Leading the nation: Unit objectives
January 9, 2001
Web posted at: 11:03 PM EST (0403 GMT)
Bush's proposed tax cuts
After completing the discussions and activities in the unit lesson, students will be able to:
- Compare and contrast Democratic and Republican attitudes toward taxes.
- Develop a compromise plan for tax cuts for Democrats and Republicans.
Transition of power
After completing the discussions and activities in the unit lesson, students will be able to:
- Discuss events and details that occur when one administration leaves and another comes in.
- Analyze what conditions can make some transitions smoother than others.
- Examine the role of the president once he leaves office.
- Appraise and evaluate what happens in the case of an unplanned transition -- i.e., if a president dies in office.
Qualities of a leader in the media age
After completing discussions and activities in the unit lesson, students will be able to:
- Identify ways in which the president can use various media to communicate his message.
- Demonstrate ways in which the news media can create public opinion.
- Examine news sources on a given topic relating to the president to form an opinion about the issue.
- Analyze news sources for tone, point of view and accuracy.
The roles of the president
After completing the discussions and activities in the unit lesson, students will be able to:
- Explain the job description for the U.S. presidency.
- Compare and contrast current and past roles of the chief executive.
- Theorize possible reasons that the role of the U.S. president has changed over the years.
- Research various political leaders around the world to compare and contrast their roles with that of the president.
- Predict any changes that might need to be made in the president's role in the next decades.
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