Presidential Roles Activity

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Presidential Roles Activity Teacher Guide This activity should provide your students with a basic understanding of some of the president’s roles. During the class visit, students will learn more about each role. Post each of the attached pictures around the classroom. Allow students a chance to walk around the room to look at each picture before reading the roles out loud. Role 1: The President is our Commander in Chief. He is in charge of all armed forces and he asks lawmakers in Congress to declare war. Which image shows the president acting as Commander in Chief? Students should select this picture. It shows President Gerald Ford reviewing the troops in 1975. President Ford was our 38th President. Photo Credit: WHHA

Role 2: The President is our Chief Diplomat. He meets with representatives from different groups as well as leaders of other countries. Do you see a picture of the president acting as Chief Diplomat? Students should select this picture. It shows President Lyndon B. Johnson meeting with Indira Gandhi, who was India’s Prime Minister, in 1966. India is a country thousands of miles away from here. President Johnson was our 36th president. Photo Credit: WHHA

Role 3: The president signs bills into law. Before any bill put forth by our countries lawmakers in Congress can become a law, the president must sign it. For example, if Congress writes a bill asking for the voting age to be changed to 21 (from 18), the president must sign it before it can become a law. Can you think of anything your parents have to sign before it’s “official?” Students should select this picture. It shows President John F. Kennedy signing a bill into law during 1963. You may want to note to students that he is not in the Oval Office for this event. He is in the Photo Credit: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

Treaty Room inside the main house. President Kennedy was our 35th president. Role 4: The president is our Nation’s Leader. He represents everyone who lives in our country. Whenever something good or bad happens in our country, the president often addresses the nation. Can you think of any times that the president has addressed our country? (Students might talk about after Hurricane Katrina, or they may remember his State of the Union address—the president gives the State of the Union address once every year; it is part of his job as described in the Constitution.) Do you see which picture shows the president acting as our Nation’s Leader?

Students should select this picture. This picture is of President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressing the nation in one of his famous fireside chats. These “chats” were broadcast on the radio, and many people tuned in to listen to him talk about what was happening in the country. President Roosevelt was our 32nd president. He was in office from 1933-1945 (the longest of any president). Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Photo Credit: WHHA

Photo Credit: WHHA

Photo Credit: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

Photo Credit: Library of Congress