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On January 20, 2009, M.S. 88 will have the opportunity to celebrate this historic inauguration as a school community. Viewing sites will be open for houses to gather together to watch the inauguration live and write reflections as witnesses to history. Here are some resources to help you plan events and lessons leading up to the big day.======

**Our Plans for the Inauguration**
Activities and events have been planned school-wide so that the 88 community may participate in an experience that will go down in history. Do not miss this day at 88! All parents are invited beginning at 12:00 noon. Festivities and activities will include:
 * Decorations throughout the school and viewing areas, including large-scale photos of the President-Elect, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other historical figures
 * Large designated viewing areas where all students, staff, and parents will be able to watch the inaugural ceremony live
 * Student-created writing prompts for reflection during and after the inauguration
 * Costumed student actors playing historical figures
 * A bound book and video collage to be produced after the inauguration commemorating our experiences as witness to history

**Inauguration Day Schedule**
The partnership between the DOE and ABC News will allow for a continual internet news feed before and after President-Elect Obama's inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, following the schedule below.
 * 11:30 AM || The Official Ceremony begins
 * Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks: Senator Dianne Feinstein
 * Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren
 * Aretha Franklin will sing
 * Vice President-Elect Joe Biden will be sworn into office
 * Music composed by John Williams and performed by Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero, and Anthony McGill ||
 * 12:00 Noon || The Oath of Office will be administered. ||
 * 12:05 PM (approx) || President Barack Obama will give his inaugural address, speaking to the nation and world, for the first time, as President of the United States, followed by:
 * Poem: Elizabeth Alexander
 * Benediction: The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
 * The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters" ||

**Classroom Resources**

 * [|President-Elect: Inauguration and Preparing for the White House] Teacher Vision provides many lesson plans, links, articles, and activities to prepare for the inauguration and teach presidential history. These include: inaugural poetry, past notable inaugural addresses, journalling activities about "a day in the life" of a new president, biographical material on Obama, and writing letters to the new President.
 * [|Inauguration Day:] More teacher resources from Education World, including subject-specific worksheets and activities for literacy, social studies, science, and art.
 * [|Inaugural Day Events:] A step-by-step look at the events on Inauguration Day, from the Senate's web site.
 * [|‘A New Birth of Freedom’—2009 Inaugural Theme:] The theme of the 2009 inauguration is "A New Birth of Freedom," centered around Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The Senate provides information on Lincoln, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Gettysburg Address.
 * [|Elizabeth Alexander:] A biography and selected poems from the inaugural poet from her web site.
 * [|Help Students Pay Attention to the 2009 Inauguration with Engaging Lesson Ideas]: Many ideas of incorporating technology-focused lessons into Inauguration Day projects, from the Innovative Educator blog.
 * [|African Americans and American Politics]: An image gallery from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at New York Public Library of notable African Americans in history, from Crispus Attucks to Barack Obama.
 * [|"I Have a Dream" Address at March on Washington:] The full text of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech at the march on Washington, D.C., 1963.
 * [|Presidential Inauguration 2009:] Resources from the NYC DOE.
 * [|Teaching Tolerance Classroom Resources for Educators]: Teaching Tolerance released this suite of lesson plans to add depth to classroom observances.

**Notable Speeches from the President-Elect**

 * [|Election Night Speech:] The full text of Obama's speech on Election NIght, from his web site.
 * [|Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention:] The full text of Obama's speech to the DNC in 2004.
 * [|U.S. Senator Barack Obama addresses the American Library Association:] A key address on Obama's views on literacy, education, and libraries. (Go libraries!)
 * [|Teaching Our Kids in a 21st Century Economy:] Remarks on education prepared for the Center of American Progress.

**Lesson Plans**

 * [[file:obama_inauguration_lesson.doc]] A writing exercise for students to complete while listening to the inaugural address.
 * [[file:FDR_obama_lesson.doc]] A reading comprehension lesson comparing and contrasting nonfiction writing about Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first 100 days in office with the President-Elect's plans for his first 100 days.
 * [[file:MLK_U2_lesson.doc]] A lesson plan for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, using the lyrics to U2's song "Pride (In the Name of Love)."