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Background,
Activities and Critical Analysis |
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| By
Stephanie Schragger |
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| Social studies, history,
civics, current events, government |
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| Variable |
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| Grades
7-12 |
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| Students will discuss the elements of a successful political speech, predict topics to be covered, then watch and evaluate President Obama's State of the Union Address. |
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The lesson will teach students about the history and purpose of the State of the Union address as well as teach skills to evaluate the political speeches.
1. Ask students if they have heard of the State of the Union and if they have ever watched it on television. Ask them why the president makes this speech every year. Can the President choose whether or not to give this speech? Write on the board the student’s brain storm and any free associations with the State of the Union.
2. Split students into groups and ask them to look at the actual text of the Constitution to find the relevant clause pertaining to the President and the State of the Union.
3. More generally, as chief executive, the president helps guide policy
by proposing the creation of laws. The president can use this
speech to explain his ideas to Congress and to encourage Congress
to pass certain pieces of legislation. The president can propose
new initiatives, and he also uses the State of the Union to
speak directly to the American people. He can try to gain
public support for new programs.
4. Students should examine the important dates in the history of the State of the
Union speech. The speech has become more important
due to mass media, particularly television. All of the major
networks preempt regular shows in order to broadcast the State
of the Union address.
5. Ask students if they know who writes the speech for the
President. Ask the students to research who writes speeches for Mr. Obama.
6. Ask students what elements make a speech successful -
i.e., content, rhetoric, style of delivery, tone of voice,
coherence, etc. What do they think makes a speech easy to
understand and interesting? Does this change for political speeches?
7. If time allows, students can begin to individually fill out the
top part of the State of the Union Worksheet. With the class, brainstorm possible
topics and issues that the President might discuss, such as
Iraq, taxes, Social Security, education, the war on terrorism,
the economy, welfare, health care, energy, domestic security,
etc and have the students begin to fill in the Assessing the Speech Worksheet and the Topics Chart. (Note: Students can save the worksheet and fill it out
again for future speeches.)
8. Watch the State of the Union and fill in the rest of the worksheets, monitoring what topics are covered and for how long.
Assessment:
Student understanding should be assessed through:
- Class discussion
- Accurate completion of worksheet and analysis of the
State of the Union address
Students can watch the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer the night
after the speech in order to see how journalists and political
analysts evaluate the speech. Students then can see if their
assessments of the speech are similar to or different from
those of the media.
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| Last
Updated: January, 2009 |
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From McREL
Civics Standard and Benchmarks: What is Government and
What Should it Do?
Standard 1: Understands ideas about civic life, politics,
and government
Level 4 (Grade 9-12)
- Knows formal institutions that have the authority to
make and implement binding decisions (e.g., tribal councils,
courts, monarchies, democratic legislatures)
- Understands the nature of political authority (e.g.,
characteristics such as legitimacy, stability, limitations)
- Understands the sources of political authority (e.g.,
consent of the governed, birth, knowledge) and its functions
(e.g., create and enforce laws)
Language Arts Standard and Benchmarks
Listening and Speaking
Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different
purposes and different regions and cultures (e.g., sayings;
expressions; usage; oral traditions and customs; historical,
geographical, and societal influences on language)
Level 3 (Grade 6-8)
- Listens in order to understand topic, purpose, and perspective
in spoken texts (e.g., of a guest speaker, of an informational
video, of a televised interview, of radio news programs)
- Evaluates strategies used by speakers in oral presentations
(e.g., persuasive techniques, verbal messages supported
by nonverbal techniques, effect of word choice, use of
slanted or biased material)
Level 4 (Grade 9-12)1.
- Uses a variety of strategies to enhance listening comprehension
(e.g., focuses attention on message, monitors message
for clarity and understanding, asks relevant questions,
provides verbal and nonverbal feedback, notes cues such
as change of pace or particular words that indicate a
new point is about to be made; uses abbreviation system
to record information quickly; selects and organizes essential
information)
United States History Standard and Benchmarks Era 3 -
Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
Standard 8: Understands the institutions and practices of
government created during the Revolution and how these elements
were revised between 1787 and 1815 to create the foundation
of the American political system based on the U.S. Constitution
and the Bill of Rights
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