Goals for "Follow the President"

"Follow the President" is designed to help school children learn about the geographies and cultures of Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal so that they can better understand and follow President Clinton's historic trip to Africa.

The activities included in this section can be used to underscore the five geographic themes set out in the National Geography Standards: location, place, human/environment interaction, population movement, and regions. The activities can also be used to stimulate students to think geographically and globally, to use effective research methods and tools, and to seek out answers for themselves about the important and difficult issues in today's headlines.

"Follow the President" materials were prepared by the White House in partnership with the Peace Corps' World Wise Schools program and the State Department's Global Learning Site. The activities' content was written by Peace Corps Volunteers and others, and represent their individual views. These views are not official White House or Peace Corps policy, nor do they represent the views of the United States Government.

Activities have been written for three grade levels: 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12. Teachers are encouraged to select those tasks most appropriate for the interest and experience levels of their particular students, as well as those for which their schedules allow.

Using "Follow the President" in Class

In order for your students to obtain the greatest possible benefit from "Follow the President" activities we suggest you:

Before using the site with your students:

1. Read this Information Guide for Teachers;
2. Explore the Africa Trip Web Site at least once, noting areas your students may find difficult to understand or which cover topics your class has previously studied.
3. Choose activities from this guide or develop activities of your own, that you can use with your class before and after visiting the web site.

With your class:

4. Conduct the pre-use activities of your choice.
5. Give a thumbnail sketch of the web site's contents.
6. Assign a "while you use" task.
7. Follow-up on pre-use or "while you use" tasks.
8. Conduct a post-use activity.