Posted on 09/01/2009 5:30:33 PM PDT by TenthAmendmentChampion
The federal Department of Education has released a script for pre-K through 6th grade teachers to use in conjunction with Barack Obama's "historic" nationwide speech to elementary school students on September 8.
The script instructs teachers to use the following questions with the students after the speech:
What do you think the President wants us to do? Does the speech make you want to do anything? Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us? What would you like to tell the President? This whole line of reasoning and questioning is backwards. It may have become lost in the mania, but HE works for US, not the other way around.
Instead of asking what we can do for President Obama, shouldn't we be teaching children to ask what President Obama can do for us?
And no, this is not Obama's "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" moment.
First to the current reality. It's all about him:
PreK-6 Menu of Classroom Activities: President Obama’s Address to Students Across America Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education September 8, 2009
Before the Speech:
Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama and motivate students by asking the following questions: Who is the President of the United States? What do you think it takes to be President? To whom do you think the President is going to be speaking? Why do you think he wants to speak to you? What do you think he will say to you?
Teachers can ask students to imagine being the President delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States. What would you tell students? What can students do to help in our schools? Teachers can chart ideas about what they would say.
Why is it important that we listen to the President and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?
During the Speech:
As the President speaks, teachers can ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful. Students could use a note-taking graphic organizer such as a Cluster Web, or students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children can draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following: What is the President trying to tell me? What is the President asking me to do? What new ideas and actions is the President challenging me to think about?
Students can record important parts of the speech where the President is asking them to do something. Students might think about: What specific job is he asking me to do? Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?
Students can record any questions they have while he is speaking and then discuss them after the speech. Younger children may need to dictate their questions.
After the Speech:
Teachers could ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes or stick notes on a butcher paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, i.e. citizenship, personal responsibility, civic duty.
Students could discuss their responses to the following questions: What do you think the President wants us to do? Does the speech make you want to do anything? Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us? What would you like to tell the President?
Teachers could encourage students to participate in the Department of Education’s “I Am What I Learn” video contest.
On September 8th the Department will invite K-12 students to submit a video no longer than 2 min, explaining why education is important and how their education will help them achieve their dreams. Teachers are welcome to incorporate the same or a similar video project into an assignment. More details will be released via www.ed.gov
. Extension of the Speech: Teachers can extend learning by having students
Create posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants or puzzle pieces or trails marked with the labels: personal, academic, community, country. Each area could be labeled with three steps for achieving goals in those areas. It might make sense to focus on personal and academic so community and country goals come more readily.
Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.
Write goals on colored index cards or precut designs to post around the classroom.
Interview and share about their goals with one another to create a supportive community.
Participate in School wide incentive programs or contests for students who achieve their goals.
Write about their goals in a variety of genres, i.e. poems, songs, personal essays.
Create artistic projects based on the themes of their goals.
Graph student progress toward goals.
This guy’s blog is really great. I hope you go and check him out.
Oh and I think this entire idea is disgusting. I’m glad my kids aren’t in school any more. Homeschool your kids!!
People should keep their kids home with illness for the week.
add following item:
How is this checklist of “to do” items to teach the kiddies how to respect and follow the wishes of this president, different from the checklists used by elementary teachers in North Korea?
Unless memory fails.. similar efforts vis-a-vis President Reagan and children were more about America. Quotes from Reagan's speeches about America. Were children ever asked to explain being inspired by Reagan, the man? Did Reagan ever claim that that "shining city on a hill" was his?
Reagan was about America! America! America! America!
I’ve contacted the local principal to see if they’re planning on playing along. One way or the other, my kids won’t be participating in worship of the pres_ent.
Americans don’t want ANYBODY brainwashing their children, whatever their religious or political persuasions. SCREAM BLOODY MURDER AND KEEP YOUR CHILDREN HOME FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS ON SEPTEMBER 8.
Is this for ALL public school students? I keep seeing it for Pre-K through 6th grade.
Unreal. I can’t believe this is the same America I grew up in...and was born the same year as 0bama. I saw the 60s (granted, I was young). I saw the 70s and Carter. But this? I just can’t believe it.
I have three kids, grades 8,10, and 12. If they miss a day of classes, they get really behind (advanced classes). So I’m advising them to read Hannity’s book, Obamanation, and things of that nature during the indoctrination propaganda, to voice their own freedom of speech.
Yes- for ALL
Letter From Education Secretary Arne Duncan to School Principals
http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html
Program for grades 1-6
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.pdf
Program for grades 7-12
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/7-12.pdf
Since it is to air at 12:00 noon eastern standard time, it would be a great time to go to lunch!!!
I found it here:
It’s for all students. I sent a letter to our superintendent:
If so, I’d like to voice my disagreement with my children watching the propaganda he’s going to dish out. My children don’t work ‘for the president’, because he was elected…he’s to work for the PEOPLE, not the other way around. This isn’t Hitler’s America.
I also don’t want to hear the teachers telling my children how wonderful Obama is, and how we should serve him. To me, that’s forcing my children to follow the teacher’s beliefs, which can be construed as being against my children’s freedom of speech and thought. If they disagree with the teacher, they’re going to be pegged for the rest of the year.
Anyway, if you’re taking votes, mine is NO. I can’t keep my children out of school (as much as I’d like to) because they’re in advanced classes and can’t miss a day or they miss a lot. But I certainly don’t want my children watching this stuff on television.
Thank you, and I hope you have a great school year.
He’s a conservative man, because I’ve complained about teachers spouting their political views in the classroom before and he agreed with me, even about global warming. However, I also know his hands are tied, because we live in a place with a liberal government (WI). At least I voiced my opinion.
Yes- for ALL
Letter From Education Secretary Arne Duncan to School Principals go to ed.gov
Program for grades 1-6
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/prek-6.pdf
Program for grades 7-12
http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/lessons/7-12.pdf
Since it is to air at 12:00 noon eastern standard time, it would be a great time to go to lunch!!!
Thank you...I found it about the time you posted.
I’m just sick about this. My children know the truth...but how many other kids have no idea what’s really going on...and neither do their parents.
I wish I could home school my kids...one has Asperger’s Syndrome and REALLY needs to be around other people to learn how to cope.
Or will our kids miss lunch because of having to watch propaganda? Isn’t that what they do to war criminals—deny them meals?
Here’s the link to the document:
I saw that...and most of the comments (like 90%, at least) are VERY upset parents. I agree. At least my kids watch Glenn Beck to get the truth. Granted, they talk during the show to ask questions about what’s really going on and I have to tape it to actually watch it in silence, but at least they know more than the average person.
I hope all those people who voted for 0bama (dead, alive, or Mickey Mouse Acorn votes) are regretting what they did now. I’m ready for an impeachment. We haven’t had one of those in a long time.
The frightening thing about this is,
Asking elementary school children to think why it is important to listen to the President and other elected officials and why what they say is important.
They have the whole primus of our founding documents wrong. WE as Americans are not subjects, WE are citizens. Elected officials need to listen to citizens and why what WE have to say is important.
I am still trying to decide what to do on Sept 8th. If our school is participating my gut says to take a personal day, but my heart tells me to stay with the kids and present the other side of the issue.
It is so insidious, everyone knows when you are talking to a 6 year old child and tell them "why it is important to listen to anyone, it mean why it is important to obey them."
i am a broadcast journalism high school teacher and i was asked this morning by admin to air the speech next wednesday to our student body... which reaches over 2,000 in the high school alone.
journalistically speaking, i have major, major concerns.
where did you find the upper class version? i’ve seen only k-6.
thanks.
I sure am thinking about it!
“SICK OF OBAMA” day...
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