A Fun and Free Inauguration Day Resource

On Wednesday, January 20, 2021 Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the U.S. Inauguration Day, which only happens once every four years, is a special opportunity to teach students about history in real time. And this Inauguration Day Resource makes it easy to teach students about this special day.

If you studied the election last fall, now is the perfect time to bring that lesson full circle. The peaceful transition of power is one hallmark of government in the United States.

But you may be wondering how to make this historic day interesting to your young students. 

Or even relevant. This will be the first Inauguration Day that many of them remember. 

You may also be concerned that after such a contentious election, some of your students may not be happy about the outcome. You worry that a lesson on the inauguration might make some kids upset or cause disagreements.

Well, you can stop worrying, because I’ve got the perfect FREE inauguration day resource to commemorate this special event in a fun, non-partisan way. 

It’s Inauguration Day! makes lesson planning a breeze. Here’s a glimpse of what’s inside our inauguration day resource.

Inauguration Day Reading Passage

There is a short reading passage that reviews the history and importance of the inauguration. I’ve also highlighted many of the traditions associated with this celebration. Traditions that are going to look a bit different this year because of COVID. 

In younger grades you can read the passage together as a class. Older students can work independently or with a partner, or you can use the passage with small groups.

The inauguration day resource includes comprehension questions designed to help kids focus on the reading. The questions also engage critical thinking skills and ask students to predict how the pandemic will impact the inauguration.

Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle

The inauguration celebration is full of unusual vocabulary. Most of your students will be unfamiliar with some terms. You might want to take some time to review keywords associated with the inauguration, like president, vice-president, sworn-in, Supreme Court, oath, and balls.

Make sure students understand what all these unfamiliar words mean. They can test their knowledge with the crossword puzzle.

Take a Friendship Oath

It’s Inauguration Day! also provides students with an opportunity to become more familiar with one of the signature Inauguration Day events by taking a Friendship Oath.

On Inauguration Day, the President shares his goals for the next four years. This speech provides a message of hope to the American people that the next four years will be better than the last.

But you don’t have to be the President to make the world a better place. There are many ways that students can make the world better, too. One simple way is to be a good friend to others. 

When students take a Friendship Oath, they are promising to be a good friend.

As a class, you can brainstorm ideas about how to be a good friend. This could include things like being kind, sharing, not tattling, helping others, being respectful, etc…  Kids always have great ideas about what it means to be a good friend. And this lesson provides a nice refresher on treating others kindly.

After you’ve generated ideas about how to be a good friend, it’s time to take the oath. You can project the oath onto the board and model how to complete it. You can either complete one oath as a class, or let students select their own ways to fill in the blanks. 

Finally, don’t forget to administer the oath in class. Have everyone stand up, hold up their right hand and place their left hand on a textbook. Read the oath out loud in short phrases and have students repeat the words back to you, reading the words they filled in their oath. 

There’s nothing better than experiential learning to help students truly understand a new concept.

What’s Included in the Inauguration Day Resource

It’s Inauguration Day! is a digital and printable resource. You can download Google Slides to use with Google Classroom. It also comes with a PowerPoint option that you can use with other learning management systems.

The digital formats are great for distance or hybrid learning and classrooms that are 1:1 with devices. 

There is also an audio option that will read the passage to students. This is great for young learners and struggling readers. But you can delete the audio button if you don’t want to use it.

There is also a printable pdf. You can download and print the file for students to complete in class or at home.

Have a Not So Wimpy Day,