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Lesson Plans

• Budget Making- "Introduce students to budgets, expenses and savings; learn about government services and basic expenses; and create pie charts representing government spending priorities."



• Campaign Ad Critique- "Students analyze current campaign TV ads and literature. They identify the ad by "type." They learn to look beyond the ad to understand its intended purposes and its real content."



• Candidate Debate- To stimulate a political debate based upon issues relevant to third to fifth graders, their parents, and the community.



• Check the Mates- In this lesson, students learn about John Edwards, the running mate for 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. They then research the ways in which vice presidential candidates have impacted presidential elections in modern United States history.



• Divided We Stand- In this lesson, students research historic issues and events that have divided Americans in the past. They then assess the division in American society shown by the 2000 presidential election by writing from the perspectives of people who experienced other divisive situations in United States history.



• Electing Economies- In this lesson, students examine the economic and political challenges the past six presidents have faced during their terms of office, and how those challenges may or may not have impacted their chances for re-election.



• Election Results Map- "Students create maps with a color key showing election night returns."



• Election Scavenger Hunt- "Students hunt through newspapers for a list of election-related news."



• Election Vows- In this lesson, students consider the five key issues most important to them in the 2004 election year; they then evaluate the current presidential contenders based on these issues, and research the key issues and main candidates of a past election year.



• Electronic Elections- In this lesson, students evaluate the role of voting in democratic societies and the potential of voting on the Internet. Students also participate in a mock ballot election to analyze how voter participation affects election results, and survey adults on their voting practices.



• Getting Out the Vote: An Election Day Classroom Experiment- "An experiment drives home to students the importance of voting!"



• Graphically Speaking- "Explore the relationship between congressional representation and state population by graphing current statistics and taking a historical look at the Constitution."



• Home Made Political Parties- The purpose of this activity is to provide students with an understanding of the role of political parties in our democracy, by offering them an opportunity to participate in one of the primary activities of any party, writing a platform.



• If I Were President …- "Students think critically about the campaign issues in the current election."



• Inviting Candidates to Class- Many students do not know their state legislators or the candidates running for office. They do not understand the power of being informed and the influence they can have on an election.



• Presidents at Inauguration Graph: How Old Were They?- "Students graph the presidents' ages at inauguration. Who was the youngest president? the oldest?"



• Propaganda Techniques in Literature and Online Political Ads- After reading or viewing a text, students are introduced to propaganda techniques and then identify examples in the text. After examining these examples, students explore the use of propaganda in popular culture by looking at examples in the media.



• Tasty Mapping- "After learning about government services and branches of local government, students identify important landmarks, institutions, and structures within their own community, creating an edible map to share with classmates, parents and community members."



• Take a Stand!- "Students take a unique approach to a classroom discussion/debate of the election process!"



• Terms of Office!- "Students create a classroom dictionary of election terms."



• The Campaign of 1840: The Whigs, the Democrats, and the Issues- What issues were important to the campaign of 1840? What positions on the issues did the Democrats and Whigs adopt?



• The Economics of Voting: What Do You Mean, My Vote Doesn't Count?- This lesson explores the costs and benefits associated with voting in national elections. Specifically, the concepts of rational apathy, rational ignorance and expressive voting are explained.



• The Election Is in the House: 1824: The Candidates and the Issues- All of the major candidates for president in the 1824 election claimed allegiance to the same party, the Democratic-Republicans. What distinguished the candidates from each other? What were the important issues in the campaign of 1824?



• The Election Is in the House: The Denouement- Explain why the election of 1824 was decided in the House of Representatives. Summarize relevant portions of the Constitution on presidential election procedures.



• The Election Is in the House: Was There a Corrupt Bargain?- How did John Quincy Adams win election in 1824?



• The Election Process and the Campaign Trail- Students will research the process used to elect a U.S. president and plan a campaign. They will develop a campaign platform and plan a campaign train tour for a fictional presidential candidate.



• The Election Process and Political Cartoons- Students organize the information they researched in the previous two lessons to create a flow chart that shows the process for electing a U.S. president and vice-president from the primary elections through inauguration day.



• The Electoral College- When has the Electoral College been a deciding factor in an election?



• The Mystery of the Voters Who Don't Vote- Only about half of all eligible voters vote in presidential elections, for example. This lesson plan asks and answers the question: "Why don't more Americans vote?"



• The Perfect President- "Identify the legal requirements, previous experiences, and personality traits that equip someone to be a successful president."



• To Vote Or Not To Vote- "Examine the history of voting rights in America, explore the current-day problem of low voter turnout, and create community surveys to evaluate different ways to improve voter registration and voter participation."



• Validating Votes- In this lesson, students will explore discrepancies in Florida's vote counting process in 2000 and 2002, then present their findings on a master timeline that synthesizes the important voting issues of today.



• Voting! What’s It All About?- Students participate in an ongoing exploration of information from current sources including child-oriented Web sites, newspapers, and magazines—all devoted to election and voting information.



• Who Can Vote for President?- Students use a variety of sources to research the role and historical importance of voting U.S. elections. Students will learn about rules of voter eligibility, registration, and voter participation.



• What Are the Important Issues?- "Students determine the most important issue of the current campaign."



• Will the Best Candidate Win?- Learn about various voting methods, ways in which these methods can be manipulated to achieve certain outcomes, and the impossibility of fair elections when more than two alternatives are available.



• Why Vote: A Public Awareness Campaign- "Learn about the important public services that government provides, and by extension, the importance of voting in local, state and federal elections."