Presidents' Day Homeschool Lesson Plan and Resources, and Presidential Portraits in the News

Presidents' Day is Monday, February 19, 2018. Do you want to mark Presidents' Day in your homeschool but don't know how? Fear not! This week, we're sharing a lesson plan and resources for teaching about presidential portraits. This would be a great activity for Presidents' Day or for studying current events, since portraits have been in the news lately. 

The White House Historical Association has great a great Podcast about the presidency in history. The name of the Podcast is 1600 Sessions. Click here to listen to the audio file of their Podcast on presidential portraits, where they interview Betty Monkman, former White House curator, and William Kloss, art historian. 

Your local library may have a copy of William Kloss's book Art in the White House: A Nation's Pride. It is a beautiful, thick volume that tells you everything you ever wanted to know about White House's art collection. 

On Monday, the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery unveiled Barack and Michelle Obama's official portraits. The Obamas' taste in art tends toward the modern, and their portraits reflected this. The Obamas were the first couple to have their portraits painted with a modern art twist. 

You can view the entire collection of presidential portraits on the White House Historical Association's Website. 

You can view Barack and Michelle Obama's newly released portraits here, and read the corresponding news article about them. 

Finally, download this fantastic guide from the National Portrait Gallery called the "Reading" Portraiture Guide for Educators. 

Put it all together, and here's your Presidents' Day Homeschool Lesson Plan:

• Listen to the 1600 Sessions Podcast on presidential portraits.
• View the collection of presidential portraits on the White House Historical Association's Website.
• Read the news article about the newly released Obama portraits.
• Choose two presidential portraits to analyze, using the reading portraiture guide.

This is such a fun, easy, and FREE way to celebrate Presidents' Day in your homeschool. Happy learning! 

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