Powers of the President

Your first PBS production is to be created around what you want the next President of the United States to focus on during his/her administration.  Everyday you hear about the President making a decision: sending troops into a foreign country, vetoing a bill, supporting a bill, or making an address to the people, but do you know the powers the President has according to the Constitution?  You will complete this WebQuest as part of your INVESTIGATION as you prepare for your first PBS production.

As you complete this WebQuest, you will learn the powers of the President as outlined in the Constitution.  At the end of the WebQuest, you will be asked to respond to the question, "Should the President of the United States have expanded or limited powers?"

To understand the powers of the President, visit the following website: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/seven-roles-one-president to read about seven powers of the President.  In your 365 notebook, you will find the assignment "Seven Roles for One President." Read through the information on the website to complete that assignment.

How much power, and what kind of power, should the President of the United States have?

Visit the website http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/can-president-be-too-strong and read about how presidential power has evolved since the writing of the Constitution.  In your 365 notebook, complete the assignment "Can a President Be Too Strong" as you read.

To assess your understanding of the powers of the president, you will complete the assignment titled "My President" in your 365 notebook.  Be sure to address each part of the assessment.

Your PBS Letters to the President production will serve as your assessment for this unit.  Please be sure that as you plan and design your video, you understand the powers of the president and that your message reflects that knowledge.