Thank you for your interest in educational resources about James K. Polk. This page is divided into several segments: Lesson plans, Related Activities, and For Further Reading… These segments are intended to be fun and educational and may be used in the classroom or by those who wish to continue learning about the 11th President of the United States.

Lesson Plans

Lesson plans have been categorized by grade level. The lessons may or may not be directly related to information on the rest of the website. Other resources should be consulted. To see a list of suggested resources see For Further Reading…

Lesson Plan 1: General Quiz (9-12)

Objective

To test and expand the students' knowledge of James K. Polk. The quiz questions are phrased in the negative to spur discussion and provide more information. This lesson can be assigned as homework or completed in the classroom and should be used in the middle or end of a unit on James K. Polk.

Procedure

1. Teacher will explain purpose of exercise and demonstrate how to connect to quiz (from educational resources page, or follow link "To learn more about James K. Polk, take our online quiz").

2. Students will complete the quiz.

3. Teacher will discuss the answers and lead discussion on any/all of the topics illustrated.

Lesson Plan 2: Journal Writing (4-12)

Introduction

President Polk saw the importance of keeping a journal to record history and to explain important decisions made during his administration.

Objective

Make a direct connection between James K. Polk and students through a mutual activity - journal writing.

Preparation (optional):

To create a more historical feel, the teacher could provide quill pens and ink for the students. (Quill pens available from Polk Home Museum Shop). A session on making paper could also be introduced.

Procedure

1. Quotes from the Diary of James K. Polk could be assigned as homework or openly read in classroom.

2. Teacher will lead discussion about the importance of keeping a journal.

3. Students encouraged to keep a journal for one semester.

Lesson Plan 3: Presidential Portraiture (K-6)

Objective

For students to become more visually familiar with James K. Polk.

Preparation

Teacher can download hard copies of the various portraits of James K. Polk from the www.jameskpolk.com website.

Procedure

1. Students may download different images of James K. Polk from the Polk website.

2. Compare different images of Polk and discuss differences and physical changes.

3. Compare the technical differences between portraits and photographs (daguerreotypes).

1. Debating

James K. Polk developed an interest in politics while a member of the dialectic society at the University of North Carolina. As a member of the society, Polk learned how to make arguments and defend his beliefs, skills that would serve him well in his law profession and political career. Choose a topic that is important to students of today. Divide the classroom in half, one side defending the topic, the other criticizing it. The teacher or a student should act as moderator.

2. Map Exercise

One of President Polk's greatest legacies is territorial expansion. For the first time, the United States would stretch all the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Some 800,000 square miles would be added to the United States. To explore interactive maps illustrating expansion during Polk's Presidency, connect to the following sites: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/america/interactive/map01.html - Territorial Expansion http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/america/interactive/map10.html - Oregon Territory http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~atlas/america/interactive/map12.html - Mexican Cession

Students should be able to identify territories vs. states. Students can investigate what became of the newly acquired territories (states of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, California, Nevada…) Consider why these territories were important to the U.S. Were the territories worth the price of war with Mexico and possibly Great Britain?

3. 19th Century Education

Sarah Polk was one of the first educated First Ladies. In a time when women rarely had the opportunity to go to college, both she and her sister Susan were sent to Salem Academy, a women's school run by a religious group called the Moravians in Salem, North Carolina. While a student, Sarah studied reading, grammar, geography, ciphering, drawing, embroidery, and orthography.

How was Sarah Polk's education different from today's education?

Why were boys and girls taught different things? (Polk, while at the University of North Carolina, studied geography, Biblical and classical history, Greek and Roman literature, mathematics, natural and moral philosophy, and English grammar).

How did Sarah's education prepare her for a life as a wife of a Congressman, Governor, and President of the United States?

ATTENTION TEACHERS: Copies of the James K. Polk Home's twelve-minute orientation video are available to school libraries for $10. With the video, schools will receive the Home's educational packet that includes materials for classroom use. To order the video, send a check to the Polk Home, P.O. Box 741, Columbia, TN 38402.

Bergeron, Paul H. The Presidency of James K. Polk. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1987.

Bumgarner, John Reed. Sarah Childress Polk A Biography of the Remarkable First Lady. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1997.

Byrnes, Mark E. James K. Polk: A Biographical Companion. Denver, CO: ABC-CLIO, 2001.

Haynes, Sam W. James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 2002.

Lillegard, Dee. Encyclopedia of Presidents: James K. Polk. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1988.

Quaife, Milo Milton, ed. The Diary of James K. Polk During His Presidency. Chicago: Chicago Historical Society, 1910.

Seigenthaler, John. James K. Polk. New York: Times Books, 2003.

Sellers, Charles. James K. Polk Jacksonian. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1957.

Sellers, Charles. James K. Polk Continentalist. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1966.

Sinnott, Susan. Encyclopedia of First Ladies: Sarah Childress Polk. New York: Children's Press, 1998.

See links page for related materials.