For The President, All In A Day's Work

For The President, All In A Day's Work

Lesson plan from iCivics

The Coolest Job in the Country!

Imagine you have been elected President of the United States. What do you think would be the best part of the job? Having your own personal jet? Living in the White House? Having a bowling alley in your house? (Yes, there’s a one lane bowling alley in the basement of the White House!)

Poll

Being president is not just fun and games. You have real responsibilities. Below is a list of things you would do as president of the United States. Which do you think would be the hardest to do?

• Lead weekly meetings where I ask for advice on the country's most difficult issues.

• To to Congress and give my yearly "State of the Union" speech which aired live on TV.

• Decide to accept or reject a bill sent to me by Congress that will cut research for disease that not many people have.

Poll

Being president is not just fun and games. You have real responsibilities. Below is a list of things you would do as president of the United States. Which do you think would be the hardest to do?

• Follow the law and constitution even if I disagree with it.

• Decide to send troops into battle knowing that some of them will die.

• Make sure the Department of Homeland Security enforces new airport security measures even though they make travelers angry.

Poll

Being president is not just fun and games. You have real responsibilities. Below is a list of things you would do as president of the United States. Which do you think would be the hardest to do?

• Answer difficult questions from reporters at press conference where I'm asking Congress to spend more money on space exploration.

• Negotiate with the leader of another country to lower taxes on a resource Americans want to buy.

• Choose a new Supreme Court Justice after an old one retires or passes away.

The President’s Rule Book

The President of the United States is the leader of our nation and the leader of the executive branch of government. The Constitution of the United States gives all the rules for being president. It tells who can become president, what powers the president has, and some of the roles and duties the president takes on. 

Multiple Choice

Who is the current President of the United States of America?

• Donald Trump

• Hilary Clinton

• Miss French

Multiple Choice

The President of the United States is the leader our nation and the leader of the _______________ branch of government.

• Legislative

• Judicial

• Executive

Multiple Choice

The President has the power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States.

• True

• False

Lawmaking and the Prez

One of the President’s most important functions is not in Article II—it’s in Article I, which talks about Congress! Congress is the lawmaking branch of government, but the Constitution requires the president’s approval before a bill can actually become a law. The president either signs the bill to approve it or rejects the bill with a veto and sends it back to Congress. 

Multiple Choice

The Constitution requires the president's approval before a bill can actually become a ________________.

• Veto

• Law

• Power

Multiple Choice

The President either signs the bill to approve it or rejects the bill with a ____________ and sends it back.

• Veto

• Law

• Power

Second in Command

The Constitution of the United States gives the president a helper: the vice president. However, the Constitution doesn’t say much about what the vice president does, except that the VP is also the president of the Senate (one of the two lawmaking chambers in Congress). But the VP only presides over the Senate to cast a tiebreaking vote or when there is a ceremony. The rest of the time, the vice president advises the president, travels the world negotiating with other countries, helps carry out laws here at home, and is important to many functions in the executive branch of government. 

Multiple Choice

The Constitution of the United States gives the President a helper: the ____________________.

• Vice President

• Governor

• Senate

Multiple Choice

The Vice President is also the President of the Senate.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Who is the current Vice President of the United States?

• Joe Biden

• Mike Tyson

• Mike Pence

Political Party Leaders 

The president and vice president act as the leaders of their political party. This role is not part of the Constitution, but has evolved over time as part of the political process. A political party is an organized group of people who share similar views and work to influence the government in support of those views. As party leaders, the president and vice president work to accomplish the party’s goals for how the government should address the issues facing our nation. The Republican and Democratic parties are the two major political parties in the U.S. 

Multiple Choice

What animal represents the Democratic Party?

• Donkey

• Elephant

Multiple Choice

What animal represents the Republican Party?

• Donkey

• Elephant

Multiple Choice

Trump and Pence belong to the _______________ party.

• Republican

• Democratic

Becoming President 

In the United States, presidential elections happen every four years. A president cannot serve more than two 4-year terms—a total of eight years. This rule is found in the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which was added in 1951. If a president has only served one term and wants to be re-elected, that president ends up spending a lot of time campaigning during the last year of the term. If the president has already served a second term, often the vice president will decide to become a presidential candidate. Many presidents started out as the vice president. 

Multiple Choice

How long is a term for the President?

• 2 years

• 4 years

• 6 years

Multiple Choice

What are the most terms that. President can serve?

• 2

• 3

• 4

What if the president dies?

There have been several times in the history of the United States where a president has died. When that happens, the Constitution provides that the vice president becomes president. It also gives Congress the power to make a law saying who becomes president if something happened to both the president and the vice president. Congress did this in the Presidential Succession Act, which puts the speaker of the House (the leader of the House of Representatives) next in line after the vice president and lists everyone who is in line after that. 

Multiple Choice

Who would take over as President if the President died?

• The Pope

• Speaker of the house

• The Vice President

Multiple Choice

Who is second in line to take over as President if, both the President and Vice President died?

• The Pope

• Speaker of the house

• Attorney General

Multiple Choice

Word that refers to the sequence of who will become president if something happens.

• Succession

• Support

• Security