Civics Standards

What is Government and What Should it Do?

5. Understands the major characteristics of systems of shared powers and of parliamentary systems

6. Understands the advantages and disadvantages of federal, confederal, and unitary systems of government

7. Understands alternative forms of representation and how they serve the purposes of constitutional government

What are the Basic Values and Principals of American Democracy?

12. Understands the relationships among liberalism, republicanism, and American constitutional democracy

13. Understands the character of American political and social conflict and factors that tend to prevent or lower its intensity

14. Understands issues concerning the disparities between ideals and reality in American political and social life

How Does the Government Established by the Constitution Embody the Purposes, Values, and Principles of American Democracy?

19. Understands what is meant by "the public agenda," how it is set, and how it is influenced by public opinion and the media

20. Understands the roles of political parties, campaigns, elections, and associations and groups in American politics

Social Studies Standards

National Council for the Social Studies: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies Civic Ideals and Practices: Provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic

The essay, "Every Four Years" by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a capsule history of presidential politics that provides good background information for the study of presidential politics; recommended reading for teachers and students alike.

Hand out copies of the list of the states with primaries and caucuses [www.politics1.com; Click on calendar].

Ask students to count the number of primaries and caucuses and note how often they take place.

What does this schedule of primary elections mean for the candidates? For the public?

Is this a fair system?

How does it affect the presidential race?

In the United States, there are two major political parties, Republican and Democrat, but in almost every election there are challengers from one or more minor parties. Find out what students already know about the range of political parties that are active in the U.S.

Ask students to define or describe:
1. Democrat, Republican. What is the traditional makeup and philosophy of each of the major parties?
2. conservative, liberal

Write students' responses on the board.

Ask: What relationship, if any, is there between 1 & 2?

Discuss the pros and cons of the two-party system; list these on the board or on a flip chart.

Ask: In addition to Republican and Democrat, what other political parties are there in the U.S.? List students' responses on the board.

Hand out copies of the list of all the parties [www.politics1.com] that are currently active in the U.S. Ask students if they have heard of any of the parties.

Why are there so many parties in the U.S.? Why don't we hear more about them, especially at election time? Would it be a benefit or a detriment to our political system to have more than two major political parties? Explain.

Comparison of the U.S. electoral process with those of other countries

Begin by asking students to describe the election process of any country besides the United States.

Provide this overview: In many countries, there are more than two political parties. In order for a candidate to win, he or she must get at least 51% of the vote, that is, a simple majority. If there is no clear winner, then the two top vote-getters face each other in a run-off election. The person who wins that becomes president. Some countries have compulsory voting and people are fined if they don't vote. In some countries, a certain percentage must vote in order for the election to be valid.

Ask students to choose a country and do research on the election process, specifically, how is the leader of the country chosen? (NOTE: You may want to limit students' research to countries that are stable democracies, such as those of Europe and North America, as well as India, Israel, Japan and Australia.) They should write a brief report describing elections in that country and answering these questions: What advantages and disadvantages do you see in this particular system? Explain why that system could or could not work in the U.S.

Many Americans express dissatisfaction with the current political system and the election process. Some feel there is too much emphasis on the race itself and not enough discussion of issues. Others feel that candidates often discuss issues in a way that doesn't engage the electorate. The result has been an increased feeling of alienation from the election process evidenced by lower and lower voter turnouts.

1. What do you see as important public issues to people your age? (List responses on a flip chart to keep for use later.)

2. Are these issues important to the country as a whole?

3. What other issues do you see as important to the country? (Encourage students to think in terms of their community, family concerns, service projects, etc.)

1. Poll other students [Peer Questionnaire], especially those of voting age (or near voting age) about the issues that they care about.

2. Poll your community [Community Questionnaire] to find out the issues they would like to see addressed during the presidential campaign.

NOTE on logistics: For polling the community, students should select sites with lots of pedestrian traffic, such as the local community center or library, a popular bookstore or other retail store, or a local shopping mall. Divide the students into groups and have them visit their chosen polling location beforehand to obtain permission to poll there. The permission letter must be signed by the teacher and the proprietor of the polling site and list the names of the students along with the specific date and time they will be conducting the poll. Check your school's policy to see if parental permission is also required. On the day of polling, students can wear badges identifying them as Student Pollsters, __________ School.

Each group should compile its results and bring to class. Post these around the room. Have students go around the room and gather numbers/percentages from all results and compile into one overall chart or list.

Ask students to look at the current crop of presidential candidates from all parties, using information at www.politics1.com, www.issues2000.org, "Washington Week" transcripts [http://www.pbs.org/weta/washweek/video/#searchbox] and recent news reports. Students can work in small groups or pairs to gather information on candidates' ideas and proposals, each group focusing on a single candidate. Have students present their reports in class and relate what the candidate says about the issues. Compare each candidate's issues with those the students have defined in class discussion and through community polling. How close together are candidates and the community on the issues? Candidates and young people? What disparities are there?

1. Have students write to the candidates with the results of their poll. Ask to have these issues addressed as the candidates campaign.

2. Have students write to the local newspaper with the results of their community poll. Ask to have these issues covered during the campaign.

Via the Internet, join forces with classes in schools in other parts of the country to do similar polls in their schools and communities. Make these larger results known to candidates and news media. Monitoring the Press

The role of the press in a democracy is to keep citizens informed about the activities of the government and elected officials. During an election campaign, when there are numerous candidates vying for a single office, it is especially important for the news media to provide information on the candidates' ideas, proposals, and overall qualifications.

To keep track of how well the press is meeting its responsibilities, establish a system of rotating news monitors who will report on a monthly basis. Each month assign a different team of 4 or 5 students to spot check newspaper and magazine stories, television and radio news, online reports, and "Washington Week" [http://www.pbs.org/weta/washweek/video/#searchbox] news analysis of the candidates and their campaigns. Students should look for the following:

Set aside a specific time for an update by the news monitors. Have students develop a "news media report card" that they can distribute to the entire school. If the students have shared poll results with other schools (see previous activity), they can continue their online sharing with the "report card" results.

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