| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

Election Project

This version was saved 15 years, 5 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by Ms. Edwards
on October 19, 2008 at 4:49:27 pm
 

 

Who will be President?

 

How does a person become President? How do you make your choice?

 

Complete this project to become an expert on the Presidential Process and on Your Choice of Candidates!

 

Use the Table of Contents below to read about your role, goals, products, project reflections, activities with resources to complete, and rubric for requirements.

 

NOTE: Grade K-3 Resources:  Click Here.


Table of Contents for This Page

 


 



Role:

 

You are an informed citizen volunteer whom others will call upon for information.  You volunteer at your candidate's headquarters.  As a volunter, you must thoroughly research the election process and the issues supported by your candidate and his opponent.  You must create the information that voters need to make their choices.  These are the types of information needed:

  • Election Process
    • Guide to Presidency Booklet
    • Diagram of steps to become president
    • Commercial (slides) for public understanding
    • Essay Explanation
    • Poster for display
    • Speech to organizations
    • Recipe for creative display
    • Website (wiki) for future candidates
    • Diorama for schools
  • Issue Information for Informed Choice
    • T-charts of the pros/cons of your candidate (and opponent)
    • Venn Diagram of the pros/cons of your candidate (and opponent)
    • Collage/symbols of the pros/cons of your candidate (and opponent)
    • Essay Explanation of the pros/cons of your candidate (and opponent)
    • Table list of the pros/cons of your candidate (and opponent)
    • Speech of the pros/cons of your candidate (and opponent)
    • Campaign poster of the pros/cons of your candidate (and opponent)
    • Skit or 3-D presentation for schools of the pros/cons of your candidate (and opponent)
    • Prediction of results of your candidates actions next year (news article prediction)
  • Log of your daily learning and sources (as credit for your work)
    • Outline of main idea and sources
    • Scrapbook (paper or wiki) of Images explaining issues
    • Voice recordings for the blind
    • Daily diary of sources and information found
    • Poster of references and main ideas
    • Daily sketch or comic of sources and information
    • Did you know booklet
    • Illustrations and captions of daily learning
    • Daily jingles of learning

 

See the Product Section below for which choices fit your needs. What you prepare for presentation may determine whether or not you candidate wins.  Good Luck.

 

Goal:

 

Understand the path to choosing a president, including analyzing the issues in order to vote your own informed choice and provide information for others to make informed choices.



 

Final Products:

 

Choosing a President

 

Explain the process of choosing a president:

 

Choose three products:  one from each row and one from each column.

Write step-by-step "Guide to the Presidency"

Diagram and label the path to presidency.

Create a commercial in slides explaining each step of the process to become president.

Write an essay explaining how to become president.

Create a poster display of the process of choosing a president.

Give a speech to your class to explain the process of becoming president.

 

Create a recipe for how to become president.

Design a website requesting candidates for 2012 presidency which explains the process for them.

Create a 3-D diorama of representing the process to become president.

 

 

Informed Choice

 

Provide the pros/cons on the issues important to you that explain your possible choice of candidates.

What is the platform of each candidate?  Which platform meets your choice of ideas on the issues?

 

Choose three products:  one from each row and one from each column.

Write a T-Chart for issues of importance to you that explains the pros/cons of your choice. 

Create a Venn Diagram for each issue of importance to you that explains the pros/cons of your choice. 

Create a collage or design symbols that explain the pro/cons of issues that help you make your choice.

Write an essay explaining the pros/cons of each issue that helped you make your choice.

Create a table (web or poster) explaining the pros/cons of each issue that helped you make your choice.

Give a speech as if you are your candidate providing the pro/con of the issues that helped you make your choice.

Write a December, 2009 news article of your candidate's first year in office as President as if he had solved the issues as you wanted him to, explaining what he did and the reasons why.

Design a campaign poster that explains your pro/cons of the issues helped you make your choice.

Create a dramatization or 3-D presentation of the he pro/con of the issues that helped you make your choice.

 

Election Project Reflections

 

While researching the presidential process and your choice of candidate, create reflections on what you are learning.

Include: Name, Class, Date, Source, I learned that...

 

Choose one product to complete/add to daily.

Create an outline of your daily activities and learning:

I Main idea

A. Date

B. Source(s)

Create a paper or wiki scrapbook of images that show what you have learned. Label each image with date/source/caption.

Write a daily diary with each entry including: date/action with source/I learned that...

Create a poster of references and main ideas you used for others to access. Include the date you used each reference.

Create a "Did you know" booklet of facts for the Presidency and the issues  by writing a daily "Did you know" question (include date/source).

Illustrate with captions a daily comic that explains what you learned (include date and source).

 

For Printable Version, click here: Election Product Projects

For How To Links on each project, click here: Election Product Links



Activities for The Election Process

Research the steps that a person must take to become President. Take notes so you can create your product to share the process with others.

 

1. Videos

 

Watch the Brain Bop videos

 

The Presidential Election Process

 

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/usgovernmentandlaw/presidentialelection/

 

You can play and pause the video.  You may want to take notes.  Many of your main answers can be found here.

 

Ask for these study pages: Presidential Election Questions, Presidential Election 5Ws&H, Presidential Election Vocabulary, Quiz

 

Primaries and Caucuses

The following information will help you understand primaries and caucuses, the "playoffs" to choose the presidential candidates for each political party.

 

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/usgovernmentandlaw/primariesandcaucuses/

 

Ask for these study pages: Primary Questions, Primary/Caucus Comparison, PC Vocabulary, Quiz

 

Political Parties

 

What are political parties?

 

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/usgovernmentandlaw/politicalparties/

 

Ask for these study pages: Party Lists, Party Questions, Party Vocabulary, Quiz

 

 

Why Vote?

 

Why do we vote? Why is it important?

 

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/usgovernmentandlaw/voting/

 

Ask for these study pages: Voting Questions, Voting Reasons, Voting Vocabulary, Quiz

 

 

What is a democracy?

 

What is the difference between democracy and a representative democracy?

 

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/democracy/

 

Ask for these study pages: Democracy Word Scramble, Democracy Two Kinds, Democracy Vocabulary, Quiz

 

 

2. Election Information--- Read All About It

 

Weekly Reader Research Pages

 

Search the Weekly Reader site (http://www.weeklyreader.com/election/)for information on:

What's There:

Which links you to:

 

Weekly Reader Link Buttons 

Election Home:

http://www.weeklyreader.com/election/      Includes the latest "Hot Topic"

Meet the Candidates: Meet the Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates with links to their home pages.
How It Works: Learn the following: The White House; Who Can Be President; How does the electoral college work; debate rule; voting information; voting matters; conventional wisdom
Election Fun: Two president quizes; voting rights quiz; election word search; election crossword
Ask Us Anything: Find answers to --- why have elections; why are swing states important; why only two terms; difference between Democrats and Republicans; other parties; counting votes; ask to send your question
Election Word Wheel: Glossary
Election Issues: Find out what each candidate thinks about the issues
Hot Topic Archives: All hot topics are listed
Subscriber-Only   I will show you these pages.
 
 

 

Activities on the Issues

 

Research All About It

What issues are important to you?  Which issues are important to you and our country?

The Economy?  Energy?  The Environment? Health Care? Taxes? Iraq? Afghanistan? Security?

 

Read and take notes about what is important to you.  Which candidate supports what YOU do? Choose your candidate based on the issues important to you. Explain why.  Create your products to explain your ideas and your candidate's ideas so others will understand.  Will you convince them?

 

Weekly Reader Research Pages

 

Search the Weekly Reader site (http://www.weeklyreader.com/election/)for information on the issues.

 

 

The Candidates Issues Pages

 

President

John McCain, Republican:  http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/issues/

On the Issues Site: http://www.ontheissues.org/John_McCain.htm

Barack Obama, Democrat:  http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

On the Issues Site: http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htm

 

House of Representatives

Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, Republican:  http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Cathy_McMorris-Rodgers.htm

Mark Mays, Democrat:  http://www.votemarkmays.com/vmm_issues.php?z=the-environment&q=A; this was the only issues site I could find for this candidate.

 

Governor

Dino Rossie, Republican:  Issues ; this was the only issues site I could find for this candidate.

Christine Gregoire, Democrat, Current Governor:  http://www.ontheissues.org/Christine_Gregoire.htm

 

 

CNN Politics On the Issues

 

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.environment.html

 

Choose the "Select Another Issue" menu on the right side of the information area to choose another issue.

 

C-Span Road to the President Podcasts

 

http://www.c-span.org/podcasts.aspx

 

The Budget

Play a Budget Hero

 

NPR Candidates and The Issues

Click here.

 

American Public Media

Widget of Voter Issues:  https://whatelse.pbwiki.com/Political-Ideals-and-You

 

 

The Why Files

Science Issues:   https://whatelse.pbwiki.com/Why-Files-Candidate-Issues



Rubric of Expectations

 

 



More Resources

 

Prompt Discussion

 

Artistic Ideas

An open typewriter:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90880340

 

 

News

 

Click on Get the Scoop! at:    http://pbskids.org/newsflashfive/

 

Scholatic News

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3750314

 

Hydrogen Car Toys

Hydrogen Cars--BMW

New York Times on BMW Hydrogen

 

Alternative Energy

Alternative Energies

Alternative Energy Institute, Inc

American Petroleum Institute

British Petroleum

CIA World Factbook

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

U.S. Department of Energy

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Energy and World Energy Statistics

U.S. Geological Survey

U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

 

Climate       Global Warming 

 

Audio News: http://campaignaudio.prx.org/

which can be listened to on our pages at: Campaign Radio

 

Understand the Budget Widget

 

Our ideas and issues need facts to add to our understanding:  http://www.kqed.org/w/youdecide/

 

Look at the issues:  http://www.votebyissue.org/election2008/

 

Choose a Candidate based on the issues that concern you.

 

Map and News updates: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/primaries/states/

 

Science Issues

 

Miscellaneous Science and Geography:   Interactive Expedition Museum

 

War and Peace:     Afghanistan  Aftghanistan Iraq   Iraq

 

History

 

Political Party History

McCain Life Map

Obama Life Map

 

Maps

Election Map

US Senators Map

US House Map

Political Party HQ

Primary Results

campaign donors

 

McCain Life Map

Obama Life Map

 

twitter election map

 

Statistics

http://www.infoplease.com/

Lots of facts can be found here.

 

Issues

 

http://www.publicagenda.org/

Check out the issues here.

 

http://www.factcheck.org/

Check the facts

 

http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/pages/toolbox/

For journalists, even beginners like us

 

Google News and Power Readers

http://news.google.com/?ned=us&topic=el

http://www.google.com/googlereader/powerreaders/index.html

Explore news sites read by McCain, Obama and political journalists.

See articles the campaigns and political pundits are sharing with Google Reader this election season. [1]

 

Research Links

 

The League of Women Voters

A nonpartisan political organization that provides information about campaign issues, voter registration support, and a citizen's guide to the electoral process. Its mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government and to increase understanding of major public policy issues.

 

OneVote 2008

Provides a teen-oriented guide to the election that includes profiles of the candidates, reports on campaign issues, and interactive features that allow students to express their opinions. OneVote 2008 is produced by ChannelOne.com , an award-winning youth news site.

 

VoteGopher

Founded by a nonpartisan team of college students, VoteGopher aims to empower and inform young voters by presenting material about 25 pertinent election issues. For each of the issues, students can view the candidates' main arguments, watch video summaries, read posted blogs, participate in forums, and cast their own ballot.

 

Rock the Vote

Aims to motivate young voters and teens through its content and visual style. Rock the Vote uses music and popular culture to engage young people to register to vote and also provides tools to learn about issues that affect their lives.

 

Extreme Election 2008

USA Today provides aggregations of its daily coverage of the presidential election campaign as well as interactive tools that allow students to build election scenarios and study past election outcomes.

 

Googlitics

Contains links and lessons to help students participate and learn about American political elections with online tools from Google. Featured on the site is a link to a Google elections video search that allows you and your students to easily find YouTube political videos.

 

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement

CIRCLE conducts research on the civic involvement of Americans ages 15 to 21. The site provides a context for the political youth activism that Letters to the Next President student-authors are engaging in—students can find data about youth voting and demographics and gain insight into how young Americans are affecting today's politics.

Resources for Teens About Issues in the News

These websites provide pertinent information about current issues, news, and culture, written with a teen audience in mind. These nonpartisan sites also provide aggregations of news and editorials from various content partners.

 

FactCheckED

FactCheckED aims to equip students with reliable sources and the skills they need to obtain trustworthy information on the Internet. Students will find links to credible informational sites under "Straight from the Source," "Lesson Plans" and "Tools of the Trade" to help guide their analysis of current events. The site provides a "Dictionary" to help decode political jargon.

 

NewsHour Extra

A comprehensive news source that provides national and international stories for young people. The site features videos as well as traditional text and graphics, and includes a section titled Student Voices—essays and editorials written by students.

 

OpinionSource

The "Today's Newsletters" feature at OpinionSource allows students to explore diverse—and international—perspectives on the latest political news. The site provides summaries and links to some of the day's top editorials from renowned news sources in the US, the UK, China, the Middle East, and India.

 

Pop+Politics

A nonprofit blog that provides a forum for discussion and debate among young people on current politics and culture. Based at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, Pop+Politics is one of 150 blogs officially credentialed to cover the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

 

Think

MTV's Street Team '08, comprising of select young journalists from around the nation, reports on local issues that are important to youth and the election. Students can navigate the site's peer-produced video clips, commentaries, and forums by topic.

 

WireTap

The Webby-winning national news and culture magazine whose targeted audience is young people. In addition to providing daily content to over 60,000 monthly visitors, WireTap's articles and youth commentary are syndicated weekly by its partners at The Nation, Rock the Vote, the Chicago Sun-Times, and various college newspapers.[2]



Due Dates

 

Daily Work

Your daily reflections will be checked twice weekly.

 

Projects

 

Issues Projects Due Monday, October 27

Election Process Due Tuesday, November 4

 

Voting

 

Weekly Reader Vote Friday, October 24

Mock Election Vote Wednesday, October 29



Extra Credit

Extra Credit When Your Project is Completed

 

Constitution

What do you know about our Constitution?   

Create a user account to save and remember your studies about the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States.

http://www.constitutionbee.org/user/

 

I will check with you on your new learning for credit.

 

Footnotes

  1. From Google's "Election Tools for Educators" http://www.google.com/educators/elections_tools.html#target
  2. From the National Writing Project: http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2642

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.