Presidents’ Day Unit with Slideshow – All About Washington and Lincoln

This Presidents’ Day unit is packed full of learning and fun! Complete with an informational PowerPoint about Presidents’ Day, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, a tricorn and stovepipe hat project, and lots of printable materials, this set will turn your students into little historians. With eye-catching display materials including headers for several anchor charts along with colorful vocabulary word wall cards, children will have what they need to read, talk, and write about two important presidents.

This Presidents’ Day unit is also included in my Thematic Units BIG Bundle.

What’s included in this unit?

This Presidents’ Day unit includes materials to help your students understand the meaning behind this February holiday.

Here’s what’s included:

✔ Informational PowerPoint Slideshow “All About Presidents’ Day”

This slideshow is packed full of information about Presidents’ Day, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. Filled with photographs and illustrations, this presentation includes nonfiction text about the holiday and the men it honors. The slides include information on the lives and legacies of Washington and Lincoln. This PowerPoint slideshow is 10 slides long and is copied at the end of the PDF in addition to the PPT file (for those without access to PowerPoint).

✔ Presidents’ Day Vocabulary Cards

The included Presidents’ Day vocabulary cards, each with an illustration and a simple definition, are: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Presidents’ Day, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Mount Rushmore, Mount Vernon, Log Cabin, President, lawyer, general, surveyor, stovepipe hat, tricorn hat, penny, quarter, one-dollar bill, and five-dollar bill. Printable portraits of Washington and Lincoln are also included.

✔ Anchor Chart Materials

Printable materials are included to help you create meaningful president anchor charts with your students. You’ll find what you need to make two KWL charts (one each for Washington and Lincoln), two “Was, Had, Is” charts, and a Venn diagram comparison chart. In addition, this set includes an original poem about Presidents’ Day to display.

✔ Printable Presidents’ Day Activities

▶ Themed Informational Writing Materials: In addition to writing organizers, this set includes various president-themed lined writing sheets, a Was/Had/Is book template for each of the featured presidents, and scaffolded writing templates.

▶ Washington and Lincoln Flip Books: These books, each using one sheet of paper, are simple for students to assemble. They contain simple text and end with a writing prompt. See the preview file for more detail!

▶ “I See” George Washington and Abraham Lincoln Books: These simple foldable booklets show students where they can see representations of Washington and Lincoln (currency, Mount Rushmore) using simple text and illustrations.

▶ Presidents’ Day Mini-Book: This small six-page cut-and-assemble booklet includes simple text and interactive pages.

▶ Calendar Activity: Students fill in the dates on a February calendar and cut and glue to add Presidents’ Day, Washington’s birthday, and Lincoln’s birthday in the correct squares.

▶ Presidents’ Day Poem: Have students learn this original poem to practice oral language and memorize key facts about Presidents’ Day. Display options and a cut-and-glue student page are included.

▶ Directed Drawing: Simple instructions two draw Washington and Lincoln can be projected and/or printed. A printable page with space for drawing and writing is included for each of the two featured presidents.

▶ Historic Hat Templates: Students can make a tricorn hat and a stovepipe hat with these printable templates and visual directions. The tricorn hat includes two versions—one with three sides stapled together and one with one cut-out attached to a sentence strip.

How do I use this Presidents’ Day unit?

Begin by accessing students’ background knowledge about Presidents’ Day, Washington, and Lincoln by having a class discussion. As you discuss, fill in the “K” (What I Know) and “W” (What I Want to Know) columns of the KWL chart. Follow up with the PowerPoint slideshow, which can be read aloud in one sitting or can be used across several days. Young children will need time to discuss the information as it is presented, so be sure to build in time for conversations and questions! Upon completion of the PowerPoint (or as you go along), have students help fill in the final column of the KWL chart.

To guide students toward informational writing about presidents, begin with the “Was, Had, Is” chart, having the students help determine what you should write in each section (a sample chart is included). Students can then begin to work on their own organizers which will scaffold them toward writing three informational sentences about Washington or Lincoln. The Was/Had/Is book templates are a great way for students to showcase their writing skills.

The Venn diagram chart and the accompanying writing template allow students to compare and contrast the facts they have learned about the two presidents. Students can use the follow-template if they are ready for the challenge!

The original Presidents’ Day poem helps students remember facts about Presidents’ Day, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln while also working on memorization. Students can recite this poem while wearing their hats! A cut-and-glue comprehension sheet accompanies the poem.

The additional activities can be completed in any order (and you can pick and choose based on the needs and levels of your students).

Have students make president hats to culminate their studies and encourage them to share Washington and Lincoln facts with anyone who asks about their hats!

This informational Presidents’ Day unit is also included in my Thematic Units BIG Bundle.

What Teachers Are Saying about this Presidents’ Day unit:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Age-appropriate PowerPoint allowed students to learn about the presidents. The worksheets helped reinforce what was learned and helped with their writing skills.” –Cheryl W.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Great unit! Excellent PowerPoint made the content very accessible for kindergarteners. Thank you!!” –Nan S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The graphics included in this set were terrific. Thanks for such a useful product for President's Day.” –Lisa M.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was a fabulous lesson for Presidents’ Day. I loved the Powerpoint and students loved the pictures and information that was offered. Great resource!” –Linda M.

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Please see the preview file for more detailed images. If you have any questions, email susan@myhappyplaceteaching.com or use the “Q&A” feature on this page.

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Susan Jennings (My Happy Place)