This project is used as a preview for the unit on the presidency, Chief Executive and Bureaucracies from Government Alive!. Its purpose is to help students hypothesize an answer to the Essential Question: What qualities do modern chief executives need to fulfill their multiple roles?

My Own Mt. Rushmore/Wall of Presidential Shame

As we discussed in class the actual person will define the presidency. Iin this project you will showcase how the individual presidents really have played a major role in how the American people evaluate our government.

The Project:

1. Choose five presidents that you want to learn more about. Choose whether you want to research presidents you feel did good, or not so good. These people should be chosen for at least one of the following criteria:
• They are your favorite
• They are your least favorite
• You feel they did the most positive things for the country
• You feel they did the worst things for the country
• You feel that they were the most scandalous
• You feel they had the most interesting personal life
• You feel they did nothing as president

2. Decide why you have chosen these individuals and research that aspect for all

3. Choose from which abstract method you would like to be assessed, either Mt Rushmore, or Presidential Wall of Shame or e-model (electronic version of either using video, PowerPoint, or website):
• Model of your Mt Rushmore with visuals depicting what you learned. For ex. a model of a mountainside with your five president’s faces covered with pictures and/or captions of your research.
1. Could be included on a model of the country showing the effects, whether that be positive or negative, that your presidents had through visuals and/or captions.
• Model of your Wall of Shame (triboard) with images, visuals, and captions that show the theme you have chosen. IE most scandals, corruption, etc.

Again, could be on a model of the country showing the effects that your presidents had.

4. Include a half page, single spaced description of why you chose each of your presidents – be sure to include factual research

5. All should have a bibliography showing any source that you used.

The Grading:
• Worth 100 points
• Abstract worth 70 points and grading will focus on:
• Creativity – 10 points
• On topic and effectively answers your prompt – 20 points
• Accuracy in your depiction – 20 points
• Clearly shows why you chose the presidents – 10 points
• Paper will be worth 20 points
• Bibliography will be worth 10 points

All projects will be posted around the room on the due date. The next day students will complete a museum walk-about. In the walk-about they will observe several things:
1.) What themes of evaluation do they see from their peers? Is it substantive/policy based? Is it qualitative or quantitative?

2.) Are all 44 presidents represented? If not does it appear that Americans tend to remember only certain presidents? Why?

3.) Using what they saw in the walk-about, answer the essential question: “What qualities do modern chief executives need to fulfill their multiple roles?”