This activity is by far one of my favorite activities we have done so far this school year. The students had to think about who they would replace the Presidents with on Mount Rushmore.

Being in a Catholic school, we did this activity for All Saints Day, where the students had to decide which Saints should be on Mount Rushmore. This activity, however, could be done for other people/things, such as:

characters from books, movies, TV shows, etc.
family members
presidents (replacing current ones)
animals
sergeants, generals, etc. from the war students are studying

The possibilities are endless!!

Steps

Show students a video of what Mount Rushmore is and discuss its importance and why those four specific Presidents were selected to be on Mount Rushmore.
Have students brainstorm who they think deserve to be on Mount Rushmore.
The students should then research the four people they choose.
After getting enough research, the students write a letter to the Pope, a movie director, an author, a historian, a zoologist, etc. explaining why he/she should put those four people on Mount Rushmore.
Lastly, the students draw Mount Rushmore with the new people on it.