Originally published on Feb. 28, 2022
Activities:
Pre-speech activity (day before the State of the Union)
- Have your students watch the PBS NewsHour segment Can a State of the Union address ease tensions in Washington? (3m 55s) and answer the questions on the handout. Click here to provide your students with link to a student handout. (Let your students know they’ll need to make a copy of the document, so they can add their names, and input their answers. See top left of the screen → Go to File → Make Copy)
- Have your students predict what the president will say during the State of the Union by filling out their State of the Union bingo card. If your class is virtual or you would like to provide the Google Doc link, distribute the SOTU Bingo Card (Let your students know they’ll need to make a copy of the document, so they can add their names, and input their answers. (See top left of the screen → Go to File → Make Copy) Students can highlight or shade in their predictions and participate on Twitter using #SOTUBingo or #PBSClassroom
Post-speech activity (day after the State of the Union)
- Have students share their State of the Union bingo card and see which students had the most success predicting what the president would say during the speech.
- Hold a class discussion about the State of the Union address. Check the PBS NewsHour State of the Union page after the speech for clips of the speech and reaction from journalists. Have students share policy proposals and issues that the president discussed during the State of the Union.
- After discussing the speech, have students draft a letter to the president voicing their support for or opposition to specific policies that the president laid out during the State of the Union.
Ryan Werenka has taught social studies at Troy High School in Troy, Michigan, for more than 20 years. Ryan teaches AP U.S. Government and Politics, AP Comparative Government and Politics, and Government and Civics. Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in history and social sciences from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in the Art of Teaching from Marygrove College.