Introducing Research with a Guided Presidents Research Project

Presidents Research Project.

Research projects can be difficult to implement in elementary classrooms, but they can provide so many benefits to young students. Not to mention, students LOVE getting to conduct research and showcase their findings. This presidents research project is a perfect activity for the month of February to celebrate Presidents Day, and can be used with any president!

The KEYS to research projects for elementary students:

1. Guided research templates 

First, second and third graders need a template to guide them through research. This will help them learn what information to look for as they conduct a research project. These president research templates mix fill-in-the-blank information with open-ended questions.

2. Clickable Links

Prescreened websites, at the fingertips of students? Do I even need to say more?! Raise your hand if you've ever had a student stumble upon an award or inappropriate ad or photo...oops. Having clean and student-friendly sites ready for them is essential to kicking off a successful research project.

3. Showcasing the research:

This is the part where you let students get creative with how they use their research. With this research project pack, I've included 3 options - you can mix and match them all, or even use this as a way to differentiate the project. Let them create a poster, a timeline or write and deliver an informational speech from the perspective of the president they chose. Take it a step further and have them present their work to their class or a small group. 

One of my favorite parts of this project? It is essentially NO PREP for you. Just print and go...students can complete this during centers, computer lab time, an at home project, etc. Templates are included for every president, so you can let students choose their own or assign one to them!

If you try this project in your classroom, be sure to connect me with on Instagram and let me know how it went with your students!