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Return to Election Day: Ten More Classroom Activities Return to Electing a President: Lessons for Teaching About the Presidential Primaries

Subjects

• Civics
• Language Arts
  

Grade

• 9-12
  

Brief Description

Students experience the workings of the political process and what it takes to manage a political campaign.

Objectives

Students will

• identify by name the two major political parties in the United States.
• identify the chairpeople of the two major parties.
• identify the symbols of the two political parties.
• identify the political philosophies of the two political parties.
• identify the propaganda techniques used by both of the parties in campaigning.
• identify the fund raising techniques of the two parties.
• identify and locate the local and state headquarters of the two parties.

Keywords

political party, politics, campaign, election

Materials Needed

• supplies for creating campaign information (resources for this activity can be found in the school and the community)

Lesson Plan

Students play the Presidential Campaign Game to learn about the politics and the process of electing a president. Each group's activities include choosing a candidate, setting up a campaign committee, creating a name for a fictitious political party, creating campaign items and earning points for those items (for example, 20 points for a bumper sticker, 20 points for a campaign slogan), and evaluating candidates' speeches. The game culminates with a class election by secret ballot.

Assessment

The ultimate proof of success will be that students get involved in some way in the political process.

Lesson Plan Source

AskERIC Lesson Plans

Submitted By

Lois Lewis

National Standards

Social Sciences:
NSS-C.9-12.1
NSS-C.9-12.5

Language Arts:
NL-ENG.K-12.3
NL-ENG.K-12.7

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