A Letter to Baltimore City Public Schools Families
Throughout Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) Dear City Schools Students teachers and students will mark and Families, this time, the March to InauguWe are in an extraordinary ration, with a range of activitime. ties. Enclosed is an optional curriculum that has been given With the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and the Rev. Dr. to schools, so that parents can Martin Luther King Jr. in the weeks get an idea of the kinds of ahead, we mark the lives of two of things our children may be our nation’s greatest leaders—both doing in the days ahead to commemorate this great event. Also deep believers in justice for all. enclosed are times and places And on Tuesday, January 20, we for viewing the inauguration on celebrate the inauguration of our January 20 and some suggested nation’s first African-American Inauguration Day activities for president, Barack Obama. This you and your families. represents an enormous step towards an America where all people May this day, and the hope it have equal access to freedom, represents, be a great one for justice and opportunity, regardless the entire City Schools family. of the color of their skin. Sincerely, The significance of this for our children, in particular, is tremendous. For once they aren’t learning about history in Brian D. Morris textbooks; they are watching it Chair, Baltimore City Board of unfold before them. The possiSchool Commissioners bilities Barack Obama’s presidency represents for our kids and their futures are boundless. January 7, 2009 Andrés A. Alonso, Ed.D. CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools
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March to Inauguration 2009 March to Inauguration 2009
Bring the Classroom Into Your Living Room
Parents and families: In the week leading up to Jan. 20 your children’s teachers will be covering the presidency and, especially, the inaugural process in many different ways. Below you’ll find just a few examples of Topics being covered in classrooms, Suggested Activities they are undertaking, and online Resources they are using. For more ways to teach our great kids about Inauguration 2009, ask them about what’s going on in their classrooms, and then use these Resources and others listed in this guide. And have fun!
TOPIC Barack Obama
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Discuss with your younger children the significance of Barack Obama’s presidency and create cards welcoming his children to the White House.
RESOURCES
www.tolerance.org/teach/activ ities/activity.jsp?ar=991
Inaugural Poetry
For students who are taking Language Arts and English, have them compare and contrast what poets such as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou have read at past inaugurations.
poetry.eserver.org/angelou.html
Inaugural Speeches
Kids can imagine that they are the newly elected president and write their own Inauguration Day speech. Take excerpts from past inaugural speeches and perform them as a dramatic reenactment. This can also be done with inaugural poetry. Compare and contrast inaugural addresses of past U.S. presidents.
www.chiff.com/society/inaugur ation.htm education.usatoday.com
Change
Students in the upper grades can explore the struggle of African-Americans to attain voting rights and develop a greater appreciation for the significance of Barack Obama’s election. They can do more research in the suggested resource.
www.tolerance.org/teach/activ ities/activity.jsp?ar=994
History of the Presidency
Math students can use online or library resources to find or calculate each president’s age at inauguration. They can then graph the ages of the presidents and calculate the average age at inauguration.
www.educationworld.com/ales son/00-2/lp2089.shtml
International Perspectives
In the classroom, English language learners may be asked to talk about elections and inaugurations in their home countries if they feel comfortable doing so. Compare and contrast the process in their home nation and the United States. Research how this election is viewed in the global community, and write a commentary from the perspective of another culture.
www.brighthub.com/education /languages/articles/8928.aspx http://www.theworld.org/trans
Presidential Policies
President Obama said: “Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. … Let’s lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America.” Discuss with your science students what Obama’s policies, if they are enacted, might mean for Baltimore.
www.barackobama.com/issues /technology
March to Inauguration 2009
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Inauguration Activities In Baltimore
Even if you can’t make it to Washington for Inauguration Day, don’t worry: There are plenty of things you can do right here at home. On Saturday, Jan. 17, the Obama-Biden train will stop in Baltimore. Watch the local news for details. There will be a free citywide family event at Camden Yards on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (gates open at 10 a.m.), sponsored by the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks. Celebrate the inauguration with thousands of fellow students and Baltimoreans. Stay tuned to City Schools and the local news for details. If you can’t make it to Camden Yards, celebrate the inauguration at home by watching the ceremonies on TV (it will be on all the major networks, PBS, CNN and other channels), listening to them on the radio (WYPR 88.1 FM, WEAA 88.9 FM), or following along at your favorite news web site. Be sure to take time out Jan. 20 to discuss the day’s historic events with your family, the community and, especially, our great kids. This a rare opportunity to watch history unfold and talk about it. Find ways to mark this day with family, neighbors and friends. Gather together to watch the inauguration on TV. Make a special dinner for friends and family and talk about the day (see Barack Obama’s favorite chili recipe on the next page). Check with your place of worship, community center or school to see what’s planned. Encourage your children to participate in an active way. Draw a picture, write a poem or an essay; if you or they have a journal or diary, be sure to write an entry about the day’s events. To help you get started, we’ve included a number of activities—a word find for younger students, an Inaugural Address bingo card for kids in the middle grades, and a trivia quiz for older students—on the following page and at our web site (www.baltimorecityschools.org). Finally, here’s a list of online resources that you and your family can also use: inaugural.senate.gov/history, www.history.com/minisites/uselections, Change.gov, memory.loc.gov/ammem/odmdhtml/preshome.html.
In Washington
Morning services: The Obama and Biden families will attend a morning religious service. Motorcade: Afterward, there will be a motorcade of cars from morning services to the U.S. Capitol. Swearing-In Ceremony: A musical prelude starts around 10 a.m. The swearing-in ceremony, which takes place on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, begins at around noon with welcoming remarks, an invocation and music. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens will administer the oath of office to Vice President-Elect Joseph Biden. Chief Justice John Roberts will then administer the oath of office to President-Elect Barack Obama, who will then make his Inaugural Address. The swearing-in ceremony will end with a poem, a benediction and the national anthem. Inaugural Parade: Starting at about 2:30 p.m., there will be a parade along Pennsylvania Avenue from the U.S. Capitol to the White House, the new home of President Obama and his family. Inaugural Balls: In the evening, President Obama and his wife will attend a number of balls and galas around Washington. In fact, this party is so big that balls are planned out through Jan. 24.
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March to Inauguration 2009
Inauguration Day Fun Page
Inauguration Word Search
As you look for the words listed below, remember they can be horizontal (across), vertical (up and down), or diagonal— frontward or backward! As you find words, circle them. If you find them all, consider yourself a topnotch word sleuth! T N E D I S E R P L D X A T H N U G T D Q Q J L L Z L J T M E X T J I F H P Q N S U N Y M D F V K P Q T Y Z R G C Q P Z I N A U G U R A T I O N A X U B Z O N V Y M P S R Z M Y L J H H L T S I C S G I A P S R V P J T N G A N S U B U A G Z K E I G Y P N V D O P U R J D Q S J P I H N I K C K Y A J S Y O E T E W P C H J R P D F G D J O N E V A S M S T Z E B Q M L A N F R H C U V A Y Y P I M E T H A P S L I Q G W D D C K W G B H F I S D Z W E N Q Q Z
Obama Bingo
Listen to Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address. Cross out each word as you hear it. Cross out a row across, up and down or diagonally, and you win!
America Seniors Children Energy Community
Families
Service
Peace
Unity
Challenges Citizens
Infrastructure Veterans
Health
Immigration Housing Environment Jobs
Nation
Freedom
Technology
Work
Schools
Change
BARACK OBAMA • CAPITOL • INAUGURATION • JOSEPH BIDEN • PARADE • PRESIDENT • WASHINGTON
Inauguration Trivia
For a trivia quiz about Barack Obama and the inauguration, please visit www.baltimorecityschools.org/news/InaugTrivia.asp.
Barack Obama’s Favorite Chili Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped Several cloves of garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound ground turkey or beef 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/4 teaspoon ground basil 1 tablespoon chili powder 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar Several tomatoes, chopped 1 can red kidney beans
DIRECTIONS
1. Sauté onions, green pepper and garlic in vegetable or olive oil until soft. 2. Add ground meat and brown. 3. Combine spices together. 4. Add to ground meat. 5. Add red wine or apple cider vinegar. 6. Add tomatoes and let simmer, until tomatoes cook down. 7. Add kidney beans and cook for a few more minutes. 8. Serve over white or brown rice.