Subject: Social

Studies
Teacher: Kindergarten
Essential Question: Key Vocabulary:
What is a leader?
What qualities makes someone a leader? Leader
President
George Washington
Who is the president? Presidents Day
How are they picked?

Who is George Washington?

What is Presidents Day?

SOL(s): Materials/
K.11) The student will develop an understanding of how communities Resources:
express patriotism through events and symbols by
a) recognizing the American flag;
b) recognizing the Pledge of Allegiance;
c) knowing that the president is the leader of the United States; and
d) recognizing the holidays and the people associated with the
holidays Thanksgiving Day; Martin Luther King, Jr., Day; George
Washington Day (Presidents’ Day); and Independence Day (Fourth of
July).

Notes & Reflections:

Student Objective:
Things to consider: Specific content & skills the student will learn from THIS
lesson; Verb(s) & Level of Thinking

The students will investigate and understand that the United States has a leader,
who is called the president.
The students will understand who George Washington was and what made him a
good leader.

Learning Activities: ​The most effective way to get to the learning. Additional
Information to
Day 1 - (Feb 18) Consider:
Objective: The students will understand what is a leader and what are some ● “The hook” (Create
qualities leaders have. relevance)
Hook: Kid President Leadership Video ● Questions
Materials needed: Laptop, projector ● Strategies
Guided Practice: Introduce what a leader is. Give examples of teachers, parents, ● Resources
and coaches. Have discussion on what qualities these leaders have. ● Groupings
Play the video and allow discussion after the video. ● Differentiation
Closure: Tell a partner one quality leaders have. ● Engagement
● Etc…
Day 2 (Feb 19) - Whole Group T-Chart
Objective: The students will make a T-chart to compare cool things leaders do and
hard things they have to do.
Materials needed:
Guided Practice: Reactivate prior knowledge from yesterday about leaders.
Describe the tasks leaders have to do while filling in the T-Chart labeled “Cool”
and “Hard”.
Closure: Tell a partner a cool thing a leader does and a hard thing a leader does.

Day 3 (Feb 20) - President Read Aloud

Objective: The students will understand the leader of the United States is called
the president
Hook: Showing pictures of presidents
Materials needed: Pictures of presidents, read aloud
Guided Practice: Introduce the term “president” as the leader of our country. They
make and enforce laws and talks to other leaders of the world for the US. Other
countries may not have a president, ex. Queen of England. Talk with the people
around you of things you might do if you were president. Read Aloud.
During discussion, Cornish will pull students to ask them who in the class do they
think would be good leaders.
Closure: (to the whole class) “Tell me what is the leader of the United States
called?”

Day 4 (Feb 21) Election Day

Objective: The students will know the president is elected by people in the US to
become president (vote). The students will vote on who they want to be their
teacher (leader)
Materials needed: Ballots, Ballet Boxes
Guided Practice: The students will be introduced to elections, as ways for people
to vote for their leaders. This is either done through computers, or paper. Once
students understand, the teacher will share they are having an election right now
for the leader of the classroom for the rest of the day. The candidates will be from
suggestions of the previous day, and the teachers. Then the candidates will say
why they think they should be leaders, and the election will start.
Closure: “Someone tell me how leaders are elected.”

Day 5 (Feb 24) President’s Day

Objective: The students will recognize President’s Day as a holiday in the US.
Hook: Gather students together at the rug to introduce when we have President’s
Day and why we celebrate it.
Materials needed: A dollar, a penny, big book
Guided Practice: As a group, the students will learn about when we have
President’s Day and why celebrate it. Then students will follow along with the big
book about President’s Day. Learn about monuments, Mount Rushmore, and end
with money.
Closure: “Tell me one way presidents from the past are celebrated.”

Day 6 (Feb 25) George Washington

Objective: The students will be able to identify George Washington and
understand he was the 1st president of the US.
Materials needed: Big Book, Dollar
Guided Practice: Students will refer to yesterdays big book about Presidents Day
and learn that one of the presidents there is George Washington. Then we will go
to the page talking about George Washington. There, the teacher will read
through the page and show different ways of remembering him.
Closure: “Who was the 1st president of the US?”

Day 7 (Feb 26) George Washington

Objective: The students will associate Presidents Day with George Washington.
Guided Practice: Review of presidents and George Washington. Emphasize the
big book pages about both. ​George Washington and a president named Abe
Lincoln were born in February, so we celebrate Presidents Day in February.
Closure: “What two presidents do we think about on Presidents Day?”

Day 8 (Feb 27) Abe Lincoln

Objective: The students will learn about Abe Lincoln being a president we
celebrate on Presidents Day.
Guided Practice: Review of presidents and George Washington. Big Book on Abe
Lincoln.
Closure: “What two presidents do we think about on Presidents Day?”

Day 9 (Feb 28) Abe Lincoln Craft

Objective: The students will be able to make Abe Lincoln.
Guided Practice: Brief review of Abe Lincoln and how we honor him. Introduce
and model craft to make Abe Lincoln.
Closure: “What number president was Abraham Lincoln?”

Day 10 (Mar 2) George Washington Craft

Objective: The students will be able to make George Washington.
Guided Practice: Brief review of George Washington and how we honor him.
Introduce and model craft.
Closure: “What number president was George Washington?”

Day 11 (Mar 3) Review of holidays and people associated (Thanksgiving, MLK,

President’s Day, Independence Day)
Objective: The students will remember all holidays and what person/people is
associated with each.
Guided Practice: Introduce chart of holidays, who, and when. Reactivate prior
knowledge of holidays and who we think of for each holiday. Introduce
Independence Day and it is America’s birthday.
Closure: “What is America’s birthday called/What is Independence Day?”

Day 12 (Mar 4) PBA

Pre-planned Assessment(s): Additional Information

Unit PBA on Day 12 to Consider:
● Checking for
Understanding
Informal Assessments: Daily closure, observation, craft from ● Closure
Day 9 ● Formative and/or
Summative

Closure: See above (Different each day)