefully before you cut out the shape.
B. Portrait - Place a picture of the President on the poster. Be sure to include his full name. Copy or draw this picture from books, encyclopedias, biographies, or of course, use clip art or print a picture from the internet.
C. Pictures - Place a minimum of four other pictures on your poster which help to describe your President. Examples might include an important person in his life, an action picture, or something your President is famous for.
D. Quotations - Locate three quotations from your President which describe his character. Look for quotations about ideals for which he stood for, believed in, or fought to achieve during his Presidency. It is important to remember the context of the quotation when presenting.
E. Sentences - Using the point of view of your President, copy and complete the following five open-ended sentences on your poster.
1. I am most proud of the following three accomplishments in my Presidency….
2. When I look back on my Presidency, I am saddened by…
3. When people remember me, I want them to say…
4. If I could have changed anything in my life, it would have been…. Because….
5. The person who influenced me the most in my life is ______because he/she
taught me……
Resources: The following are suggested resources but not the only resources you are limited to.
www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
Presentation: You will present your poster and answer questions pertaining to your President.
Assessment: You will be scored according to the provided rubric.
Civics & American Government
The Executive Branch Unit
The President Project Rubric
Category / 10 / 8 / 6 / 4Presentation
Mechanics / The presentation is entirely structured in a clear and coherent manner. The audience is entirely drawn into the presentation with compelling questions or by the presenters’ clear delivery. / The presentation is mostly structured in a clear and coherent manner. The audience is mostly drawn into the presentation with thoughtful questions or by the presenters’ clear delivery. / The presentation is partially structured in an unclear and incoherent manner. The audience is partially drawn into the presentation with basic questions or by the presenters’ delivery. / The presentation is completely structured in an unclear and incoherent manner. The audience is not drawn into the presentation due to absence of questions or by the presenters’ unclear delivery.
Poster
Content / Required content is entirely present and written with clear and concise logic as is the progression of ideas and supporting information. / Required content is mostly present and written with clear and concise logic as is the progression of ideas and supporting information. / Required content is partially present and written with clear and concise logic as is the progression of ideas and supporting information. / Required content present is entirely written with unclear and illogical progression of ideas and supporting information.
Creativity / A high level of original thought is present in final product. / A medium level of original thought is present in final product. / A low level of original thought is present in final product. / The final project is without original thought and/or is the work of others.
Writing Mechanics / The text is written with zero errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. / The text is written with 2-3 errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. / The text is written with 5-6 errors in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. / Spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors distract or impair readability.
Comments: Total 40/