--- title: "Commanders-in-Teach: Learning about the Presidents of the United States\u00a0" url: "https:\/\/britannicaeducation.com\/blog\/commanders-in-teach\/" published: "2025-01-27T13:44:00+00:00" modified: "2026-04-17T20:42:31+00:00" author: "Britannica Education" description: "Each president has had a very unique experience in office\u2014from his personality and background to what global events happened during his time in D.C. " --- # Commanders-in-Teach: Learning about the Presidents of the United States  Each president has had a very unique experience in office—from his personality and background to what global events happened during his time in D.C. ![Thistle background graphic](https://britannicaeducation.com/wp-content/themes/britannica-education/assets/img/backgrounds/thistle.svg) - [ Home ](https://britannicaeducation.com/) - [ Blog ](https://britannicaeducation.com/blog/) - Commanders-in-Teach: Learning… Commanders-in-Teach: Learning about the Presidents of the United States  ![Mount Rushmore with blue skies above](https://britannicaeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/be-blog-commanders-in-teach-1024x320.jpg) [Classroom Activities](https://britannicaeducation.com/blog/category/classroom-activities/) # Commanders-in-Teach: Learning about the Presidents of the United States  ![](https://britannicaeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/BE_Thistle-Variation-1.svg) January 27, 2025 Table Of Contents - [Milestone Matchup](#milestone) - [Treasure the Timeline](#treasure) - [Executive Excursions](#excursions) - [Other Oval Office Opportunities](#opportunities) share [![](/wp-content/themes/britannica-education/assets/img/be-facebook-icon.png)](http://facebook.com) [![](/wp-content/themes/britannica-education/assets/img/be-pinterest-icon.png)](http://pinterest.com) [![](/wp-content/themes/britannica-education/assets/img/be-linkedin-icon.png)](http://linkedin.com) [![](/wp-content/themes/britannica-education/assets/img/be-x-icon.png)](http://x.com) **FREE DOWNLOAD** ![](https://britannicaeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/be-blog-ai-playbook-hero.jpg) **[5 Plays for AI-Powered Planning](https://britannicaeducation.com/blog/5-plays-for-ai-powered-planning/)** Navigate and champion AI at your school, district, or library. [Get the Playbook](https://britannicaeducation.com/blog/5-plays-for-ai-powered-planning/) **SPARK LEARNING THAT LASTS** [![Text: Curious Kids. Award-Winning Results. ](https://britannicaeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/be-Early-Elementary-Britannica-School-Blog.png)](https://britannicaeducation.com/solutions/prek-12/britannica-school/early-elementary/) **[Britannica School: Early Elementary](https://britannicaeducation.com/solutions/prek-12/britannica-school/early-elementary/)** - Trustworthy articles - Engaging videos - Seamless translation - Leveled text - Built-in accessibility tools [Fuel Curiosity](https://britannicaeducation.com/solutions/prek-12/britannica-school/early-elementary/) **RESOURCE HUB** ![illustration of boy holding a green checkmark in one hand and a red X in the other hand with a question mark thought bubble](https://britannicaeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/be-Media-Literacy-Hub-Header.jpeg) **[Media Literacy for the Digital Era](https://britannicaeducation.com/media-literacy/)** Trusted Resources for Navigating Modern Media [View Now](https://britannicaeducation.com/media-literacy/) Did you know the official name for the holiday we call Presidents’ Day is technically “Washington’s Birthday”? While there is a [long explanation](https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/Presidents-Day/389228) for this, the simpler one is that in the late 1800s, Congress wanted to honor the nation’s first president. Now, the country uses the day to celebrate the birthdays and lives of all American presidents. Need some ideas for celebrating our nation’s Commanders-in-Chief in the classroom? Each president has had a very unique experience in office—from his personality and background to what global events happened during his time in D.C. There are so many ways to unpack them and have fun with it! And, with Britannica School’s extensive database of presidential content, you can create engaging lessons that bring these stories to life. ## **Milestone Matchup** Here’s a teachable moment: When students shrug at presidential history, that’s your cue to get creative! Turn their “meh” into “wow” by shaking up the traditional approach. Those skeptical faces in your classroom? They’re actually your secret superpower for innovation. What do your students like? Music, sports, Victorian-inspired dresses, technology, hiking . . . anything can be put into historical context, and a lot of history has happened since the United States became a country. Using Britannica School’s timeline features, you can easily create a matching or trivia game—or have students create their own—to teach about global interests as well as provide context for American history.  Challenge your students to discover who was in the Oval Office when these historic events happened: • The iPhone was invented (2007, George W. Bush) • Neil Armstrong first walked on the Moon (1969, Richard Nixon) • Queen Victoria died (1901, William McKinley) • Woodstock Music and Art Fair happened (1969, also Nixon) • Japanese Edo period ended (1868, Andrew Johnson) • Boeing 727 was first built (1962, John F. Kennedy) • American football was established (1869, Ulysses S. Grant) • Your home state became a state • Your favorite national park was designated Encourage critical thinking by asking your students: Do any of those facts change the way you think about that president? What do you think he felt about the event? Is there evidence for how he reacted to it? There are tons of ways to connect American history to topics that students are already interested in! What are other events or topics you could match to our presidents? Ask students to share what they learn with each other using [Conversation Circles](https://teachbritannica.com/instructional-strategy/conversation-circles/) instructional strategy, or have them take a closer look at these events by doing a [Critical Events Analysis](https://teachbritannica.com/instructional-strategy/critical-event-analysis/). Find graphic organizers and more to facilitate research and discussion in our open-access [Teach Britannica](https://teachbritannica.com/) educator hub!  ## **Treasure the Timeline** Log in to Britannica School and explore the “[US Presidents at a Glance](https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/assembly/view/326090)” interactives. We have one for each president! Click around to discover fast facts about all 45 presidents’ time in office, including their political party, notable dates, and links to articles for more context. You’ll also find detailed info about every presidential election they participated in—even tallies for electoral vote vs. popular vote! ![](https://britannicaeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/be-blog-Grant-Timeline.gif) These ready-to-use interactive timelines are a jumping off point for presidential research projects or can be inspiration for students to [make their own timelines](https://teachbritannica.com/wp-content/uploads/graphic-organizer-timeline.pdf). What events have happened in school so far this year? What’s your school’s debate, sports, or robotics team’s win-loss record? What other fast facts would your students like to remember after this semester ends? Learners are never too young to start learning about this important day! Early elementary students might have fun creating [mini biographies](https://teachbritannica.com/wp-content/uploads/graphic-organizer-mini-biography.pdf) or [visual timelines](https://teachbritannica.com/wp-content/uploads/graphic-organizer-visual-timeline.pdf). Teach Britannica’s open-access [Meeting George Washington](https://teachbritannica.com/lesson-minis/meeting-george-washington/) lesson mini (perfect for this age!) offers three 20-30 minute activities plus vocabulary and extensions perfect to celebrate this holiday! ## **Executive Excursions** Of course one part of every president’s history is that they are from the United States! You can visit their hometowns, and sometimes even their homes, which are spread all across the country. Several presidents wanted their personal and official documents preserved, given their importance to the nation and its history. So, in 1955, Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act, which established a series of federal libraries and encouraged presidents to donate their artifacts to them.  ![](https://britannicaeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/be-blog-Jimmy-Carter-Presidential-Museum-1024x727.jpg)Exhibits at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum (Atlanta, Georgia) covers President Carter’s early life through his post-presidency. Now, every president since Herbert Hoover, who served as president 1929–1933, has a dedicated [Presidential Library, Presidential Museum, or both](https://archivesfoundation.org/presidential-libraries/). You can explore them in person or virtually, and they support field trips! Many of them have replicas of the Oval Office, the way it was when that president served, as well as photos, footage, historical artifacts or replicas, and interactive exhibits.  The [Obama Presidential Center](https://www.obamalibrary.gov/#event-number-87) is set to open in 2026, and libraries for [Trump](https://www.trumplibrary.gov/) and Biden will likely follow! Wherever you go, take our [Museum Discovery lesson mini](https://teachbritannica.com/lesson-minis/museum-discovery-and-exploration/) for a spin! Students can learn firsthand what it takes to run a historic site, gallery, or museum library. ## **Other Oval Office Opportunities** Move beyond traditional assignments with these engaging classroom ideas, all supported by Britannica School resources: • Host a “Presidential Press Conference” where students research and role-play different presidents responding to current events. • Create a “Presidential Podcast” series where students tell lesser-known stories about presidential hobbies, pets, or childhood after researching in Britannica. • Organize a “Presidential Innovation Fair” showcasing inventions and technology from each era. • Launch a “First Kids Club” investigating what it was like to grow up in the White House. These creative approaches help students connect personally with presidential history while building crucial research and presentation skills. Find all the supporting materials you need in your Britannica School subscription! 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