Presidents Archives - Let's Teach History

February 27, 2025February 27, 2025American Revolution, Assignment Ideas, Civil Rights, Cold War, Colonial America, Colonization & Settlement, Colonization to Civil War, Help for New Teacher, Post-World War II, Presidents, Progressive Era, Reconstruction, Rise of Industrial America, Roaring Twenties, Roaring Twenties and Depression, Vietnam War, Western Settlement, World War I, World War II

Two Exciting New Products! Lots of US History Help!

I’ve been slaving away behind the scenes to finish something I’ve been working on for a while! The first is a massive list of US History Assignments. I ended up with over 211 assignments and 15 printable templates! I’m breaking them up into 2 separate products based on time period. The first is 101 Assignments for Colonies to Civil War. I’m still putting the finishing touches on the second part, 110 Assignments for Reconstruction to 9/11. I hope to have that one available within the month!

I also have a set of 180 discussion starters and bell ringers I’ve been working on. You can find that here which also includes a link to a free sample download.

Use the code BLOG20 to get 20% off of your purchase!

May 29, 2024May 10, 2024Post-World War II, Presidents

The White House Pool

Have you ever seen the White House pool? When you think about it, most people figure that the White House surely has a pool, but there aren’t many pictures out there of it. Check out this interesting article about the original pool put in for FDR that is under the White House Press Room. You can also read the story of the outdoor pool that was put in years later for Gerald Ford.

November 29, 2023November 3, 2023Presidents, Primary Source, Progressive Era, Teaching Tips

Inspiration and Encouragement from Teddy Roosevelt

Do you need a little inspiration to keep going? Do your students? I LOVE “The Man in the Arena” speech by Teddy Roosevelt (who is definitely my favorite president). This is my favorite excerpt…

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

At least you are in the arena. You are showing up. That’s what matters.

Here’s a video of my favorite part of his speech. It can also be used in your classroom. Use it when you are studying Teddy Roosevelt or any day you want to inspire your students.

Students in high school may feel like they are under a microscope, especially considering there is a very real chance that some jerk classmate might end up posting some kind of criticism or negative post about them on social media. Many students have become afraid to take risks and try something new because they are afraid of failure. But failure is a part of learning. One of the best books I have ever read is Failing Forward by John Maxwell. As Maxwell says, “The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get.” Roosevelt’s speech is definitely in line with this philosophy. Remind your students when they are struggling, when they risk, when they fail, that they should pay no mind to the critics and haters. At least THEY are in the arena…and so are you.

October 19, 2016October 14, 2016Presidents, Progressive Era, Reconstruction to Present, Videos

Teddy Roosevelt Video Footage at the Library of Congress

According to the Library of Congress, “It has been said that during the silent newsreel period no president was more photogenic than Theodore Roosevelt. He was unusually cooperative with motion picture photographers, often pausing in the midst of official ceremonies to face the camera, bow, wave, smile, gesture, or otherwise accommodate the cameraman.”1

The Library of Congress has a good bit of video footage of Roosevelt at various places and events. These things are really neat to watch! Not only do you get to see the man himself, BUT you get a good glimpse of the crowds that came to see him. Check out the outfits that everyone wore! In some of the footage, it may take a minute or more for TR to appear. If you want to show a few of these to your students, play a quick game of “Who Can Spot Teddy Roosevelt.” Make sure that you watch the clips beforehand, so that you know when Roosevelt will appear (in case your students miss it and don’t see him). Remind students that this is not some old movie with people in costumes; these were actual people in these clips! They might get bored watching all of each clip, so you may want to show just a couple of minutes. You could also show one a day for a few days at the end of class. Here are a few below. To see the full list of videos with descriptions, click here.

1 Theodore Roosevelt on Film – Theodore Roosevelt: His Life and Times on Film. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2016, from https://www.loc.gov/collections/theodore-roosevelt-films/articles-and-essays/theodore-roosevelt-on-film/

October 13, 2016December 6, 2016Help for New Teacher, Miscellaneous, Podcast, Presidents, Teaching Tips

LTH 012 – What to Put on Your Board

In this episode, I discuss what you should put on your board so that students, administrators, and others know what is going on in your classroom. Stay tuned for interesting facts at the end!

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What is an essential question?

Teddy Roosevelt as a young man – Fierce!

Recording of Teddy Roosevelt – Library of Congress

Intro music clip of “I Dunno” by Grapes CC BY-ND 3.0

September 28, 2016October 14, 2016Colonization to Civil War, Miscellaneous, Presidents, Reconstruction to Present, Videos

60-Second Presidents Videos

I’ve mentioned this resource before in a couple of my podcasts, but I decided it would be a good idea to post the link for all of the videos. PBS created a video series called 60-Second Presidents in which they cover the basic info and accomplishments of each US president. The videos are short but interesting and would be a great way to review a president the day after you discussed his administration. The site also has activities that go along with some of the videos, but these activities seem to be best suited (in my opinion) to a civics or government class. Click here to check out these short but sweet videos.

May 26, 2016June 5, 2023Colonization to Civil War, New Nation, Podcast, Presidents

LTH 004 – John Adams and His Presidency

In this episode, I’ll discuss how to teach about John Adams and the important events of his presidency. You’ll get resources to help you cover the XYZ Affair, the Quasi-War with France, and the Alien and Sedition Acts. Be sure and check out the show notes for all of the resources I mention!