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Inauguration Resources Searching

January 11, 2009

There are many official government agency-related sites on the Inauguration. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies in consultation with the Senate Historian's Office chose the official theme: A New Birth of Freedom (words from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address).  The JCCIC site is actually dangerous because there is so much buried inside, you'll not be able to leave. Forget the lesson on electromagnets, I'm exploring the luncheon menu and viewing the china on the tables. 

I had to go to the Presidential Inaugural Committee website so I could follow them on Twitter. Then it's off to visit the flickr "Countdown to the Inauguration" with daily photos from the site of the inauguration on the steps of the US Capitol. Need more photos? Try the Smithsonian Presidential Inaugural Photographs with online photo portfolios of Presidential Inaugurals.

My teachers are searching for information about the 56th Inaugural Parade so they won't miss a minute. I may be adding this information at the last minute as it appears security is still being developed. The most "with-it" students are exploring the significance of the Whistle Stop Tour by train.  

Since many of us are interweaving 21st century ICT skills with our social studies lessons, the Innovative Educator's blog seems very appropriate. She has posted Help Students Pay Attention to the 2009 Inauguration with Engaging Lesson Ideas  Anyone for a VoiceThread?

President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden strongly believe that local action is the first step towards affecting nationwide change.  They are spearheading a national effort to Renew America Together, starting with a day of service timed to coincide with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 19th, the day before the Inauguration. I searched and found 3 events in my area involving the Red Cross blood drive, Goodwill Industries, and friendly pets visiting senior citizen centers. What I really loved was the use of the Wordle (to the left). Click here to see a much larger version of the word cloud.

Smithsonian Student Travel (a project of Education First and the Smithsonian) has created the Inauguration 2009 Countdown Kit. It's fun to read the itinerary and imagine we were there. Don't forget to take the video tours of the White House  

Recorded Books have provided a link with some lesson plan ideas for the Inauguration but they also have some free audio book download samples.  

Bartleby's does offer the full-text of all Presidential addresses. The American Presidency Project contains inaugural address texts and audio and video tapes of a number of inaugural addresses without a pop-up ad. 

Hmm, Gary Price with ResourceShelf.com and DocuTicker sent us two links: Post #1 contains links to historical images, a chronology and set of  fast facts. The second has a 33 page calendar of inaugural events? Gary always does a great job of highlighting the best of the best resources.

Other resources include:

You can plan activities for ELL/ESL students with EL Civics for ESL students.
 
The official JCCIC site http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/daysevents/index.cfm  which includes a set of slides that covers the 9 major events of the day.  

Education World's Hail to the Chief lesson page http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson219.shtml


TeacherVision has lessons on the President-Elect: Inauguration and Preparing for the White House.   They also have  a lesson plan on inaugural poetry.

Educational Rap 44 Presidents http://www.educationalrap.com/130/44-presidents.html 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has provided a page for Presidential inaugurations in historical perspective: A guide to online resources about the history of American presidential inaugurations. They include this description:

"To help your students understand the 2009 inauguration in the context of presidential history, we’ve collected the following resources. Find audio, video, and text of inaugural addresses; view and interact with primary sources; find relevant lesson plans; share trivia about historical inaugurations; discover resources to help students research each U.S. president; and learn how the official theme of the upcoming inauguration is rooted in American history."

Noah McCullough experienced his first inaugural experience in 2005. This first hand report  by a Scholastic Student Reporter provides an interesting viewpoint from a child (now a teen).
 
What I really like about theTech Savvy Mama blog is that she is a DC resident who cannot escape Inaugural Fever. This site lists many resources, video tours of the White House and some reproducible materials. Many of the sites I've already included here, but I'm watching the blog for insider news.

Great Presidential Inauguration Websites http://www.ourwhitehouse.org/greatinaugsites.html
 
Vermilion Parish Schools has created a visually outstanding list of resources.Don't miss their list of streaming sites and much much more.  http://www.vrml.k12.la.us/curriculum/holidays/inauguration/inauguration.htm

The 100 Milestone Documents from the National Archives includes flash of  Lincoln's second inauguration speech notes.

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C-Span Resources (includes HS/MS school worksheet) http://www.c-span.org/classroom/govt/inauguration.asp

C-SPAN's FOUR DAY COVERAGE OF THE 56TH PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION  will be available on C-SPAN and can be streamed online at www.c-span.org
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 17th:  LIVE on C-SPAN coverage of President-elect Obama as he makes his  way to Washington by train, including rallies in Philadelphia,  Wilmington, Delaware, and Baltimore, Maryland. Plus a program on "Blair House: The President's Guest House," looking at this rarely-seen historic home which is not open to the public. 7:00 pm ET. In addition to its role as a temporary home for presidents-elect,  Blair House has been the "President's Guest House" since the early  1940s, housing foreign heads of state on official visits.  Winston  Churchill, Queen Elizabeth, Charles de Gaulle, Hamad Karzai, Francois  Mitterand, Vaclav Havel, and Boris Yeltsin have all stayed there. It is also the place where presidential widows Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford stayed during their husbands' funerals.    
 
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18th: LIVE coverage of an Inaugural Kick-off event on the steps of the  Lincoln Memorial welcoming the President-elect and Vice President-elect  and their families to the Capital.   
 
MONDAY, JANUARY 19th: Archival Speeches from Past Presidential Inaugurations 
 
TUESDAY, JANUARY 20th:  LIVE coverage from 6am until midnight ET the day of the events  surrounding the inauguration of the 56th President of the United  States. Events to be included:

Washington Journal begins early at 6am ET
President Bush's departure from the White House  
Gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Inaugural Ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol    
The Congressional luncheon for the new President  
The Inaugural Parade from the Capitol to the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue    
The Inaugural Balls.    

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The Library of Congress American Memory Web site http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/ has an online collection  “I Do Solemnly Swear . . .”  

Looking for treasures and other important primary-source materials held by the Library of Congress as well as by other institutions? The collection has been organized chronologically by presidential inauguration and an effort was made to offer a balanced number of items for each inaugural event.  It is produced by the National Digital Library Program and contains material primarily from legislative and executive branch agencies with additional items from other collection sources. 

Library of Congress http://www.memory.loc.gov/learn/features/inaug/inaug.html

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Why involve the Capitol in your research preparing for the inauguration? Check out Presidential Inaugurations: The Capitol Connection where the U.S. Capitol Historical Society provides information about the Capitol's unique role in presidential inaugurations throughout history.

Wait, were those the former First Ladies’ Inaugural gowns on the PBS website? We have had many discussions about what Michelle Obama will be wearing. Vogue is discussing and presenting ideas. The Boston Herald has run articles. Women's Wear Daily triggered a massive response. Forbes has a slideshow of suggestions. The Washington Post has gotten involved. Even NPR has a detailed article on her dress. Who will the winning designer be? What will the dress look like? How will it reflect both Michelle's glamor and the tough economic times?

Okay, these are my top picks after spending most of the afternoon and evening searching. What have I missed?

Posted by Diane Chen on January 11, 2009 | Comments (6)