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A Monument, Please,
For the Big Cheese

Subjects

• Arts & Humanities
  Language Arts, Visual Arts
• Educational Technology
• Social Studies
  Civics, U.S. History, World History

Grade

• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-12
• Advanced

Brief Description

Students select a president, read about his life and accomplishments as a leader, and then design a monument in his honor.

Objectives

Students

• investigate the accomplishments of presidents.
• design monuments to presidents.
• create small-scale prototypes of their monuments.
• explain the significance of the design to the president and his life.

Keywords

diorama, election, memorial, monument, president, presidency, Rushmore, sculpture, statue

Materials Needed

• paper and pencils
• other art media as desired
• Internet access and printer (optional)

Lesson Plan

Note:

• Internet access is not essential. Web resources can be printed for student use, or library resources can often be substituted for resources noted in the activity.
• In the early grades, this lesson can be performed as a teacher-directed group activity in which the teacher reads the information to the students and they work together to complete one monument. Use the democratic tool of voting to settle design and implementation issues!

Begin the lesson by asking students to identify local monuments and what they symbolize. Talk about national monuments, and direct the discussion to those that are dedicated to past presidents. Invite students to share any facts they know about these national monuments and speculate about how their builders chose their design.

Have the students visit Ben's Guide: Symbols of U.S. Government and read information about the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, and the Washington Monument. At each stop, highlight the purpose of the monument and symbolism of its design. For more information about Washington (D.C.) monuments, students may see tourofDC.org.

Do your students believe that the monuments they have viewed are appropriate and adequate memorials to these presidents? What would they change about the monuments or add to them? Explain that they will now create their own designs for monuments to presidents of the United States. These monuments should relate to the lives and accomplishments of the selected presidents. Describe the process students will follow to create the monuments: read about the presidents, select one president to memorialize, design the monument on paper, and build a small model of the monument. With each model, students should attach a page of information that includes

• the name of the president
• the president's numerical rank (first president)
• the number of years in office
• the title of the monument
• where the monument should be built and why
• an explanation of how the monument reflects the president's life and/or work.

Students may begin their research at the White House Web site's index of The Presidents of the United States. Permit students to print the biographies of their chosen presidents for reference. Next, students may begin their sketches.

If you choose for students to immediately work on building their sample monuments, have available art media of your choice. Construction paper and shoeboxes can be used for dioramas. Clay, papier mache, paint, and other supplies may be included. Students may also complete their monuments as homework.

Extension activity:
Instead of having students share their projects as themselves, ask them to pretend that they are the presidents who are being honored. ("My name is President Jimmy Carter. This is a monument in my honor made by ___. It is ___, and it represents my life because…")

Assessment

Lesson Plan Source

Submitted By

Cara Bafile

National Standards

FINE ARTS: Visual Arts

• GRADES K - 4
  NA-VA.K-4.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
  NA-VA.K-4.2 Using Knowledge of Structures and Functions
  NA-VA.K-4.3 Choosing and Evaluating a Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas
  NA-VA.K-4.4 Understanding the Visual Arts in Relation to History and Cultures
  NA-VA.K-4.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
• GRADES 5 - 8
  NA-VA.5-8.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
  NA-VA.5-8.2 Using Knowledge of Structures and Functions
  NA-VA.5-8.3 Choosing and Evaluating a Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas
  NA-VA.5-8.4 Understanding the Visual Arts in Relation to History and Cultures
  NA-VA.5-8.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
• GRADES 9 - 12
  NA-VA.9-12.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
  NA-VA.9-12.2 Using Knowledge of Structures and Functions
  NA-VA.9-12.3 Choosing and Evaluating a Range of Subject Matter, Symbols, and Ideas
  NA-VA.9-12.4 Understanding the Visual Arts in Relation to History and Cultures
  NA-VA.9-12.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

• GRADES K - 12
  NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
  NL-ENG.K-12.6 Applying Knowledge
  NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research Skills NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills

• GRADES K - 4
  NSS-C.K-4.2 Values and Principles of Democracy
• GRADES 5 - 8
  NSS-C.5-8.3 Principles of Democracy
• GRADES 9 - 12
  NSS-C.9-12.3 Principles of Democracy

• GRADES K - 4
  NSS-USH.K-4.3 The History of the United States: Democratic Principles and Values and the People from Many Cultures Who Contributed to Its Cultural, Economic, and Political Heritage
• GRADES 5 - 12
  NSS-USH.5-12.3 Era 3: Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
  NSS-USH.5-12.4 Era 4: Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
  NSS-USH.5-12.5 Era 5: Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
  NSS-USH.5-12.6 Era 6: The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)
  NSS-USH.5-12.7 Era 7: The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
  NSS-USH.5-12.8 Era 8: The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
  NSS-USH.5-12.9 Era 9: Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)
  NSS-USH.5-12.10 Era 10: Contemporary United States (1968 to the Present)

SOCIAL SCIENCES: World History

• GRADES 5 - 12
  NSS-WH.5-12.7 An Age of Revolutions, 1750-1914
  NSS-WH.5-12.8 The 20th Century

TECHNOLOGY

• GRADES K - 12
  NT.K-12.5 Technology Research Tools

See more lessons at Presidents' Day Activities!

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