The ABCs
of ABE
Tonia
Kirby
Summer
Fellowship 2008
Early
American Museum
Day 4: The Presidency and The
Civil War
Activities:
Presidential Quiz - Hold a discussion and help the children understand
the facts.
Debate: Hold a debate
with your class. Choose an issue
that is important to you or your school.
Or depending on your grade level, pick a topic. Kindergarteners could
debate whether chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla, Second Graders could
debate how often they should have PE class, older students could debate a
current event like the War in Iraq or an historical event like slavery.
Each team chooses a leader and
prepares the argument.
Determine how long each team will
have to address the issue and who goes first and how long each team gets to
speak. Each team should have a
table and chairs glasses and a pitcher of water. There should be a moderator – could be the teacher or
could be a student that says he/she does not have an opinion or likes both the
same. Invite another class to
attend the debate and decide who makes the better argument.
At the end the Chairperson should
thank the teams, ask the audience to vote for the team they thought did the
best job and everyone should applaud BOTH teams.
Writing Prompt (to follow the debate)
Vocabulary for the Word Wall:
Candidate
Debate
Whiskers
Gettysburg
Slavery
Election
Confederacy
Yankee
Finish the day by working on the
timeline 1858-1861.