The lesson was originally published on Feb. 28, 2022, and was updated in 2026. Click here for a Google Doc version of lesson. You will be prompted to make a copy.

Overview

Article 2, Section 3 of the US Constitution says, “He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” In this lesson, students will learn about the constitutional significance of the State of the Union. Students will have an opportunity to predict what the president will say during the speech and be able to draft their own response.

See how the president fulfills this Constitutional obligation by watching the State of the Union (SOTU) address at PBS News (check schedule here).

Objectives

• Students will be able to examine the constitutional importance of the State of the Union address.
• Students will be able to predict what the president will say during the State of the Union address.
• Students will be able to evaluate the policy initiatives proposed by the president during the State of the Union address.
• Students will be able to create a response to the policy initiatives presented by the president during the State of the Union address.
  

Subjects

U.S. government, U.S. history, social studies

Estimated time

Two half class periods (one before the SOTU and one after)

Activities

Pre-speech activity (day before the State of the Union)

1. Have your students predict what the president will say during the State of the Union (SOTU) by filling out their State of the Union bingo card. If your class is virtual or you would like to provide the Google Doc link, distribute the SOTU Bingo Card (Let your students know they’ll need to make a copy of the document, so they can add their names, and input their answers. (See top left of the screen → Go to File → Make Copy) Students can highlight or shade in their predictions and participate on Twitter using #SOTUBingo or #PBSNewsClassroom.
2. If you want to provide more background about the State of the Union and what Biden might say, watch this interview with the White House press secretary:

Post-speech activity (day after the State of the Union)

1. Have students share their State of the Union bingo card and see which students had the most success predicting what the president would say during the speech.
   
2. Hold a class discussion about the State of the Union address. Check the PBS NewsHour State of the Union page after the speech for clips of the speech and reaction from journalists. Have students share policy proposals and issues that the president discussed during the State of the Union.
   
3. After discussing the speech, have students draft a letter to the president voicing their support for or opposition to specific policies that the president laid out during the State of the Union.

About the author

Ryan Werenka has taught social studies at Troy High School in Troy, Michigan, for more than 20 years. Ryan teaches AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP Comparative Government and Politics, and Government and Civics. Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in history and social sciences from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in the Art of Teaching from Marygrove College.

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