Using NewsHour Extra Feature Stories

Overview: NewsHour Extra feature stories can help students identify and interpret key issues in current events. This activity anticipates one class period, but the follow-up essay might be assigned as homework, or in another period.

Warm Up: Use initiating questions to introduce the topic and find out how much your students know.

Main Activity: Have students read NewsHour Extra's feature story and answer the questions on the reading comprehension handout.

Discussion: Use discussion questions to encourage students to think about how the issues outlined in the story affect their lives and express and debate different opinions.

Follow-up: Students can write an 500-word editorial on the topic expressing their views and send it to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org] for possible publication.

Evaluation: Students are graded on their answers to reading comprehension questions and/or their editorial.

Story: Ready, Set, Campaign: 2008 Presidential Race Starts Early, 1/30/07
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june07/2008_1-30.html

Initiating Questions:

1. When is the next presidential election?

2. Who might run?

3. What kinds of people are interested in being the president of the United States?

Reading Comprehension Questions: (click here for printout)

1. How does a political party choose a candidate to run for president?

The Democratic and Republican parties each officially nominate one candidate to run for president at their respective national conventions the summer before the election.

Leading up to those conventions, candidates earn votes from convention delegates through a primary election or caucus held in each state. During a primary, citizens vote directly for the primary candidate of their choice within their party. A caucus is different because voters meet to choose local delegates who will then support a primary candidate.

2. Traditionally where are the first primary elections held? How might they be different in 2008?

The Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary are planned for January 2008, but other states, including California and Florida, are pushing to make their primaries early to gain more influence over the nomination process.

3. How do early primaries impact political fundraising?

The potential rush of early primaries means candidates must raise money quickly.

"There will be more early events than we've ever seen before," Dan Balz, a political reporter for the Washington Post told the NewsHour. "The fundraising requirements are going to be greater than ever."

Political strategists say presidential candidate will need to raise $100 million in 2007 to compete effectively in the early 2008 primary season.

4. Which Democrats might run?

By the end of January, seven Democrats had officially stated their candidacy for president, but two potential contenders attracted the spotlight.

Senator Hillary Clinton of New York formally announced her candidacy this month, while Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois serving his first term in Congress, opened an exploratory committee to look into the prospect of running.

Other Democratic candidates include former North Carolina senator John Edwards and Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico.

5. Which Republicans might run?

On the Republican side, Senator John McCain of Arizona and former mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani have been favored potential candidates for several years.

New faces in the race include former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee, and former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney.

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. Do you think the United States is ready for a woman or African American president? Why or why not?

2. Look at the list of 2008 presidential candidates from each party thus far. What do you know about these people? If you had to decide today who might win the primary for each party, who would you choose? Explain your reasoning.

3. How does your state decide who will be chosen as a political party's presidential nominee? When does this happen? What influence to you think your state has on the primary process?

4. According to political strategists, a presidential candidate will need to raise $100 million to compete effectively in the early 2008 primary season. Where do candidates get this money? How might the need to raise so much money influence our political system?

5. How might you, as a young person who may not get to vote, impact the upcoming presidential primary? What can you do to get involved in the election? Should you? Why or why not?

Write a 300-500 word essay on either of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra (extra@newshour.org). Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.