In the era of smartphones and 24-hour news networks, the State of the Union address is a major event. All national media outlets--in print, on television, on the Internet--report on the address, some almost exclusively in the days leading up to and after the speech. In this article, considering their experiences teaching about the address, and mindful of the NCSS Curriculum Standards--"understanding of civic ideals and practices is critical to full participation in society"--the authors share an approach for social studies teachers to teach the 2015 State of the Union. While this analytical approach can be applied to any speech, as well as other kinds of social studies resources like textbooks and historical documents, they find it particularly useful for critiquing an event as prominent and current as the State of the Union.