|

LESSON PLAN:
The
Electoral College
By
Lara Maupin, former social studies teacher and student government adviser
at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria,
Virginia
Subjects:
government/civics, current events
Time:
This lesson is intended to take one - two class periods.
Lesson
Objectives:
- Students
will understand how the Electoral College system works.
- Students
will analyze and debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College system.
Overview:
- In this
lesson, your students will examine how the Electoral College works in
order to better understand how Americans elect their president. This
issue has become especially timely since the 2000 election when George
W. Bush became president after winning the most electoral votes but
losing the popular vote. In 2004, the election is once again a close
one. This lesson is particularly relevant in a government or civics
class but may be used in any social studies class in which current events
such as the 2004 election will be discussed.
Correlation
to National Standards
Materials
Needed
- HANDOUT
- TEACHER
KEY
- Computers
with Internet access or printed copies of articles from the Web sites
given below.
Procedures
for Teachers
1. Introduction
/ Background
Explain to your students that while in November Americans will cast
their ballots for president, there is actually a system called the Electoral
College that determines who will win the election. Often ignored, Americans
had a lesson on the workings of the Electoral College after the 2000
election, in which Al Gore won the popular vote but George W. Bush became
president. Ask your students what they remember about the 2000 election.
Explain that George Bush won because he had 5 more electoral votes than
Al Gore. (You may also want to discuss the contested results in Florida
and the Supreme Court case that ultimately determined the outcome of
the election.)
Explain
that each state and the District of Columbia are given a share of the
electoral vote based on population. Electors are chosen by the states
to actually cast the official votes for president. Because of how the
system is set up, it is possible for one candidate to win the popular
vote and another to win the electoral vote. After the 2000 election,
a majority of Americans favored abolishing the system. However, no proposals
to do so were seriously considered. Why? Tell your students they will
now try to answer that very question.
2. Handout:
The Electoral College
Give your students the Handout
and ask them to use the following online resources (or printouts from
these Web sites or of these stories that you provide) in order to complete
it. Students may work individually or in small groups.
FEC: The
Electoral College
http://www.fec.gov/pages/ecmenu2.htm
National
Archives: U.S. Electoral College
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/
Online
NewsHour: Electoral College
November 23, 2000
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/election/july-dec00/ec_11-23.html
December 18, 2000
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec00/EC_12-18.html
Online
NewsHour Extra: How the Electoral College Works
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec00/electorsbox.html
3. Group
Activity: Debate
After students have completed their handouts, have them debate the pros
and cons of the Electoral College. First, have students meet in small
groups to discuss and debate. What do they think about the system? Do
they think it is fair? What do they think of the 2000 election results?
Would they like to see the system changed? Why or why not? Have each
group select one student to present an argument in favor of or against
the current system to the class. The group as a whole should help that
student to prepare his or her argument. Selected students then present
to the class as a whole. End with a class discussion. What can your
students conclude? Why does the system continue?
Extensions
- Have your
students learn more about the results of one of the following 19th century
presidential elections: 1800, 1824, 1836, 1872, 1876, or 1888. Students
share their findings. Discuss. What surprised them? What did they learn
about the American system of electing the president from these elections?
What can they conclude from these elections? What relevance do they
have today?
- Refer
students to Online NewsHour's Electoral College Map. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/politics101/politics101_ecmap.html
Students can examine past election results, create election strategies,
and predict Election 2004 results.
Correlation
to National Standards
McRel
Compendium of K-12 Standards Addressed:
Civics
Standard 8: Understands the central ideas of American constitutional
government and how this form of government has shaped the character
of American society
Benchmark 4: Understands the concept of popular sovereignty as a central
idea of American constitutional government (e.g., the people as the
ultimate source of the power to create, alter, or abolish governments)
Benchmark 7: Understands how the design of the institutions of government
and the federal system works to channel and limit governmental power
in order to serve the purposes of American constitutional government
Civics
Standard 20: Understands the roles of political parties, campaigns,
elections, and associations and groups in American politics
Benchmark 1: Knows the origins and development of the two party system
in the United States, and understands the role of third parties
National
Council for the Social Studies Thematic Strands:
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
About
the Author Author Lara Maupin has a Masters Degree in Secondary
Social Studies Education from George Washington University and a Bachelors
Degree in Anthropology and Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College.
To find
out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah Clapman at extra@newshour.org.
|