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Since the election of Barack Obama, we have seen a veritable blizzard of people who have been writing, speaking, and blogging in an effort to offer suggestions, opinions, and advice to our newly elected president.
This is not to say that past elections have not seen a flurry of public responses, yet the passion and intensity with which people have been expressing themselves seems to indicate that, for the past few years, many have felt that their voices have not been heard.
This is particularly disturbing to Americans because we have been taught from a very young age that our political system encourages us to express ourselves and that all of our voices should count in the decision making process.
It's a testament of the American spirit, that despite the fact that many have felt somewhat disenfranchised from our political system, they have continued to be outspoken and attempt to make their voices heard. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to teach children to be aware of what is going on in our political arena and encourage them to speak up for what they believe in.
Writing is a wonderful way for children of all ages to learn to express themselves. There are several ways that children can use writing to express their feelings about our new president.
The Legacy Project has created the Web of Dreams, which is a project that encourages children to write messages to the president and create 'dream stars.' Messages will be collected up until January 23rd and submissions will be posted on the Web of Dreams page.
Smith Magazine has created Six Words to Inspire a Nation, which asks readers to "suggest six words to help President-elect Obama inspire America." Encouraging children to express their suggestions in only six words is a great opportunity to teach about precision and usage of language. It's far tougher than it may seem.
In a similar vein, the National Constitutional Center has created a resource page which teaches children to brainstorm, read reference material, search previous presidential quotes, and then create a "Six Word Inaugural."
PBS.org has created a lesson plan that provides Obama quotes, historical inaugural speeches, and a template to help older children write an inaugural address for our president elect.
Finally, Sallie Schaaf Borrink, at Suite 101, has provided some "winter writing project ideas" which include "Presidential Inauguration Writing Prompts." Schaaf suggests:
* My Hopes for Our New President
* Three Things Our President Needs to Do
* Celebrating America
* Remembering a Great President
* How to Get Elected President
* My Dream Trip To Washington, D.C.
The presidential inauguration is an important event and it's never too early to teach children to become involved and learn to express their opinions. Writing is a wonderful tool to help them do so.
You can find more resources for the presidential inauguration at Public School Insights.
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