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Subject areas: secondary civics, current events,
social studies, political science, and communication arts,
and journalism classes
Estimated Time: Three 90-minute class periods or
5-6 45-minute class periods
Lesson Objectives:
Students will:
- Participate in a class discussion about the right to
vote and the significance of midterm elections
- Participate in a class brainstorming session to list
specific national, state, and local midterm election
issues that may be of interest to voters in the upcoming
midterm elections
- Work in pairs/small groups to conduct research about
a specific midterm election issue and the localized impact
of this issue on voters, discuss various points of view
about this information, and create a unique product that
can be used to teach others about this midterm election
issue including the group's opinions about the issue,
and the localized impact of the issue
- Share their products with classmates
- Analyze the impact of the midterm election products
that are shared and provide constructive feedback about
the quality and content of the project
- Cast ballots to select a midterm election product to
be submitted to NewsHour Extra
- Re-examine their personal opinions about the importance
of voting and the impact of a single vote by participating
in a class discussion or completing a short written response
To make these lesson plans better
Correlation to National Standards
Materials:
Procedure:
1. To create student interest in the midterm elections
topic, have students complete the phrase and answer the
question based upon their opinions about voting. Students
should be prepared to discuss their responses with the class.
" Voting is….
2. Facilitate a short discussion about voting based on
students' responses to "Voting is….". Some of the responses
generated could include: "….a responsibility, a right, a
chance to voice your opinion, a waste of time, not important",
etc. Be sure that part of the discussion focuses on differing
opinions about the voting process.
3. Explain to students that because this is a midterm
election, the presidential race will not be the major focus
of the election season. Rather, other hot-button topics
and state and local issues will be in the forefront of voters'
minds. Facilitate a short discussion about midterm elections
so that students understand why we have them by focusing
on questions such as:
- What is a midterm election?
Elections that take place
between presidential elections and mark the half-way point
in a president's term
- Why don't we just elect everyone at the same time, once
every four years?
By staggering the elections
and creating different term lengths (House = 2 years,
Senate = 6 years, President = 4 years) it allows for balance
and consistency in government. Midterm elections also
allow voters to focus more attention on state and local
candidates and issues.
- Who is elected in a midterm election?
The entire House of Representatives
is selected at this time as well as 1/3 of the Senate.
In addition, many state (governor, state representatives,
etc.) and local (county commissioners, mayors, etc.) positions
are filled based on the results of these elections.
- Why do we select members to the House of Representatives
every two years?
These seats are assigned
based on the population of the state (there are 435 members
in the House) and are designed to reflect the mood of
voters in the states they represent.
- Why do we give Senators a 6 year term?
Because each state is represented
equally in the Senate (2 seats), those elected are considered
to be the "senior" members of Congress. This
group is supposed to be a more reflective body in the
lawmaking process.
4. Write the words "National", "State", and "Local" on
the board or overhead. Distribute the National,
State and Local Issues worksheet. As a class, work to
brainstorm a list of key national, state, and local election
issues that are likely to interest voters and get them to
the polls. Have students record these on the chart that
appears on the handout while you record them on the board
or overhead.
NOTE: Below is a list of national issues for which there
will be background reports as they become available at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2006/issues/index.html
- immigration
- war in Iraq
- political corruption
- economy: budget, taxation, interest rates
- abortion
- environment
- energy/gasoline prices
- education
- gay marriage
- NSA: privacy rights
- social security
- Medicare/health care
- stem cell research
- opinion polls about President Bush and the current administration
5. Explain to students that now that a number of national,
state, and local election issues have been listed, they
will be working in pairs or small groups to learn more about
one specific issue of their choice. Distribute the Midterm
Elections Project Guide worksheet and explain to the
students that they will need to use Internet and other primary
source materials to answer questions about the specific
issue they have chosen. Explain that local and regional
newspapers and magazine will be extremely important in this
research because those sources will help students to see
the impact of the issue they have selected through the eyes
of local voters. Provide students with class time (approx.
45 minutes) as well as homework time (overnight) to complete
their research. All members of the group should record complete
answers to each research question.
6. After research is completed, pair/groups should be provided
with additional class time to discuss their research findings,
their personal opinions, and information about how people
in their school and community could be directly or indirectly
impacted by the election issue they have researched. Be
sure to note that students may have differing opinions about
the issues within their groups/pairs, and that all opinions
should be heard, respected, and considered.
7. Direct students to the Midterm Elections Project Guide
and review the options for the various types of projects
they can create to teach others about the issue they have
researched and share their opinions about the issue. Stress
the fact that high quality projects are a must, as they
will be shared with classmates and potentially with a much
larger audience if they are chosen to be submitted to the
NewsHour Extra Web site. If possible, provide students with
class time and time away from school to plan and prepare
their projects.
8. When all groups/pairs have completed their projects,
they should be shared with classmates. In their presentation,
each pair/group should briefly explain the election issue
that is the basis for the project. Basic information about
each issue should be shared, including the local impact
of the issue. Products should be shared with the class and
each student should complete a Project Ballot to provide
feedback about the various products and select what they
believe is the best product to be submitted to NewsHour
Extra.
9. To provide closure to the lesson, go back to the two
activities students completed in Step 1 above. Facilitate
a class discussion or ask students to complete a short written
response to the questions below:
- Has the way you would complete the phase "Voting is…."
changed as a result of what you have learned and experienced
by completing this lesson? Why or why not?
Extension Activities:
- Contact your local/county election board to send representative
to the classroom to discuss the importance of participation
in midterm elections as well as the procedure for voter
registration in your county. Have the representative bring
samples of the necessary forms/paperwork that must be
completed in order to vote. Have the representative discuss
deadlines for voter registration as well as the locations
and hours for voting during the upcoming midterm election.
If possible, have the representative bring sample ballots
to show students what they will encounter in the voting
booth. The election board representative should explain
how to complete the ballots and the process used in your
county for tabulating and verifying election results.
If students will be legally able to vote in the midterm
election (as is the case with some high school students),
see if the election board representative can provide the
opportunity for students to complete voter registration
at the time of their classroom visit.
- Take students on a field trip to the local county election
board. Have them speak to county election officials about
the voting process, see ballots and/or voting machines,
and discuss all of the information described in activity
1 above.
- Examine the role of the media in the election process
by finding examples of and discussing how media increases
awareness about political issues, persuades voters, and
reflects the American attitudes about politics, political
figures, and the right to vote.
Correlation to National Standards
McRel
Compendium of K-12 Standards Addressed:
Civics
Standard 7: Understands alternative forms of representation
and how they serve the purposes of constitutional government
Standard17: Understands issues concerning the relationship
between state and local governments and the national government
and issues pertaining to representation at all three levels
of government
Standard 19; Understands what is meant by "the public agenda",
hot it is set, and how it is influenced by public opinion
and the media
Standard 20: Understands the role of political parties,
campaigns, elections, and associations and groups in American
politics
Standard 27: Understands how certain character traits enhance
citizens' ability to fulfill personal and civic responsibilities
Language Arts
Writing
Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the
writing process
Standard 4: Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Reading
Standard 5: Uses the general skills and strategies of the
reading process
Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand
and interpret a variety of informational texts
Listening and Speaking
Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different
purposes
Viewing
Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand
and interpret visual media Media
Standard 10: Understands the characteristics and components
of the media
Working with Others
Standard 1: Contributes to the overall effort of a group
Standard 2: Uses conflict-resolution techniques
Standard 4: Displays effective interpersonal communication
skills
Standard 5: Demonstrates leadership skills
Thinking and Reasoning
Standard 1: Understands and applies the basic principles
of presenting an argument
Standard 6: Applies decision-making techniques
Technology
Standard 1: Knows the characteristics and uses of computer
hardware and operating systems
Standard 3: Understands the relationships among science,
technology, society, and the
individual
Standard 6: Understands the nature and uses of different
forms of technology
About the Author:
Lisa Prososki is an independent educational consultant
and instructional design specialist who taught middle school
and high school social studies, English, reading, and technology
courses for twelve years. In addition to conducting workshops
for teachers at various state and national meetings, Prososki
works as an editor, creates a wide range of educational
and training materials for corporate clients, and has authored
one book.
To find out more about opportunities to contribute to this
site, contact Leah Clapman at extra@newshour.org.
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