National Symbols
Session 3: The President Is the Leader of Our Country, Part I

Materials

• Pictures of the current President cut out from magazines / newspapers
• Teacher-selected book about the President of the United States
• Sentence strips
• Student journals

Instructional Activities

1. Begin by reading a teacher-selected story about the President of the United States. The story should explain that the leader of the United States is called the President. We address him as “Mr. President.” (You may wish to explain that a female President would be addressed as “Madam President.”)  You may want to include other fun facts about the elected President, such as where he lives, his family members, and his pets’ names.
   
   
2. After reading the book, show students the pictures of the current President cut from newspapers and magazines. Ask the students to help label each picture. An appropriate label might be: “This is the President of the United States. His name is ___________ ____________.”
   
   
3. Complete a class letter writing activity. Ask the student to generate a list of questions they would like to ask the President. Use those questions to write a class letter to the President. The address of the White House is:
   The White House
   1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
   Washington, DC 20500
   
   
4. Usually, a response will come from the White House addressed to the class. Post the contents of the letter on a bulletin board. If possible make a copy for each student to take home.