whO HAD the most impact AS president?
In honor of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, known as March Madness, we will be conducting our own tournament to determine who had the most impact as president. Impact does not necessarily mean the BEST president, but rather the one with the longest lasting impact (good or bad). We will be blending the tournament with the popular TV reality show, Survivor.
Instructions: You will be assigned a president and given a reading on that president. Since you are looking for impact, pay attention to the effects their decisions had. Look at both domestic and foreign policy. Look at scandals and negative things that happened because of their decisions. You may use additional resources to prepare. You will be responsible for completing a one page recommendation form that explains why this president had the most impact and should move on to round two.
Round 1 (Round of 32): Prior to the round, Mrs. Myers will create brackets of presidents, ranked according to the CSPAN rankings of presidents. This ranking is the opinion of CSPAN and is not based on impact. You will compete against the president in your bracket. In class, you will present on your assigned president. After both presidents in that bracket have been presented, the class will vote for who will move on. This will be a secret ballot.
Round 2 (Sweet 16): The person whose president did not move on will become partners with the winner of round one. Together, you and your new partner will create a digital poster that highlights the reasons why your president had the most impact. You will still be competing against another president, but a teacher will vote on the winner. They will not know your name to prevent bias. They will have to go solely on the basis of your digital poster. You may use Google Docs, Drawings, Slides, Canva, or another design program.
Round 3 (Elite 8): You will be partnered with the team that did not move on from round two. The four of you will be responsible for creating a presentation that highlights the reasons why your new opponent should not win and move on to the Final Four. Look for reasons why they did NOT have much impact. The class will vote for the winner, but you will not vote in your own bracket. The teams that do not move on will become part of the Tribal Council.
Round 4 (Final Four): The four members of the remaining Presidential teams will highlight why their president deserves to go to the championship round. Presentation should be creative. Tribal Council will be voting secretly for which presidents do not move on.
Round 5 (Championship): The two remaining Presidential teams will be answering questions from the Tribal Council. You will have the help of the team you beat in the Final Four to prepare. Once the Tribal Council has finished its questions, they will have the chance to vote. Just like they do on Survivor, they will write down the name of the President who they deem most impactful. The winner will be announced by the reading of votes.
Instructions: You will be assigned a president and given a reading on that president. Since you are looking for impact, pay attention to the effects their decisions had. Look at both domestic and foreign policy. Look at scandals and negative things that happened because of their decisions. You may use additional resources to prepare. You will be responsible for completing a one page recommendation form that explains why this president had the most impact and should move on to round two.
Round 1 (Round of 32): Prior to the round, Mrs. Myers will create brackets of presidents, ranked according to the CSPAN rankings of presidents. This ranking is the opinion of CSPAN and is not based on impact. You will compete against the president in your bracket. In class, you will present on your assigned president. After both presidents in that bracket have been presented, the class will vote for who will move on. This will be a secret ballot.
Round 2 (Sweet 16): The person whose president did not move on will become partners with the winner of round one. Together, you and your new partner will create a digital poster that highlights the reasons why your president had the most impact. You will still be competing against another president, but a teacher will vote on the winner. They will not know your name to prevent bias. They will have to go solely on the basis of your digital poster. You may use Google Docs, Drawings, Slides, Canva, or another design program.
Round 3 (Elite 8): You will be partnered with the team that did not move on from round two. The four of you will be responsible for creating a presentation that highlights the reasons why your new opponent should not win and move on to the Final Four. Look for reasons why they did NOT have much impact. The class will vote for the winner, but you will not vote in your own bracket. The teams that do not move on will become part of the Tribal Council.
Round 4 (Final Four): The four members of the remaining Presidential teams will highlight why their president deserves to go to the championship round. Presentation should be creative. Tribal Council will be voting secretly for which presidents do not move on.
Round 5 (Championship): The two remaining Presidential teams will be answering questions from the Tribal Council. You will have the help of the team you beat in the Final Four to prepare. Once the Tribal Council has finished its questions, they will have the chance to vote. Just like they do on Survivor, they will write down the name of the President who they deem most impactful. The winner will be announced by the reading of votes.
Student Handouts
Useful Links
- Miller Center (BEST RESOURCE)
- Presidential Rankings (Only for Truman-Obama)
- CSPAN Presidential Historians Survey
- Influential President Rankings (Reverse Order) - Good for length of term, party affiliation
CAST YOUR VOTE - ELITE 8
Period 2
Period 3
Period 5
Period 6
Period 3
Period 5
Period 6
CAST YOUR VOTE - FINAL FOUR
Period 2
Period 3
Period 5
Period 6
Period 3
Period 5
Period 6
CAST YOUR VOTE - champion
Period 2
Period 3
Period 5
Period 6
Period 3
Period 5
Period 6