NOTE to students:  Read the information under “Background” below before answering the questions. 

1. a) What is the State of the Union address? What is the purpose of the address?
b) When and where is the State of the Union given?

2. a) List the three things President Obama is expected to say he will do to improve “middle-class economics” according to senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer.
CHALLENGE: b) In his address, how did he explain his plan for making these three happen?

3. CHALLENGE: Over the past two weeks, President Obama presented many of his plans for the year, including proposing new legislation and introducing changes he will make by using executive action to bypass Congress. Read through the 12 points ABC News lists. Choose the three points you find confusing. Pay attention to President Obama’s explanation of each during the speech (where the money will come from to pay for the proposal). Write a brief explanation for each next to the topic.

4. a) List the foreign policy topics President Obama might speak about in his address.
b) Which one(s) do you think it is important for the President to highlight?

5. Which of the following issues do you think are most important for President Obama to focus on in his State of the Union? Explain your answer.

1. the economy/jobs/unemployment
2. what to do about the out of control threat by Islamic terrorists
3. Iraq, Syria…
4. Afghanistan
5. crisis in Ukraine
6. Cuba embargo
7. illegal immigration crisis
8. free community college tuition; how much it will cost per year; where the money will come from to pay for the program
9. ObamaCare
10. education
11. racial tensions; peaceful protesting vs. rioting - perhaps how Dr. Martin Luther King would have worked to resolve this crisis
12. other (explain)

6. Ask a parent what issues he/she thinks President Obama should focus on in his State of the Union, and to explain his/her answer.

CHALLENGE — Watch the State of the Union address and answer the following questions:

1.  Tone is the attitude a speaker takes towards a subject. What was the tone of President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union address?

2. What was the overall theme of the president’s speech?

3.  a) What general statement did President Obama make about the economy in his address to the nation?
b) What is your reaction to this encouraging statement?
c) Ask a parent the same question.

4. List some of the things the President promised to do to improve the economy.

5.  What new initiatives did President Obama propose in his State of the Union?

6.  Which issues did the President bypass altogether, or just mention briefly?

7.  What issue presented by President Obama was the most important to you?  Did any aspect of the speech disappoint you?  Explain your answers.  (For the text and video of the 2015 State of the Union address, click here.)

8. a) Do you think the President is focusing on the correct issues? Explain your answer.
b) Ask a parent the same question.

10. Watch/read the Republican response to the President’s State of the Union at gop.com/state-of-the-union-2015 or c-span.org. What do you think of newly elected Iowa Senator Joni Ernst’s response?